The first night skates of the year are taking place this weekend at the Skating Trail in Laurentian Valley.
President of the Laurentian Valley Four Seasons Trail, Mark Behm, says they will have night skates starting this Saturday (January 22nd) and every Saturday for the rest of the season.
For the night skates on Saturdays, the skating trail will be open from 10:00am to 3:00pm, close for a few hours for maintenance, and re-open from 6:00pm to 9:00pm.
The 1.5-kilometer skating trail is lit up during the night skates for residents to enjoy.
Behm says starting on January 27th, they also plan to offer night skates every Thursday from 6:00pm to 9:00pm.
The skating trail is open daily from 10:00am to 4:00pm weather permitting. Behm says they have a volunteer with a tractor and snowblower that helps clear off the trail and the municipal sidewalk plow with a bush helps sweep the ice surface.
The Laurentian Valley Skating Trail is a natural ice surface through a wooded, forested area that is 1.5 kilometers long.
There’s a snowshoe trail that runs beside the skating trail. While snowshoers are welcome to attend during the night skates, it’s recommended to wear a headlamp as the lighting on the snowshoe trail is not the best.
There’s no cost to attend and skate, but donations are welcome to help grow and maintain the trail.
The trail is located at 2 Henan Road, next to the old Timberline Snowmobile Club and Alice & Fraser Recreation Centre in Laurentian Valley.
The Township of Laurentian Valley has approved the formation of a committee to oversee the trail and Behm says they would like to branch-out from being just a skating trail to something people can use year round.
The new name for the popular trail starting this month (January of 2022) is the Laurentian Valley Four Seasons Trail.
Entrance to the Four Seasons Trail in Laurentian Valley during the winter skating season.
A look along the path of the 1.5 km Skating Trail in Laurentian Valley.