Where to go Ice Skating in Lake County

Does winter weather bring visions of you and your family gracefully gliding over the ice wearing cute winter gear? Luckily for us there is no shortage of ice skating rinks in Lake County. And yes, we know, Chicago winters are fickle, and sometimes it’s either too bitter cold or not cold enough to skate outside. Whether you prefer skating on land or on a lake, or even indoors — this list will surely have a spot for you and your kids this season

Where to go Ice Skating in Lake County

Prefer skating indoors? Jump right to Indoor Ice Skating in Lake County.

Outdoor Ice Rinks in Lake County

Please note that the condition of these ice rinks is weather dependent. Please visit the website or call the phone number before you head out to ensure that skating is open on a particular day. Many of these rinks also implement a flag system where Green means open and Red means closed. Little Lake County is not responsible for rink conditions or closures.

?= lights ?= hockey allowed

Antioch Ice Rink – ??
414 Lake St, Antioch (located in the municipal lot behind Hannah’s Home Accents)
The rink has lights for skating at night, but no bathrooms. Those interested in playing hockey on the rink are required to obtain a permit from the parks and recreation office. Groups playing hockey must have adult supervision as well as the permit in hand. For updates on the rink’s status, contact the Parks and Recreation Department at (847) 395-2160.

Artesian Park Ice Rink – ??
10 E. Sheridan Place, Lake Bluff | (847) 234-4150
The skating rink at Artesian Park will be open weather permitting (and as long as there isn’t too much snow). The warming house, fully working bathrooms, and lights at night make this rink a pretty good choice for skating. No attendants are on duty.  While hockey is allowed, and goals are available for use, players must use the west side of the rink. A sign will be placed outside the ice rink indicating the status of the rink. If the sign indicates that the rink is closed, please stay off the ice.

Century Park ? ?
Century Park North, 1401 Indianwood Drive, Vernon Hills | (847) 996-6616 There will be two rinks in Century Park; one for general skating and the other for hockey. A limited supply of loaner ice skates are available, they will be given out on a first-come, first-served basis weekends only. Hot drinks and candy are also available for purchase in the warming house. The warming house and pavilion are only open if the rink and sled hill are open, check the Weather Hotline at (847) 996-6616 for updates about the conditions. When suitable conditions are met the Ice Rink is open daily from 7:30 a.m. – 9:00 p.m. The warming shelter is only open and staffed on weekend from 1:00 – 9:00 p.m.

Deerfield Park District Ice Rinks
(847) 945-0650

• Briarwood Park, Greenbriar Drive & Eastwood
• Jaycee Park, 1026 Wilmot Road ?
• Jewett Park Rink, 836 Jewett Park Drive ??
• Patti Stryker (Pine St), Pine & Hackberry

Deerfield Park District makes ice for outdoor skating as soon as weather conditions permit. We maintain rinks with timed lighting for your skating enjoyment. Lights at the rinks operate from 4-10 p.m. daily. Neighborhood rinks are located at Briarwood and Pine Street parks. Lighted family ice rinks are located at Jewett Park and Jaycee Park. A hockey rink is at Jewett Park, and unlighted rinks are at Pine Street and Briarwood Parks. For ice rink status and hours, visit Deerfield Park District Ice Rink Status Page or call their hotline at (847) 945-0650.

Grayslake Park District
(847) 223-7529

• Jones Island, 243 Harvey Avenue
• Haryan Farms – Molly’s Pond, 890 Alleghany Road
• College Trail – Cambridge Lake, 291 Buckingham Drive
• Chesapeake Farms, 965 Chesapeake Boulevard
• English Meadows Subdivision, Grayslake

All ice rinks are unsupervised and have no warming houses. Skating is only allowed in designated plowed areas. A flag will be flown at all ice rinks to indicate if the ice is safe. A red flag indicates unsafe conditions; a green flag indicates safe skating conditions. Hockey is only allowed at designated areas where signs are posted. For updated ice conditions at the various parks, please call the office at (847) 223-7529. While the ice is checked on a daily basis, conditions can change rapidly.

Gurnee Park District
(847) 623-7788

• Betty Russell Community Park,5300 Pinewood Road ?
• Hunt Club Park, 920 N. Hunt Club Road
• Viking Park, 4374 Old Grand Ave.

Gurnee Park District has three different locations where you can skate this winter. Typically they open the rinks mid- December and keep them maintained until February.  All rinks are unsupervised, but a few have bathrooms for skaters to use.  Betty Russell Park is the only skating rink that features a warming house and hockey playing. Call the Ice Rink Line at (847) 599-3774 or check the website for ice rink conditions and hours on a particular day. In addition, a flag system is used at Betty Russell Park to alert skaters of the ice rink conditions. A green flag indicates the rink is open; a red flag indicates that the rink is closed.

