The Badlands Trail Society and the Newcastle Community Association have made the Newcastle Beach a winter attraction for residents and visitors who love to glide on two blades.
The rink is up and running, and is a great place to learn to skate or shoot a few pucks.
However, tucked away closer to the Red Deer River and entwined in the trees is a new skating trail built by the Badlands Trail Society.
There is an iced pathway which winds about 400 metres through the trees. A group of volunteers has been busy flooding, scraping and shovelling to make this trail. It is equipped with benches as well as a fire pit to cozy up to.
Last weekend lights were also added to the attraction.
The project was supported by a donation from the World’s Largest Dinosaur Legacy Fund which awarded the Society $4,200 for the project.
The Badlands Trail Society is a nonprofit established to build and maintain multi-use trails that promote year-round active mobility throughout the valley. Earlier this year they were successful in helping to facilitate opening the parking areas to McMullen Island during the winter season.
More information is available at badlandstrailsociety.com

Alberta Transportation is in the midst of repair work to the sliding hillside that for years has made travelling Highway 837, the road to the Bleriot Ferry treacherous.
The Mail has reported on the sliding of the hillside that will often slide and cover the drive lanes, going back as far as 2015. Over the years there have been stop gap measures to keep the road open including lane reductions as well as placing Jersey barriers along the roadway to hold the material at bay.
According to the Alberta Transportation and Economic Corridors website, work on the Highway 575 and Highway 837 is an approved repair.
It is scheduled for 2024-2031, the architect is Klohn Crippen Berger of Edmonton and the Contractor is PME.
A Province lane restriction was listed beginning on October 2024 to March 31, 2025, for both highways.
The contractor is on site, and materials are stockpiled near the Lion’s Campground. Light signals are in place controlling the single lane traffic.