A winter scavenger hunt and 14 winter walk ideas for families

A winter walk doesn't have to be long, and it doesn't need snow. Twenty minutes around the block counts. What gets everyone out the door is a reason to go, something to look for and a way to keep score, and that's what these ideas are for.

One rule comes on every walk, and winter makes it easy: hands stay in pockets. Look, snap, leave it be. The plant stays where it is, and everyone keeps warm fingers.

A winter scavenger hunt: 12 things to find

Short on time? Make it a winter scavenger hunt. Read the list out at the door and tick off what you spot. Almost all of it is waiting on an ordinary street.

Snap each find in PocketPetal and it's a catch with its own rarity roll. Highest roll wins. For a longer list that works in any season, print the nature scavenger hunt.

14 winter walk ideas

1. Count the evergreens

   In a gray-and-brown winter landscape, the trees that stayed green stand out from a block away. Count how many you can spot on one walk: the tall ones in the park, the hedge by the school, the potted tree on a porch, the big one outside the library. Then look closer. Some have long needles, some short ones, some flat green sprays. Line up three that look nothing alike.

   In the gameFrom December 11, 2026 to January 10, 2027, the Evergreen Hunt asks you to catch 3 different evergreens, for 150 XP and a streak freeze. It counts evergreen conifers: pines, firs, spruces, cedars, junipers, cypresses and their relatives. Holly and ivy stay green too, but they don't count toward this one.

   Dec 11 – Jan 10

2. Read the bark

   With the leaves out of the way, bark is the best show in the park. Look for three that look nothing alike: one smooth as a wall, one cracked into plates like a dry riverbed, one peeling away in papery curls. Get close with the camera, not with your hands. A phone held a hand's width away shows every ridge.

   In the gameKeep the close-ups for your camera roll. For the catch, step back and fit in a branch or the whole tree. If Tree Hugger turns up in your daily quests, any tree completes it. Despite the name, no hugging required.

3. The bud hunt

   Every bare twig is already holding next spring. Look at the tips of low branches for the buds: fat or thin, pointed or round, shiny or fuzzy-looking, green, red or nearly black. See who can spot the biggest, the smallest and the most colorful. Come back in March and see what they turned into.

   In the gameBuds are small, so hold the phone steady. If a photo comes out blurry, the app says so before it's sent, and you can take it again.

4. Seed heads and last summer's stalks

   Plenty of last summer's flowers are still standing, dried to brown and gold: seed heads like little brushes, tall grasses gone pale, papery flower heads in front yards, stems that look like fireworks stopped mid-burst. They're at their best against a clear sky, or with frost on them.

   In the gameCrouch down and frame them against the sky so they stand out. A grass catch can earn the Grass Gazer badge.

5. Moss and ferns on old walls

   Old stone walls, brick steps and the bases of trees stay green all winter. Get down to wall height and look for cushions of moss, small ferns tucked into cracks and ivy climbing over everything. It's a good hunt for small children, because the best finds are at their eye level.

   In the gameMoss is tiny, so fill the frame and hold still. The match % may come back low, which is part of the fun. A fern catch can complete Fern Finder, which is both a daily quest and a badge.

6. A frost walk at first light

   On a cold, clear morning, go out before the sun melts the frost. Every leaf edge and seed head is outlined in white, and the puddles have a skin of ice. Winter sunrises come late, so this can simply be the walk to school or the bus stop.

   In the gameEarly Bird, one of the daily quests, asks for a catch before 9am, which a winter morning makes easy. A catch before 7am earns the Early Bird badge.

7. Tree shapes against the sky

   Bare trees show their shapes. Find one shaped like a broom, one like a lollipop, one like a fountain with branches that droop toward the ground, and one that looks like it's waving. Late afternoon, while the sky is still bright, is the best time for it.

   In the gameA silhouette makes a lovely photo but gives image recognition very little to go on. For the catch, stand where the light falls on the tree.

8. The holiday lights walk

   After dark in December, plants are part of the show: wreaths on doors, garlands on porches, the town tree, potted evergreens wrapped in lights, poinsettias and amaryllis in shop and florist windows. Bring a flashlight and something reflective for everyone, and keep to sidewalks, shop windows and public displays rather than people's homes. Our Christmas lights scavenger hunt has twenty things to spot.

