– Photo by Zak Stone Photography
Run Oregon loves running – that’s no surprise. But we also love the Pacific Northwest and all that it has to offer. Running is a part of us, but it does not fully define us. In our new “Make a Day of It” feature, we aim to showcase some great local non-running events and highlight where to run and how to make the most of your experience!
The next installment of this series is Salem on Ice!
First the running:
Salem has a ton of races throughout the year, so we recommend checking out our race calendar for all your scheduling needs. Riverfront Park, Salem’s growing downtown city park is home to a ton of smaller races, and has plans for expansion. From the already established Salem Carousel, to the creation of the of the Peter Courtney Bridge, as well as future plans for construction of a significant year-round amphitheater, it’s definitely a destination – for runners and non runners alike.
If you happen to be wanting to come down and run AND skate, your best bet will be to part as close to the park as possible – there is a small lot on the east side of the park and a larger one on the north side, but parking anywhere in downtown will set up a nice warm-up anyways. Once you are in the park, you have miles and miles of paved trails ahead of you in the three connected parks – Riverfront, Wallace Marine Park, and Minto-Brown Island Park. The loop around Riverfront that is just about a mile, but there is legitimately no limit to the amount of miles you could put in.
The skating:
– Photo by Zak Stone Photography
Within the past few years, Riverfront Park and the surrounding areas have been on a bit of an uptick. There are new condos and apartments that overlook the park and the Willamette River and there are a variety of festivals and concerts that have grown with the park as well. Back for the second winter is Salem on Ice – a “pop-up” skating rink that comes around in November and heads back out of town in mid-January. This is the second year that the ~8400 square feet rink (underneath an almost 13k foot tent) will be in town to please the masses with some wintery fun. All things considered, this is a great deal and I love the fact that there are 90 minute sessions every day and those sessions are limited to a max (160), meaning you won’t be absolutely crushed together with a crazy amount of people. I went last year and there are bleachers and picnic tables to relax and sample holiday-themed food and beverages, as well as lockers to leave your stuff. New this year appears to be an under ice neon oval, which should offer a fun addition. If you have a group of people who want to go, you can also schedule private events or birthdays. Make sure you follow on Facebook and Instagram for into (we may be giving away some passes on our social media!).
Head down to the Cherry City this holiday season and check out Salem on Ice!
– Photo by Zak Stone Photography
Times: Open Daily (November 29, 2018 – January 21, 2019)
- 10 am & 1130 am (Saturday and Sunday only)
- 1 pm
- 230 pm
- 4 pm
- 530 pm
- 7 pm
- 830 pm (Friday & Saturday only)
Cost: Purchase tickets here
- Adults – $15
- Children (age 3-12) – $12
- Family Four Pack (2 adults and 2 children – includes cocoa) – $48 (additional children for $13.50)
- 10-Pack – $100
- Season Pass – $200
– Photo by Zak Stone Photography
