NESTAWEYA RIVER TRAIL 2023!

Open for an action-packed 72 days (about 2 and a half months), The Nestaweya River Trail, presented by The Winnipeg Foundation, returned for another year. Fully equipped with warming huts, skate/snowshoe/ice bike rentals, and other outdoor activities, the river trail provided many diverse ways to experience the joy of winter in our city.

The Nestaweya River Trail officially opened on New Year’s Day and marked year two of a five-year lead sponsorship commitment by The Winnipeg Foundation. The trail opens in increments, depending on the ice conditions each year. This year’s trail was open from The Forks to Hugo Dock up the Assiniboine River, and from The Forks to Churchill Drive on the Red River.

Approximately 220,000 patrons had access to more than 6 kilometers of trail this year. Falling just three days short of the longest open record (75 days), guests on the trail were also provided a sneak peak of The Winnipeg Foundation’s Vital Signs® 2022 report. Signage along the trail shared where Winnipeg stood in certain areas of need in the community and provided examples of actions community members could take to make a positive change.

Patrons engaged in opportunities to support and show love to our incredible charitable community by participating in the ‘Check Your Vital Signs®’ survey. The survey compared experiences of Winnipeggers related to Vital Signs® 2022, for a chance to win one of five $1,000 grants for their favourite local charity.

The Foundation understands the importance of honouring our city’s history and is committed to the name ‘Nestaweya’ for the remainder of its sponsorship. Nestaweya (phonetic pronunciation: nestah-way-ya), or “three points” in Cree, is the original name of the area we now know as Winnipeg. It also refers to the history of the land as people came from three paths to create a community (Cree from the north on the Red River, Ojibway from the south on the Red River, and Lakota/Dakota/Nakota or Assiniboine on the Assiniboine River).

The Nestaweya River Trail is located on Treaty 1 territory – the original lands of the Anishinaabeg, Cree, Oji-Cree, Dakota, and Dene Peoples, and on the homeland of the Red River Métis.