A person skates along the Nestaweya River Trail in Winnipeg, Tuesday, Jan. 27, 2026. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/John Woods)
The Nestaweya River Trail is now officially closed for the season as warmer temperatures and rising river levels make ice conditions unsafe.
The trail was open for 62 days this season, stretching more than six kilometres from Churchill Drive on the Red River to the Hugo Docks on the Assiniboine. That falls short of last year’s 68-day season and the record 76 days set in 2019. In 2024, the trail was open just nine days, while it did not open at all in 2020 due to poor freezing conditions.
This year also marked the end of the Trail Together adopt-a-metre fundraising campaign, which saw community members adopt 1,270 metres of trail to help support maintenance and operations.
“It’s a reminder that the trail belongs to the people who skate it, walk it, and return to it year after year,” said Sara Stasiuk, president and CEO of The Forks, in a release. “Thank you all for loving the trail as much as we do.”
While the river trail has closed, skating continues at The Forks on the canopy rink and upper trails, weather permitting. Updated ice conditions are available at TheForks.com/skate.
