The Ribbon, a 1,000-foot-long ice skating trail, opened earlier this year along the east bank of the Maumee River in Toledo. Susan Glasser/TNS TOLEDO, Ohio – There are hiking trails and biking trails in Ohio, cross-country trails and kayaking trails. Now there’s an ice skating trail.
Metroparks Toledo debuted the trail earlier this year, a 1,000-foot-long loop path adjacent to the Maumee River and across the river from downtown. Dubbed the Ribbon, the trail is the cold-weather centerpiece of the park district’s new Glass City Metropark, a terrific outdoor space fashioned from property that once was an industrial wasteland. The 73-acre park is part of a larger development that aims to revitalize Toledo’s long-neglected east side.
New luxury apartments and restaurants are nearby, as is the National Museum of the Great Lakes, which next year will celebrate its 10th anniversary in Toledo. But the centerpiece attraction is the park, and the biggest draw in the park – at least for the next few months – is the ice skating trail. Scott Carpenter, director of public relations for Metroparks Toledo, said officials sought to come up with something different when envisioning the system’s 19th park.
“We set out to create unique, year-round attractions, and there is not another skating trail in our region,” he said. “The nearest is in Chicago.” And the public has responded.
Carpenter said the Ribbon – which transforms into a roller-skating trail in warmer months –.
