The Riverbend Skate Path is now CLOSED
for the 2022-23 season!
The path is free to use and is maintained through volunteer labor and donations.
Stay up to date on the status of the path on our social sites!!
How It Began
In December of 2020, at the prompting of a teenage daughter, three neighbors in Warroad, MN decided that with school and sports canceled they would plow a 3/4 mile path along the riverbend to connect their two river rinks. The idea grew and they continued plowing a path to Doc's, the local river rink that is open to the public. They received a donation of unsold trees after Christmas and used them to line the path, delineating the snowmobile trail on one side, and the groomed cross country ski path on the other side. Community members wasted no time lacing up their skates and strapping on their skis to try it out!
How It Grew
These neighbors, now dubbed the Riverbender Crew, received requests to extend the path to the homeowners on the other side of the car bridge and then even further beyond the train bridge. This little path soon grew to 2.26 miles! That is longer than 59 standard ice rinks stacked end to end! Businesses on the north side saw the opportunity to bring skaters to their establishments and requested the crew plow a path to them as well, which extended the path to a total of 2.5 miles. Equipment sponsorships by Ironhide Equipment and Polaris greatly improved the path maintenance efforts, and donations from the community provided the means for another power broom and pumps to flood the path.
2022-23 Season
The Riverbend Skate Path is now closed for the 2022-23 season. After doubling the length of the path in 2021-22, making it the longest ice skating trail in the United States, the crew reverted it to its original footprint in 2022-23. The two warming hut concession stands built by the Warroad High School Construction class and firepits from the Robotics team and Heatmor were well used on the path again this year!
Christmas Trees again lined our path, courtesy of Hill’s Country Greenhouse in Bemidji. The Memorial Tree Sponsorship program was a way to honor those we have lost while supporting the continued maintenance of the path.
We brought back the FriluftFest event in February as the annual fundraiser for the Path. Follow @riverbendskatepath on Instagram and Facebook for information on the 2023-24 season!
Interested in supporting
the Riverbend Skate Path?
Warroad Community Partners recognized the value this new asset provided to the community and came alongside the crew, creating the Riverbend Skate Path Maintenance Fund.
Proceeds from these tax-deductible donations will go toward equipment and fuel to maintain the path for years to come and additional aspects like lighting and signage along the trail.
To make an online donation:
Donations can also be mailed to:
Riverbend Skate Path Maintenance Fund
c/o Warroad Community Partners
PO Box 265
Warroad, MN 56763
Hot Off the Press
The Riverbend Skate Path wrapped up its third season and made waves in the media again in 2022-23!
Skate the Country’s Longest Ice Path in Warroad
Explore Minnesota, February 10, 2023
Inside the Bubble: Minnesota HS Hockey
(Riverbend Skate Path Feature at 29:30)
Kare 11, January 22, 2023
Minnesota Live
KSTP, January 12, 2023
2021-22 Season Press Coverage
Warroad Breaks Record for America’s Longest Skate Path
Bria Barton, Bemidji Pioneer
Warroad Lays Claim to America's Longest Skate Path
Dana Thiede, KARE 11
Minnesota town breaks record for longest skate path in US
Associated Press and KSTP
Hockey people in Warroad keep Riverbend Skate Path safe while it grows
Patrick Reusse, Star Tribune
2020-21 Season Press Coverage
The video above was created in the 2020-21 season to highlight the path and the crew responsible for it, and it went viral on social media. Soon, news media outlets like MPR, WCCO, Star Tribune, and Bemidji Pioneer covered the story, with the latter syndicating and being published in 16 other papers across the state. In late February, the Riverbend Skate Path made national news on ABC’s GMA3 and CNBC’s The News with Shepard Smith.
Boyd Huppert’s Land of 10,000 Stories | Kare 11 (Syndicated on CNBC)
Recreating on Ice and a River Lake Restored | Prairie Sportsman
GMA3: What You Need to Know
Warroad’s Plan To Use River For Community Skating | WCCO - CBS MN