The Manitoba 150 Trails are now open for the season at The Forks. (HANDOUT)
WINNIPEG — If there’s one place in the city that does winter well, it’s The Forks.
The popular downtown destination is kicking winter into high gear with the opening of the Manitoba 150 Trails.
At more than 1.5 kilometres in length, the skating trails officially opened Friday to coincide with the year-long Manitoba 150 celebrations to mark the province’s special anniversary.
Unlike previous winters, the skating trails are all land-based this season due to unfavourable ice conditions on the Red and Assiniboine rivers. An usual freeze-thaw cycle paired with high water levels this fall made it difficult for crews to even attempt to create skating trails on the naturally-frozen rivers. Another casualty of the weather this season was RAW:almond, the pop-up restaurant that made a name for itself for being situated on the ice at The Forks.
“The Manitoba 150 Trails are a beautiful way to celebrate our rich history and the spirit of Manitobans while exploring The Forks site,” said Clare MacKay, VP, strategic initiatives, The Forks North Portage Partnership.
“We’re proud to be Manitoba’s number one tourist destination and we’re thankful to Manitoba 150 for their support in helping us bring this amenity to our enthusiastic, winter activity-loving community.”
Visitors can also enjoy other winter programming, such as the Warming Huts (starting January 24), sledding, a sauna, three additional skating rinks, including the hockey rink at CN Stage, Festival du Voyageur programming on weekends, and Arctic Glacier Winter Park activities every Sunday afternoon.
Ice conditions are updated daily by visiting TheForks.com/skate.
The @Manitoba150 Trails are officially OPEN! #MeetMeAtTheForks for extended on-land trails, multiple rinks and warming hut villages! @TheForks pic.twitter.com/cs1AkbgvgH
— Manitoba150Trails (@MB150Trails) January 10, 2020