   In the gameHouseplants count as catches like any other plant, so the florist's window is fair game. Night Owl, a daily quest, asks for a catch after 7pm. If the app says a photo is too dark, step into the glow of a shop window or a streetlight, or try the flash.

9. The rarity roll challenge

   Everyone gets one catch. Walk until each person has chosen the plant they think deserves it, catch them one at a time, and see who rolls highest. Rarity is pure luck, rolled fresh for every catch with the same odds for every plant, so the five-year-old has the same shot at Mythic as the grandparent. That's the point.

   • Common60%
   • Uncommon25%
   • Rare10%
   • Epic3.5%
   • Legendary1.2%
   • Mythic0.3%

   In the gameFree players get 5 catches a day: enough for a family of four sharing one phone, with one left for a tiebreak. Rarity is a game mechanic and says nothing about how rare a plant really is.

10. Twelve days of catching

    Choose a short loop you can do most evenings, ten or fifteen minutes from your door, and make it a December habit: one catch a day, every day you can. It's a small, steady reason to get outside in the darkest weeks of the year, and short enough that nobody argues.

    In the gameDuring the Evergreen Hunt, the 12 Days of Catching quest asks for catches on 12 different days between December 11 and January 10, for 250 XP and a streak freeze. The days don't have to be in a row. If you want them in a row, that's your streak: catch something every day to keep it growing, and a streak freeze covers a day you miss.

11. The city block safari

    No park nearby? A city block has more plants than you'd think: street trees in their squares of soil, planters outside cafés, window boxes, ivy on fences, the palm in a hotel lobby, the tough little plants in sidewalk cracks. Set a target before you leave, say ten different plants between home and the corner store, and see if you can beat it.

    In the gameExplorer, one of the weekly quests, asks for catches in 3 different locations. A walk that crosses a few neighborhoods can cover it.

12. The rainy-day indoor hunt

    When it's pouring or bitterly cold, take the hunt inside. Count the houseplants at home, then at a grandparent's, the library, a café or the mall. A garden center in winter is warm, bright and full of plants; ask the staff before you start snapping.

    In the gameA houseplant is a catch like any other. Succulent Spotter, a daily quest, and the Succulent Starter badge both come easily indoors.

13. Snow day: what pokes through

    After a snowfall, the hunt is for whatever pokes through: grass tips, seed heads, the tops of shrubs, evergreens holding snow on every branch. All that white makes the green look greener. Watch your footing on ice, and keep everyone off frozen ponds and streams.

    In the gameIf the app says a snowy photo is too bright, move closer so the plant fills more of the frame than the snow does.

14. One tree, all winter

    Choose one tree on your street or in the park and visit it every week until spring. Notice what changes: the buds swelling, a nest showing in the bare branches, snow on it one week and none the next. Give it a name if you like.

    In the gameCatch it on every visit. Rarity is rolled fresh each time, so the same tree can be Common in December and Legendary in February. Keep going through the year and it helps toward Four Seasons, the badge for catching plants in all four seasons.

Before you head out

Make it a game with PocketPetal

PocketPetal is a plant-collecting game for iPhone and iPad. Point your camera at a plant and snap it, and it's caught. Image recognition puts a name to it, and it's often wrong, so every catch shows a match % for how sure it was. Then the game rolls a rarity from Common to Mythic, and the catch joins your collection with XP toward your next level. Free players get 5 catches a day, so a family sharing one phone can take turns choosing what to catch.

Winter adds a few extras:

• Winter Wonder is a badge for catching a plant in winter. In the Northern Hemisphere that means December, January or February; south of the equator, the game flips the seasons.
• The Evergreen Hunt runs from December 11, 2026 to January 10, 2027. Its three quests turn up in your Weekly tab, with a countdown to the end of the hunt.
• Daily quests change every day: three at a time, one fixed and two random. Early Bird, Night Owl and Tree Hugger all suit a winter walk.

Players under 13 play in kid mode, with no usernames, friends or sharing, and photos with faces in them are turned down on the phone before they're sent. Our guide for parents has the details. For the event, see all about the Evergreen Hunt, and for the odds, how rarity works.

Looking for something to do on any walk, in any season? Try our nature scavenger hunt, with a checklist you can print.