Nestaweya River Trail opens for the season

Just hours after ringing in the new year, The Forks rang in the start of a new season, as the Nestaweya River Trail opened.

The trail — its name means “three points” in Anishinaabemowin, referencing the three-pointed juncture where the Red and Assiniboine rivers meet — officially opened to the public on Thursday morning, right on time for a day of festive activities at The Forks, which included live music and family storytelling.

New Year’s Day is about the average time for the trail to be open, said Sara Stasiuk, CEO of The Forks, though unpredictable Winnipeg winters make each year a little different. This time around, the water froze at a slightly lower level than in a typical year, so the padded stairway down to the ice has been extended.

“It’s always a monumental time in Winnipeg when we can finally get back on the ice,” Stasiuk said, as she took her first glide on the Assiniboine on Thursday morning. “It’s so incredible to be able to connect communities by the ice. The rivers are such a part of our history, and to be able to use them in our every day in the winter makes this place pretty special.”

Last winter, over 200,000 people used the river trail, exploring it on skates, by winter bike, or just their boots. Stasiuk, who lives in Osborne Village, has even set a goal to commute to work by skating the trail at least once this season.

On Thursday morning, as the scent of wood smoke from The Forks’ nearby firepits drifted in the air, the trail was already starting to fill up with skaters.

Among the first to take a spin down the ice were Angela Gaiero and Maxwell Hayward, visitors from Port Elgin, Ont. The couple had come to Winnipeg as tourists, looking to take their vacation in Canada: “Some people thought we were a little crazy coming here for a holiday,” Gaiero said with a laugh. “But we’re Canadian, we can handle it.”

They had a great time in the city’s winter offerings, they said, taking in two Jets games, going dogsledding near Selkirk, and enjoying a meal at the Interlake Brewing Co. in Gimli. They were about to fly home Thursday when their flight was delayed, giving them a chance to cap off the trip with a true Winnipeg experience: skating down the frozen river.

After lacing up their skates and finishing their first long loop, the couple was beaming.

“It’s a great way to start the year,” Hayward said. “The ice is in great shape.”

Though nature made the ice, keeping the trail clean and suitable for skating takes the work of an eight-person crew. To help support that work, The Forks offers the Trail Together program, where for $50 members of the community can “adopt” one metre of trail. Already, over 1,000 metres have been adopted.

Fans of outdoor skating have even more options: the Riley Family Duck Pond at Assiniboine Park also opened for skating on Thursday, adding to a slate of winter activities that also includes the cross-country ski trails and toboggan hill. The warming shelter near the duck pond will be open daily from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.

melissa.martin@freepress.mb.ca