Calgary 
The Pigeon Lake area, including the village, the ice, and the Provincial Park, offer visitors a ton in terms of winter recreation.
Pigeon Lake has something quite large to offer winter adventurers. The Grand View and Poplar Bay Pigeon Lake Skateway are now open on the south side of the lake.
Pigeon Lake’s New Skateway
A skateway, iceway, ice trail, or skating path is are cleared trail on an ice surface. These are areas open to recreational ice skating and can be found in most Alberta towns or cities.
The Pigeon Lake Skateway, more specifically, is an 8km stretch of cleared ice trails that loop, bend, and meander along the ice like a racecourse. While the cleared trails on the ice are intended for recreational ice skating only, the skateway’s volunteers have also cleared rink areas for hockey.
The length and size of Pigeon Lake’s Skateway are impressive when considering the average length of those local ice trails, usually about 1-2km.
The Skateway was created by a group of local volunteers called the Rink Rats. Together, these Rink Rats use their powered shovels to clear ice trails for the public. On top of the skating area, they’ve also worked to add picnic areas and fire pits around the skateway area.
More Winter Fun around Pigeon Lake Provincial Park
The Provincial Park’s winter day-use area is on the west side of the Skateway. From here, visitors can find additional parking for skating, additional picnic areas, and washrooms. The park is open in the winter for ice fishing on the lake, cross-country skiing on groomed and packed trails, forest snowshoeing, and winter camping.
The Village at Pigeon Lake
Any winter recreation is bound to build up an appetite. Head to the Village at Pigeon Lake, southeast of the rink and Lakeshore Drive. There are a handful of options for casual dining, including the Village Pizza & Sub, ECO Café, Chef N’ Pigeon Lake, Familia Brewing, or Daisy McBeans.
Planning your Trip – Pigeon Lake Skateway
What: an 8km stretch of cleared skating paths on the south shore of Pigeon Lake. The cleared areas also feature two hockey rinks.
Location and how to get there: These volunteers made it easy to access the 8km skateway by placing it near and alongside the parking lots near Summer Villages of Grandview and Poplar Bay.
These parking areas make for a 1-2 minute walk to the ice and are dotted with washrooms.
Use Highway AB-13 to access the Poplar Bay area, Lakeshore Drive, and the parking lot.
The skateway is located about 75 minutes of drive from Edmonton and Red Deer and 2 hours 30 minutes from Calgary.
Cost: free
For more information:
