FROZEN PERIMETER ICE SKATING GAME FREE
Winter Park Resort's Village Ice Rink offers free lessons, rentals and views of the dramatic peaks of the Continental Divide. A Zamboni creates perfect ice conditions every three hours, lounges around the rink’s perimeter let parents supervise their skaters in comfort beneath heat lamps, hot cocoa and posh accommodations are just steps away, and lights around the rink in the evening give it a warm glow. The 9,000-square-foot Black Family Ice Rink in Beaver Creek fits right in with the resort’s reputation for luxury. For more winter fun, the facility also leads snowshoe hikes through the park. The YMCA’s inviting fireplaces welcome pink-cheeked skaters to relax with a mug of hot chocolate. The YMCA of the Rockies just outside of Estes Park offers outdoor ice skating surrounded by Rocky Mountain National Park’s dramatic snow-covered peaks. Dip and swirl in settings that resemble a snow globe, play a game of hockey and warm up in the snack shack. One of the largest Zamboni-maintained outdoor rinks in North America, Keystone Resort’s Dercum Square Ice Rink frozen alpine lake is kept in tip-top skating condition for day and night skaters.
The warming hut has snacks, warm beverages and a cozy fireplace. This frozen destination includes a boardwalk for parents to watch their kids play on the ice, picnic areas and an easy hiking loop. Just west of Denver in Evergreen, 40-acre Evergreen Lake is a skating haven. With 45 kilometers of groomed cross-country and snowshoe trails, a sledding hill, warming huts and winter photography workshops, the Nordic center provides the whole family with new ways to occupy snowy days.
The Crested Butte Nordic Center's rink is situated on the edge of this classic southwest-Colorado ski town. Though the rink features a small warming hut, a soak in the nearby 96- to 108-degree Ouray Hot Springs and Orvis Hot Springs pools will ward off the chill after you’ve spun your final figure eight. Just north of the Swiss-inspired town of Ouray, the Rotary Park rink is surrounded by purple mountains majesty, and locals are known to drop in for impromptu hockey or broomball games. Check conditions with the individual parks before you head out. When you’re done gliding around the pond, you’ll have the parks’ myriad other snow activities to choose from - snowshoeing, cross-county skiing, sledding or tubing, wildlife viewing and more. Several Colorado State Parks have natural ponds that offer skating amid some of the state’s most scenic vistas, including Yampa River, Golden Gate Canyon, Highline Lake, Jackson Lake, Cherry Creek and Eleven Mile.
(Reservations may be required, so look before you leave.) Colorado State Parks At the Frozenfire Ice Rink at Digger Field, you can glide and skate amongst mining ruins and quaint hillside homes. And if you're trying to squeeze in one more Colorado activity on your way out of town, Denver International Airport has its own rink, which typically runs late November to early January with the nice price of free! Idaho SpringsĬolorado’s newest outdoor rink is set in the heart of charming Idaho Springs just outside of Denver. Bring your own skates or rent theirs handy learn-to-skate stabilizers make sure spills are kept to a minimum, and the options for warm post-skate beverages nearby are vast. Outdoor ice skating in Denver happens in the middle of downtown at Southwest Rink at Skyline Park along 16th Street Mall November to February. Skate in the Park has themed nights, live music, food vendors (and a Santa or two) through January. During the holiday season (November through January-ish), the west side of Colorado Springs’ Acacia Park becomes a hub of activity that revolves around the skating rink.