'A great holiday memory': Echo Valley Provincial Park gets plenty of visitors at Skate the Park launch
Families and groups of friends made use of the good weather as the new season of Skate the Park got underway at Echo Valley Provincial Park.
Since 2019, the park has been creating a kilometre-long trail of ice for skaters to enjoy. It has become an attraction for the park, with various additions made over the years.
Many people have been waiting for the ice trail to open for the year.
“We were receiving calls approximately two weeks in advance, asking when we were going to open,” said Shelley Maclean, the park manager of Echo Valley Provincial Park.
Due to a more regular winter season, the ice trail was created with little issues, compared to last year’s above average temperatures.
There are no restrictions regarding skating experience to get on the ice.
Children enjoy ice skating on the 900m outdoor skating loop at Echo Valley Provincial Park. (Gareth Dillistone / CTV News)Melissa Young said she has not skated in 30 years but wanted to give the ice a try.
“It’s actually beautiful here, very nice. With the help of my son, it was awesome, really fun,” she said.
There are also sledges available for those who have not skated before, or who have mobility issues.
Cody Thoring attended the park with his family. He said it’s a great place to enjoy part of the holidays.
“The park is beautiful right now … [it’s] an experience we don’t get all the time. It will be something to remember for sure, a great holiday memory,” he said.
Maclean said there has been a considerable rise in the number of people getting out to the park. This is likely due to the range of activity the park now offers.
“Last year we crunched the numbers at the end of the season. We had around 19,000 guests in the winter season,” she explained.
Families enjoy a hot dog roast at Echo Valley Provincial Park.(Gareth Dillistone / CTV News) “You think about that from a mental health perspective, that’s 19,000 people who got off their couches and came out here to enjoy the magic we have around us,” she added.
Rain or shine, Echo Valley Provincial Park is ready to welcome visitors four outdoor fun all year round.
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