If cycling, walking and skateboarding appeal, Winnipeg has the paths and trails, as well as the new Plaza at The Forks Skateboard Park—considered Canada's best such urban park. At almost 40,000 sq ft/12,400 sq m, it is also Canada's biggest. Located at The Forks Market and National Historic Site area, its central plaza covers 30,000 sq ft/9,300 sq m with ramps, stairs, guardrails and ledges, and the adjacent 8,500-sq-ft/2,635-sq-m bowl complex incorporates sharply angled slopes and curves that challenge even the pros.
Also fun are the water taxis that run from The Forks up and down the river. Check at The Forks info booth to see if they're running, as water levels vary greatly from year to year and occasionally prohibit their operation. Often the river level is so high in spring and early summer that you cannot use the walking trails and water taxis.
Golf
Winnipeg boasts more than four dozen golf courses within the city limits and even more within a one- or two-hour drive outside the city, though some are private. Top public courses can require up to seven days' advance tee-time booking.
Phone 204-986-2032 or visit http://winnipeg.ca/ppd/golf.stm for a list of city-run public courses.
Hiking & Walking
The city's walking and cycling trails are serene and not too strenuous. Most are located in Assiniboine and Kildonan parks, and in Assiniboine Forest. The city's signature Riverwalk runs along the Red River through the city center, stretching north and south of The Forks.
Skiing
In winter, The Forks' skating rink opens (rentals are not available on-site), and the Red River becomes one long skating rink/cross-country ski trail. Nordic skiers will want to try the Windsor Park Nordic Centre, the winter training headquarters for Manitoba's Nordic skiers. It's the longest night-lit set of cross-country trails (two trails total more than 5 mi/8 km) in Canada.
