WARROAD, Minn. — The Minnesota border town of Warroad, long known for its obsession with hockey, can now lay claim to something else: namely, the longest skate path in America.
Residents first conceived of, and executed the Riverbend Skate Path last year as a way for community members to safely gather amid the coronavirus pandemic. It eventually stretched to approximately 2 1/2 miles long, linking dozens of hockey rinks that were plowed or shoveled off the path.
And it wasn't just long, but 21 feet wide as well.
Organizers of the path say 300 to 400 skaters used it on weekend days last year, pulling sleds, curling, playing broomball and practicing puck handling. KARE 11's Boyd Huppert visited Warroad and its amazing ice path last winter for an installment of his "Land of 10,000 Stories" franchise.
“We happen to have a place right on the river here,” Katie Kalkman told Boyd as she pulled her daughter down the skate path on a sled in February of 2021. She said the skate traffic is “all day, non-stop from like right away in the morning, all the way until after the sun is setting.”
Well, an already-good thing got even better this winter, as the skating highway along the Warroad River has doubled in size. It now measures 5.2 miles long, topping the former champ in Vermont that stretches for 4.5 miles.
A Facebook page dedicated to the skate path will feature updates on ice conditions, among other things. Volunteers man fire hoses to flood the ice, and motorized brushes are attached to Polaris Ranger UTVs to keep the snow off. There has even been talk of putting up lights for night skating.
The owners of Doc's Harbor Inn offer skate rentals, and this year there are concession huts built by students at Warroad High School.