Heritage Park – ?
333 W. Dundee Road, Wheeling | (847) 537-2284  
During the winter months when conditions are favorable, the outdoor ice rink at Heritage Park will open for FREE public skating and hockey play. The rink closes at dusk. To check ice conditions, call the 24-hour hotline at (847) 537-2284 or visit the Wheeling Park District website.  The green flag on the page indicates the ice is open, a red flag means the ice is closed for skating.

Lake Villa Township ?
37908 N Fairfield Rd, Lake Villa
Lake Villa Township is happy to announce that the new ice rink is officially open at Caboose Park. The rink will be open daily from 9 a.m. until 10 p.m. It will be “open skate” at this time we are working on the ability to schedule for hockey games however at this time no games are allowed and it is open to everyone. Please be considerate of others using the rink. The Caboose will be open as a warming shelter and lights will be on until 10 p.m. Please park in the upper parking lot at Caboose Park and walk down to the rink located in Caboose Park.

Lake County Forest Preserves
(847) 367-6640

• Cuba Marsh Forest Preserve, Lake Zurich
• Lakewood Forest Preserve, Wauconda
• Old School Forest Preserve, Libertyville
• Independence Grove Forest Preserve, Libertyville

Lace-up your skates and head to the lake at Independence Grove, or the man-made rinks at Lakewood and Old School. Ice hockey is not allowed at any of these locations. The two man-made rinks are shallow and typically freeze earlier in the season than the lake at Independence Grove where a 4.5-inch layer is required for ice skating. Want to ice skate before school? No problem, these rinks open at 6:30 a.m.

Libertyville Park District
(847) 247-5433

• Libertyville Sports Complex, 1950 US Rt. 45 ?
• Nicholas-Dowden Park, 748 Crane Boulevard ?

Use of the outdoor ice rink at the Libertyville Sports Complex between 9:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m.; there is no supervision provided and the posted general rules must be followed. During ice season the rink is used for open skating for ice hockey and ice skating. The season depends on weather and ice conditions. During the non-ice season, the pavement surface is available for open skating for roller hockey and in-line skating. Nicholas-Dowden park features a small ice skating surface for recreational skating and ice hockey play.

Lindenhurst Park District
(847) 356-6011

• Millennium Park, 201 Country Place Lane
• John Janega Memorial Park, 205 Hickory Drive
• Engle Memorial Park, 2200 E. Grass Lake Road

The ice must be at a specified thickness throughout the skating area to be safe. This applies especially to John Janega Memorial Park, as their skating area is on a pond. Millennium Park’s skating rink is above the sand volleyball court.  Park District staff will check skating areas on a daily basis to ensure safety. A flag will be flown at each skating area to show the current skating conditions; a red flag indicates the conditions are unsafe, a green flag indicates safe skating conditions. Be sure to call (847) 356-6011 before packing up your skates to make sure the rink is open and there is no disappointment.

Mundelein Park District
(847) 566- 0650

• Keith Mione Community Park, 1461 N. Midlothian Road
• Diamond Lake Sports Complex, 1016 N. Diamond Lake Rd

FREE – weather permitting. Ice skating and sledding are at your own risk. Signs are posted at the Chalet (Dunbar Rd.) and Mundelein Community Center parking lot indicating if the Keith Mione Rink is open or not.  For other locations call the winter hotline information number, (847) 388-5464.

Paulus Park – ?
200 S. Rand Road, Lake Zurich | (847) 438-5141 Ice skating rinks will be located at Paulus Park. The ice rinks are lighted so you can skate at night.  They are open until 9:00 p.m. most nights.  Green flags at this location indicate that the ice is available for skating and red flags indicate that the ice is unavailable. Call (847) 438-5146, ext. 9 for updated skating conditions. If there is not a current update, the message you hear is the current condition.

Round Lake Park District 
(847) 546-8558

• Whipple O. Parrot Park, 215 Forest Glen Drive – ?
• Hart’s Hill, 814 Hart Road – ??

The Round Lake Area Park District maintains two outdoor rinks for FREE public skating and hockey play. Hart’s Hill Park skating rink is lit and features a warming house for cold skaters. Ice skating at Whipple O. Parrot park is on a lake, so the ice has to be a certain thickness in order to safely skate.  Safety conditions are reviewed on a daily basis and indicated by a flag system.  A red flag indicates the rinks are closed; a green flag indicates the rinks are open. Call (847) 546-8558 for current conditions, and daily updates on the status of both of their ice rinks are posted to Facebook.

