Then it might be a good time to check out the skills park in Rockwood Park.
Put together by the Saint John Cycling Club, the park recently got a refresh.
Club vice-president Patrick Graves said it was due.
“Over the years, it got really run down, weathered,” Graves said. “Some of the boardwalk features had begun to rot out.”
In 2025, the club fundraised in order to give the park an update.
The work wasn’t completed until the late fall, so there was no opportunity to hold a grand reopening until now.
So on June 7, the club is hosting a community celebration with riding, vendors and refreshments.
“We’re tying in our grand opening with our membership drive,” Graves said.
The skills park is considered a beginner circuit.
Graves said that means small obstacles newcomers can learn to get over and learn in a safe environment.
One of the beginner obstacles found at the Rockwood Park beginner mountain bike skills trail. PHOTO: Submitted/The Saint John Cycling Club
That includes rock features, wooden features where riders learn to balance that just a few inches off the ground, and beginner jumps.
“In recent years, there’s been some local companies just start mountain bike coaching,” Graves said. “So having the facility for people to learn these skills was definitely a need.”
The skills park is meant to be welcoming and accessible, Graves said.
It’s located near Rockwood’s campground and horse barn, making it easily accessible for people.
He said once a rider gets comfortable, they can take those skills out to other, more advanced trails around Saint John and the surrounding area.
Graves said a lot of the work the club has done wouldn’t have been possible without the support of the City of Saint John.
“The city has been really awesome, working with Saint John Cycling and allowing us to develop and fundraise for these multi-use and mountain bike-specific trails in Rockwood Park,” he said.
Since the club started in 2014, Graves said it’s raised about $400,000 for trail infrastructure projects in Rockwood Park, including the skills park.
“This project reflects what community cycling is really about,” he said. “Creating spaces where people can learn, ride and feel part of something.”
The June 7 event will run from 1 to 4 p.m. Information can be found here.
More information about the Saint John Cycling Club can be found here.
It’s not peak camping season, but campgrounds in New Brunswick say they are already experiencing losses.
Co-owner of seasonal campground Sussex KOA Journey and Sussex Drive-in movie theater Don Monahan said higher gas prices have significantly driven down reservations.
“In the month of May we are down 13 per cent year-over-year, and June we are down 12 [per cent],” he said. “It’s definitely not very optimistic going into the summer when we’re seeing fuel $2 a litre.”
Gas prices have been rising in New Brunswick due to international market tensions.
According to a survey by the Tire and Rubber Association of Canada, spiking gas prices will significantly affect travel plans for Atlantic Canadians, with 79 per cent of Atlantic respondents planning on cancelling and limit their road trips this summer.
Monahan said the campground is already seeing this trend, as they have noticed an increased demand for seasonal spots, instead of weekend visits, allowing visitors to leave trailers parked all summer.
Monahan said this has reduced revenue for the campground, because nightly booking are more profitable.
Monahan added that the increased fuel prices are not only affecting their ability to get customers, but also their operational costs.
“We definitely use a lot of fuel and with an increase cost of between 40 and 48 per cent, that’s definitely having a negative impact on the bottom line,” he said.
Monahan said he has added new amenities and upgrades to the campground to adapt to the new travel trends, including upgrades to attractions to appeal to longer stays.
However, there is not much the campground can do now to offset the losses caused by higher gas prices, Monahan said, but in hopes to bring more revenue, Monahan will be instead focusing on his drive-in movie theater business this summer.
Park lowers cabin prices to attract more local visitors
Like Sussex KOA Journey, Saint John’s Rockwood Park — the city’s urban park known for its wide range of outdoor activities — has introduced new amenities and programming to help offset revenue losses driven by rising operational costs and the possibility of a slower camping season.
Amy Cleveland is the director of operations and community engagement for the Saint John Horticultural Association, which operates the park.
She said for the first time this year the park reduced cabin prices and partnered with local businesses to attract visitors.
Cleveland said while there haven’t been any significant changes to the number of reservations the park gets during this time of the year yet, inflation and higher operational costs due to the spiking gas prices have forced changes.
“It’s affecting us business wise,” Cleveland said. “We may have to reduce some of our staffing and delay our projects that we have on the go for the campground or shorten office hours.”
Amy Cleveland is the director of operations and community engagement for the Saint Horticultural Association. PHOTO: AMY CLEVELAND/SUBMITTED WITH PERMISSION.
Cleveland said the park is focusing on attracting local visitors and positioning itself as a staycation destination by providing other services in their cabin packages through their business collaborations.
“Hopefully by offering more amenities that don’t cost a lot of money or that they can do for free in the park, it will encourage campers to come,” she said.
Cleveland added that the changes were also introduced in case they see less U.S. campers this year.
She explained the park usually gets more cross-border visitors from the states, but with the current gas prices, Cleveland said it’s hard to tell if they will change their mind.
Businesses advocate for reductions to fuel HST
Monahan, who also serves as the progressive conservative MLA for Arcadia–Butternut Valley–Maple Hills, said that he and other business owners and MLA’s have been lobbying the government to reduce a portion of the fuel sales HST.
He said the Liberal government had forecast revenue based on lower fuel prices, and with gas prices now higher, Monahan argued “Susan’s Holt government should do their part and give New Brunswickers relief at the gas pumps.”
Monahan said if the province wants to boost tourism, the government must address affordability tied to fuel costs
“If we want to drive people to the province, and we want to get New Brunswick crews out and about and enjoying the facilities and amenities we offer in this province, we need to help New Brunswickers,” he added.
Public skating is back on Lily Lake after the recent cold snap strengthened the ice surface in Rockwood Park.
The City of Saint John said the recent cold snap allowed crews to plow the snow and flood the lake to strengthen the ice
The lake was also open during the Rockwood Glows event this past weekend.
Outside of that event, the City said residents can skate throughout the day and evening as long as conditions remain safe.
The City is reminding people to follow all posted warning signs on and around the ice.
Some areas may not be safe because of natural springs, and skaters are asked to stay within the designated skating zone. Helmets are encouraged for all ages.
Ice conditions will continue to be monitored, and the lake may need to be closed again if the weather changes.
Any updates will be shared through onsite signage and the City’s social media channels.
