Ice, Ice, Baby: Outdoor skating rinks in York Region

Aurora, Newmarket, Markham, Vaughan, Richmond Hill boast multiple locations

Yorkregion.com
December 18, 2019
Adam Martin-Robbins

Skating on an outdoor rink or pond, especially at night when there’s a light snowfall, arguably ranks among the most enjoyable winter activities. Fortunately, York Region has plenty of places for you to hit the ice. Here are a few:

Aurora

The town operates four outdoor rinks -- Ada Johnson Park at Conover Avenue and Hartwell Way; Confederation Park on Glass Drive; Machell Park on Aurora Heights Drive; and Town Park at Wells and Mosleys Streets -- all of which are lit and open daily until 11 p.m. Machell Park is still under construction.

Newmarket

The town operates the Tim Hortons Skating and Water Feature at Riverwalk Commons, 200 Doug Duncan Dr., open daily from 10 a.m. to 10:30 p.m., with pickup hockey permitted after 10 p.m. There are also three volunteer run rinks - Ken Sturgeon Park, Lions Park and Whipper Billy Watson Park, all weather permitting.

Markham

There’s a large city run outdoor rink at the Civic Centre, 101 Town Centre Blvd., open daily. You can rent skates Friday evenings, Saturdays and Sundays. The city also boasts 13 volunteer-run ice rinks, for details visit the town’s webpage.

Richmond Hill

Richmond Green Skate Trail, open daily from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. The 250-metre trail through a natural setting is lit at night and has heated washrooms and change rooms.

You can also skate at Mill Pond, weather permitting, and Crosby Park.

Vaughan

The city operates five outdoor skating, weather permitting, that are supervised on certain days. Outdoor rinks are located at Chancellor Community Centre, Dufferin Clark Community Centre, Father Ermanno Bulfon Community Centre, Garnet A. Williams Community Centre and Vellore Village Community Centre. For supervised hours, visit the city’s website.