Spring Lake Park
49 Oxford Dr., Lincolnshire | (847) 883-8600
The Department of Public Works of Lincolnshire is responsible for maintaining and monitoring the thickness of the ice at Spring Lake Park. From the third week in November to the third week in February, they will monitor the ice conditions. A sign will be posted at the lake if skating is unsafe at a particular time.

Sunset Woods Park Ice Rink ??
1801 Sunset Road. Highland Park | (847) 831-3810 
A large sheet of ice for open skating and one hockey rink are provided for your enjoyment. Groups must be considerate of each other while skating at these rinks.  All skating is FREE. New this year is that helmets will be required for all skaters in the hockey rink. There is no supervision or skate rental provided this outdoor rink. Vending machines, lights for night skating, bathrooms, and a warming house are available. Download the Rainout Line app to get updates on whether the rink is open on a particular day.

Wauconda Park District
(847) 526-3610

• Fieldbrook Park, Liberty Lakes Blvd.
• Beach Park, 122 Park Street ?

Outdoor Skating is available at both Fieldbrook Park and Beach Park in Wauconda for free. At Fieldbrook Park, in order to be open, there must be at least three (3) days with temperatures of 20 degrees or below and an extended forecast with temps of 20 degrees or below in order to begin flooding the rink. At Beach Park, no skating allowed until the ice reaches a thickness of eight inches. Hockey is available at this location. A green flag means it is safe to skate; a red flag means it is NOT safe. Park District staff will check the ice thickness in the rink area only. Call (847) 526-4606 or check the website for details and hours of operation.

Waukegan Park District
(847) 360-4700

• Arbor Park, 1151 S. Pleasant Hill Gate
• Belvidere Park, 412 S. Lewis Avenue ?
• Victory Park, 1325 North Avenue

Waukegan now has three locations for outdoor ice skating as well as many free, instructional classes for children of all ages.  If you do not own skates, the Belvidere Park location has a limited supply that you can check out using your drivers license. Skates are checked out on a first-come, first-served basis, so I would suggest that you arrive early. Rink availability is subject to weather conditions. For more information as to whether the rink is open please call (847) 360-4700.

West Park – ??
850 Summit Avenue, Lake Forest | (847) 234-6702 
Lake Forest maintains outdoor skating facilities at West Park featuring a warming house with bathrooms and ice rink guards. West Park also has lights for night skating and hockey goals. Signs will be posted when the ice is not safe to skate on. Before you head out you can call 847-234-6702, option 8, to find out the status of the ice.  When the rink is open, guards will be on duty. 

Willow Stream Park – ??
651 Old Checker Road, Buffalo Grove | (847) 850-2100
The rink is located on the south side of the park off of Old Checker Road. It is lighted until 10:30 p.m at night. The Willow Stream Park rink will be open until March 1, depending on snow and freezing conditions. Check their website for current skating conditions.

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Jump back to Outdoor Ice Rinks

Indoor Ice Rinks in Lake County

While many rinks have closed to the public (or completely) over the years, there are still a few rinks that are ready and waiting for you and your family this winter, no matter what the weather is outside.

Centennial Ice Arena
3100 Trail Way, Highland Park | (847) 432-4790
Centennial Ice Arena in Highland Park has been around since 1970 allowing community members the chance to play hockey, figure skate or just enjoy public skating at the facility. With rentals, snacks, and classes, this arena is great for a festive family outing this winter.

Glacier Ice Arena
670 Lakeview Parkway, Vernon Hills | (847) 362-1222
Glacier Ice Arena is tucked away from all of the shopping and hustle and bustle of the town and boasts plenty of skating opportunities.  Whether you’re seeking skating lessons, a hockey league, figure skating or even some time on the ice yourself, Glacier Ice Arena probably fits the bill. Check the calendar for public skate hours and their website for a schedule of classes and activities.

Skate Room
122 Hawthorn Center, Vernon Hills | (847) 918-1600
Looking for something completely unique and cool (pun intended) this winter? Check out the new 2,253 square foot rink at Hawthorn Mall (located upstairs outside of JC Penney). This rink isn’t made of real ice, however. It is made up of 56 fitted panels of a synthetic, self-lubricated material called XTRAICE. This is the first synthetic rink in the suburbs, and it can accommodate up to 40 people at a time. Skaters can take lessons, hold birthday parties or corporate events, and open skate with a disco ball and music. The best part? No need to bundle up — this cool place is always warm and always open — winter, spring, summer, and fall. read our review of The Skate Room.

Have a favorite skating rink that didn’t make this list? Let us know about it in the comments so we can include it in next year’s list! 

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