As the shorter and darker days fall upon Toronto, the city’s skating rinks are gearing up for what will likely be a very busy season.
Although the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has changed Toronto and its vibrant offerings (i.e. things to do) as we know it, its skating rinks will be alive and well with families, first-daters, and friends this winter. While we can’t promise you won’t be met with a wait and designated time slots thanks to social distancing-inspired capacity issues, the good news for Toronto residents is that a skating rink is never too far away.
If you’re in the market to lace up those skates for a fresh air fix, or to burn off some work-from-home steam, you can do so at one of these Toronto skating rinks.
10 Toronto Skating Rinks to Hit this Winter
Sky Skate
Toronto has a shiny new, view-filled option this year on the skating front. In a ‘cool’ initiative we wouldn’t mind seeing more of, popular summertime rooftop patio Rock ‘n’ Horse Saloon will transform into a skating rink, complete with CN Tower views. It’s now taking reservations for the synthetic resin rink, and the experience here comes with a side of eats and (post-skate) cocktails. Skate and helmet rentals are available. Find more information here.
Evergreen Brick Works Skating Rink
A trip to Evergreen Brick Works is just as worthwhile in the winter months, when you can take advantage if its picturesque skating rink. The family-filled rink takes skaters under the exposed beams of the roof of the old brick factory and through snowy gardens. This year, public skating requires booking a time slot online. The skating rink is open from December until March, and offers both skating lessons and public skating. Find more info here.
Barbara Ann Scott Skating Trail
A relatively unknown skating spot despite its central location, the Barbara Ann Scott Skating Trail is tucked away in College Park. A 2019 addition, the rink is surrounded by condo buildings and skyscrapers and offers a slick ice skating loop. One of the best parts about this rink is its seasonal shelf life; it’s able to open even when the weather starts to warm, thanks to its artificial cooling system. Find more info here.
Nathan Phillips Square Skating Rink
For an iconic Toronto skating experience – one that’s been a longtime winter staple in the city – hit Nathan Phillips Square. Here, the skating experience is complete with no shortage of visual appeal, thanks to a backdrop of festive lights, the brand-new “Toronto” sign, the rink’s sweeping arches, and some of Toronto’s most notable architecture. Skate rentals are available. Find more info here.
The Bentway Skating Trail
Perhaps Toronto’s most impressive and innovative public space initiatives in recent years, The Bentway – a space underneath the Gardiner Expressway – will soon open its hot-ticket skating trail. As the city’s most urban-feeling ice skating option, the 220-metre skating trail takes skaters in a figure-eight loop under the busy expressway, next to Fort York. Find more info here.
Colonel Samual Smith Park Skating Trail
Toronto may be home to a handful ofskating trails, but Etobicoke’s Colonel Sam Smith Park has bragging rights as being the city’s first. Located next to the Power House Recreation Centre in the nature-filled park, the figure-eight-shaped trail is surrounded by trees, plants, and wildlife. Find more info here.
Cedarvale Park
The ravine-lined Cedarvale Park is as popular in the winter as it is in the summer months, thanks to a prime tobogganing hill and an outdoor skating rink, not to mention its tree-filled walking trails.The park offers public skating daily from 10 am to 10 pm. Find more info here.
The Paul Quarrington Rink at Sherbourne Common
Come winter, the splash pad at Sherbourne Common waterfront park becomes an ice rink. The rink offers a west-facing view of the cityscape, as well as views of Lake Ontario. A relatively less-known option compared to other Toronto rinks, this spot is usually not as busy (at least, not in pre-COVID times). Find more info here.
Greenwood Park Skating Rink and Trail
In the east end, Greenwood Park features Toronto’s first covered outdoor artificial ice rink. Under its element-protecting roof, the rink offers pleasure skating as well as shinny programs for both kids and adults. Beside the rink, ice skaters can also enjoy a 215-metre pleasure skating trail. Find more information here.
Riverdale Park East
The east end’s Riverdale Park East is a beloved winter destination for tobogganing and skating. The sprawling park offers views of the Toronto skyline, as well as a popular boarded skating rink for pleasure skating and shinny, and a family-filled skating trail. Both the well-lit rink and the trail are shiny new (ish) 2017 additions. Find more info here.
Information reflects the status of rinks at time of publishing. Before you dig out the skates, or bundle up for the day, make sure to visit eFun or the rink’s website to register and check for COVID-19-inspired changes and updates.
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