Little Red This Winter: What's New, What's Waiting Until 2027, and Which Gate to Use After Halloween

Things looked good for Little Red River Park over the summer. In July and August, city council approved a regraded toboggan hill with fencing and an accessible path, a new snowmaker, donated lighting and a new lift at the Kinsmen Ski & Snowboard Centre. If you live in River Heights and sled, ski or walk the dog out there, you probably pictured all of it ready by the first snowfall.

That's not how the season is shaping up. The hill rebuild has been pushed to 2027, and the snowmaker and lighting were aimed at a winter that starts in 2027. For this winter, you get one new building and one gate change. The building gives you a heated place to warm up. The gate changes how you drive into the park.

The hill you'll sled on this winter is last winter's hill

The first phase was all about the ground itself. In July, council awarded Snake Lake Construction Ltd. a contract for $109,969.50 plus taxes, $122,066.15 in total, to regrade the toboggan hill. The job included a new accessible walking path, clay hauling and compaction, topsoil, seeding, and cedar post-and-rail fencing. Jody Boulet, the city's Parks, Recreation and Culture director, told council the regrading and rail system were a response to concerns the city had heard from the public. He said the rails would act as more of a barrier and also help people climb the hill, according to the Prince Albert Daily Herald.

In early October, council cancelled that purchase order. A city report said the contractor couldn't finish the work in the 2026 construction season, and the project will be retendered in spring 2027, the Daily Herald reported.

Three details from that meeting shape what happens next:

• The money is meant to stay put. Most of the cost was covered by $100,000 the Rotary Club of Prince Albert raised at its 2025 Lobsterfest. City administration will work with Rotary to confirm the money stays earmarked for the 2027 project.
• The price will probably change. The new tender will ask for current market pricing, not the 2026 quote. Parks and Open Spaces Manager Tim Yeaman said purchasing rules require a retender, and that the company can bid again if it's in a position to.
• This winter, the hill gets routine care. The city said it will manage existing conditions through regular Parks and Open Spaces operations until the delayed work can go ahead.

Coun. Darren Solomon backed the delay. "There's been tremendous work done out there," he said in the Daily Herald's coverage, adding that he looks forward to the upgrades next year.

The city's own park page still lists the hill as an "unsupervised toboggan hill." For this season, that's still an accurate description.

The snowmaker was aimed at a later winter

In late August, paNOW reported that council had approved Phase Two and that the upgrades were expected "by next winter." Read in August, that sounds like the coming winter.

The Herald's October story gives a later date. It says the August report targeted Phase Two for completion before the winter season starting in 2027, and described it as building on the physical work from Phase One. So the snowmaker, signage, picnic tables and lighting were planned for after this winter from the start. The cancellation report doesn't say Phase Two is cancelled. It also doesn't say whether pushing Phase One into 2027 will affect Phase Two's timing.

Here's what has been approved for the hill and the ski area, and where each item stands in mid-October:

Once it arrives, the snowmaker is meant to add to natural snowfall, build a more reliable base and possibly lengthen the season.

The lift: don't plan around it yet

The new lift on the ski side of the park uses the same "by next winter" wording. Council approved the Sunkid Comfort Star lift to replace the old one and improve reliability and ease of use. The Malcolm Jenkins Family Foundation and the Prince Albert Kinsmen Club committed $250,000 between them, and $99,000 is set aside for taxes and other costs.

No public update since August has said whether the lift has arrived or been installed. So check with the Kinsmen Ski & Snowboard Centre before you count on it this season.

Right now, the city's Little Red page lists weekday lift tickets at $18, or $16 after 7 p.m., and weekend tickets at $24, or $20 after 2 p.m. A season pass for ages 5 and up is $310. Private lessons are $45 for one person or $55 for two, by appointment. The page doesn't say which season those rates are for, so treat them as the current listing rather than confirmed 2026–27 prices.

What actually changed: a washroom with heat

The one finished upgrade at Little Red this year is the least exciting one, and it's probably the one that matters most for a January outing. On Aug. 26, the city opened a new year-round public washroom. It's accessible, heated and air-conditioned. The water is non-potable, so pack your own drinking water.

It has been running on a trial schedule of 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday to Friday, through Oct. 31, 2026, and the city will reassess the hours after that. Cosmo Lodge and the existing outhouses stayed available during the trial.

Keep an eye on the weekend question. A weekday-only washroom suits school-day walks. It doesn't help much on a Saturday when the hill is full.

After Oct. 31, your route into the park changes

The other change has nothing to do with council. The city says the west entrance gate closes for the winter as of Saturday, Oct. 31. Until spring, you'll get into the park through the south entrance off Highway 55. The park itself stays open from 7:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily, at 1390 15 Street NE.

From River Heights, the Rotary Trail is the car-free way in. The city describes the trail as nearly 23 km of paved path plus a 3 km extension to Little Red River Park. It's open year-round and cleared of snow in winter.

Once you're in, here's what's running this season:

1. Cross-country trails. The PA Nordic Ski Club maintains 45 km of ski trails at Little Red. That includes 6 km lit until 10 p.m., plus about 10 km of walking trails. Membership registration for 2026/27 is open, with youth, adult, couple and family options. Those lit kilometres are the after-work option once it's dark by late afternoon.
2. Warm-up shelters. They're free and first-come, first-served, and they have to stay open to everyone even when a group is using one. The city supplies firewood but not matches, lighters or paper. If a shelter is out of wood, Cosmo Lodge staff can open the wood shed.
3. Knotty Pine Bistro at Cosmo Lodge. The city page lists hours of 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Mondays, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday to Friday and Sunday, and 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Saturdays. These aren't labelled as winter hours, so call before a big group outing.
4. Snowshoeing and on-leash dog walking. Both are on the city's list of winter uses for the park.

Put it together and River Heights' winter at Little Red looks a lot like last year: the same hill, groomed trails, shelters with free firewood, and the lodge. The new washroom fills a real gap, and the trip in now goes through the south gate. The hill rebuild goes back out to tender in spring 2027, with the Rotary money meant to stay behind it.

If having Little Red close by is part of why you're looking at River Heights, or why you're staying, I'd love to help you work out which streets keep the Rotary Trail a short walk away. Brooke Wozniak knows this corner of Prince Albert in every season. Book a consultation and let's talk it through over a coffee, or a hot chocolate at Cosmo Lodge.