Skaters are seen at the Nestaweya River Trail at The Forks on Thursday, January 25, 2024. (CHRISD.CA FILE)
WINNIPEG — Winter has returned at The Forks.
Cooler temperatures have prevailed and allowed for the reopening of the popular river skating trail.
The trail initially opened late in the season on January 25, only to be closed five days later due to unsafe conditions brought on by mild weather.
“The crew has now been hard at work forging through some mushy conditions in order to clear the trail, test it, and get it ready for skaters to use again,” The Forks said in a release on Tuesday.
Officials have also reopened the Winnipeg 150 Winter Park on-land trails for skaters to enjoy. This includes one kilometre of trails that extend from the canopy rink to the CN stage rink.
Daily updated ice conditions can be found at TheForks.com/skate.
Our crew has worked hard to clear the port rink, so this part of The Nestaweya River Trail, presented by @wpgfdn, is now open for skating!
For trail condition and updates, check out skating
page on our website: https://t.co/6hoItREg1aPhoto courtesy of @TravelManitoba pic.twitter.com/4qdcBMgp0Q
— The Forks (@TheForks) February 13, 2024
UPDATED: Shortly after announcing the river trail had reopened, the City of Winnipeg warned on social media to not walk on frozen rivers and ponds due to thin ice.
A Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service spokesperson clarified to ChrisD.ca by saying, “All frozen bodies of water within the city of Winnipeg should be considered unsafe for recreational use unless they are deemed safe by an approved source, such as The Forks, who specifically monitor and maintain their skating paths and the river trail.”
The WFPS responds to approximately 150 water and ice safety calls for service every year.
