Skaters are seen at the Nestaweya River Trail at The Forks on Thursday, January 25, 2024. (CHRISD.CA)
WINNIPEG — It was a very, very short season for The Forks river trail.
An above-seasonal winter led to a delayed opening of the Nestaweya River Trail on January 25, which only lasted a few days.
The trail reopened on February 13 but closed again for good this year just four days later. In total, skaters only had nine days to get their wintry fill.
“We know getting out on the river trail is a defining activity for Winnipeggers in the wintertime – the reason we’re able to clear, build, and maintain a trail at all is because of you the community, coming here all year round,” said Sara Stasiuk, president and CEO, The Forks North Portage.
This year marks the shortest season ever for the river trail, which didn’t open at all in 2020 owing to river ice freezing and then dropping. The previous shortest season was 33 days in 2017.
It was also the shortest distance to which the trail has extended — only from the Port Rink in The Forks Historic Port over to a small section on the Red River.
The Forks is no longer monitoring or maintaining any portions of the ice and advises the public to stay off the rivers.
Despite a valiant effort to collaborate with Mother Nature this winter, The Nestaweya River Trail presented by @wpgfdn is now officially closed for the season.
We are no longer monitoring or maintaining any portions of the ice and we advise the public to stay off the rivers. pic.twitter.com/3PIlvP6Cyc
— The Forks (@TheForks) February 21, 2024
