New Brunswickers skating through the forest in Mactaquac

If you love the outdoors in winter you might want to go to New Brunswick’s Mactaquac Provincial Park.

The Mactaquac skating trail has been a labour of love for Parks NB.

"What you're seeing back here is two-and-a-half years worth of work,” said Brendan McGuire, a guest experience coordinator for Parks NB, next to the trial. “This is coming in during the same time we were going to the pandemic, cutting all the trees, packing down the soil, learning from our mistakes.”

The idea originally came following Hurricane Arthur, which knocked down trees in the area, but the park turned that damage into an opportunity.

Officials had hoped to open it earlier, but the trail was on thin ice last year.

"In terms of winter climate change, we weren't successful in getting the skating trail up and running last year,” McGuire said.

“Just because of the warm and the thaw to the cold back to a thaw again.”

Since opening Saturday, hundreds of skaters have skated their way around the 900-meter trail.

"I think it's really awesome, actually. It gets a lot of people out here to try something new,” said Sadie Nicholson, who came to the trail for a skate. “I heard they have lights for night time as well, so that would be pretty awesome.”

"This is just a phenomenal experience to be outside skating, outside skating is just a great winter sport,” said skater Gail Duncan, who was out on the trails for the first time. “Of course, you've got nature, the sun's out, there's a little bit of snow falling from the trees,” she added.

A lot of work goes into keeping the winter wonderland a smooth glide.

"We're proud to feature our own style of Zamboni that does pressure water and we run it though in the morning and the evening so we can even out the ice surface,” said McGuire. “However, this isn't like maintaining an arena because there's different curvatures, there's different slopes to the land, so there are parts the staff have to go in and do by hand and by broom, by push mop and everything to even out.”

The park hopes to use the rink in the off-season for people with disabilities, autism and other needs.

The Mactaquac forest skate is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday to Wednesday and 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Thursday to Sunday.