Image: People skating on the Nestaweya skating trail.
Photo credit: Travel Manitoba
As the boats are pulled from its waters, a thick layer of ice forms on the Red River, allowing for the creation of the Nestaweya River Trail. This trail is skillfully flooded and plowed with warming huts deployed, transforming the Red River into a winter pathway. Winding along the Red River and joining with the Assiniboine River, this trail brings together outdoor enthusiasts to enjoy a walk, skate, run, hockey game or a curling match.
The name Nestaweya is the original Cree term for The Forks, where the Red and Assiniboine rivers meet, and broader Winnipeg area, honoring the Indigenous history of the region. Meaning “three points,” this word depicts the rich history of the Indigenous peoples who have used the area to gather coming from the North, South and West. This winter path holds the Guinness World Record for the longest natural frozen skating trail in the world (2008), provides a temporary resting home for approximately 650 spent Christmas trees and displays past and present winners of the annual Arts and Architecture Competition on Ice, a warming hut design competition. While the popularity of the trail continues to grow over time, in 2024 the trail was only open for nine days due to an uncommonly warm winter. This was a sharp decline from the average 53 days a year that the trail is typically open to the public. As a natural frozen ice surface, it is completely dependent on the cold weather for its formation.
Image: Arial image of the Nestaweya skating trail
Photo credit: Travel Manitoba / Blue Crow Aerials
As climate change continues to impact our lives in different ways, the future of this winter trail hangs in the balance. As part of the region’s historical transportation network, the trail serves as a reminder of the Indigenous travel route subsequently used by voyageurs, explorers, settlers and today modern tourists and local residents. Today the trail is celebrated for fostering connections between communities and providing a unique way to experience the winter landscape. However, the increasing unpredictability of winter conditions due to climate change poses a threat to its existence.
The Red River itself is a symbol of resilience, being the only major river in the prairies that flows in a northerly direction, yet rising temperatures jeopardize both the river and the winter trail it supports. According to an article by ClimateData.ca, the future of outdoor skating rinks in Canada may be at risk as winter temperatures in Canada have warmed the most out of any other season rising 3.60C over the past 77 years (1948-2024) (Environment and Climate Change Canada, 2024). Add to that weather events like El Niños (which cause dryer and warmer conditions than usual), and warmer than normal temperatures like most of Canada saw in the winter of 2024 can be expected to occur again in future years.
While the number of open days on the Nestaweya Trail in 2025 has surpassed 2024, 2024 stands as a symbol of the delicate balance between respecting our past and safeguarding our future.