If you are new to the area or visiting the Bow Valley for the first time, you may be unaware of the vast number of outdoor skating opportunities available. Skiing is usually the biggest draw during the winter for outdoor recreation but the often-overlooked outdoor skating experience delivers iconic and life-long memories that should not be missed. From wild ice to the manicured, here is a list of our top outdoor skating spots that are a short drive or hike away.
Gap Lake
Located between the communities of Exshaw and Canmore on the 1A Highway, Gap Lake is often the first skating stop for visitors coming from Calgary. This scenic spot sits at the foot of Grotto Mountain, offering sweeping views of Mount Lougheed and the Wind Valley as you glide on its often glassy smooth surface. Early freeze up can mean you are skating as early as November, but you may need to avoid a large area of open water on the eastern shoreline that can remain all season long. If you like big views and a strong headwind this is your spot. A Kananaskis Conservation Pass is required to park at the Gap Lake Day Use area.
Spring Creek Rink
In the heart of Spring Creek sits a small skating pond that is perfect for those lacing up for the first time. This area has a history of hosting outdoor community style rinks over the years, and this latest evolution is a frozen water feature that lies at the crossroads of this growing area of Canmore. Don’t expect long lake style skating here but rather a spot that offers beginner level ice with easy access to hot drinks and plenty of seating for onlookers.
Larch Rink
The biggest and best of Canmore’s outdoor community rinks, the Larch rink is the place to go for epic evening battles or to imagine playing for the Stanley Cup, World Junior dominance or to recreate Sidney Crosby’s “Golden Goal.” With proper boards, lighting and team benches, there are few spots better than this for high-level pickup games. If you are lucky enough, you may get a chance to share the ice with a Canmore Eagle or even a former NHL player.
Cougar Creek rink
The little cousin of the Larch Rink, what Cougar Creek lacks in size it more than makes up for in personality. The true essence of a community rink, the ice is often taken over by kids walking in from the surrounding neighbourhoods. This smaller ice surface is great for small three-on-three matches or a family skate. Although boards and chain link netting catch most pucks, keep your shots low or else Cougar Creek, located on the west end of the rink, will swallow deflected or poorly placed shots. Lights stay on until 10 p.m.
Downtown Canmore, 7th Avenue Pond
“The Pond” is at the heart of Canmore’s skating community. This is the largest maintained ice surface in Canmore and is appropriate for almost any skating needs. The gazebo with overhead heaters offers a warm place to sit and lace up and doubles as a viewing platform for all the action. Here is where you can witness the shaky first strides of a beginner skating, former high school captains reliving their youthful glory or the effortless dance of figure skaters showing you how it is really done. Bring along the barbecue or stove to tailgate on the shoreline. There is plenty of room for everyone.
Harvie Heights Rink
This is a true community rink located and hidden in the hamlet of Harvie Heights in the MD of Bighorn. Flooded and maintained by residents, this medium size outdoor rink offers a quiet spot to practice your shots or trick plays. Taking a bit of time to shovel off the ice is always appreciated and a great warm up on a brisk Alberta night.
Carrot Creek
Often an early season safe spot to strap on the skates, Carrot Creek is a shallow back flow of the Bow River located just inside Banff National Park. Conditions here can be quite variable but when you hit it at the right time, this classic Bow Valley spot is well worth the effort. Pack in some snacks and hot drinks because you might be here for a while, and captivated by the open views of the picturesque mountain ranges of Rundle and Fairholme. A park pass is required in Banff National Park.
Fairmont Banff Springs hotel rink
With the shadow of the Banff Spring Hotel looming over your shoulder, this wide-open rink nestled near the confluence of the Bow and Spray Rivers is a truly Banff experience. With plenty of parking and a short walk for hotel guests this can often be a popular spot, especially on weekends or holidays. The ice can be a bit variable due to natural undulations of the topography but it is generally well maintained.
Two Jack/Johnson Lake
As with any outdoor or “wild ice” experience, timing is key. If you hit it right, Two Jack and its sister lake, Johnson Lake can offer one of the finest lake skating experiences. The wide-open spaces freeze early and if weather conditions are right, you get the same manicured smoothness of the best indoor rink. What you may get here that you can’t at the local community “barn” is the opportunity to skate overtop native trout and muskrat as they glide below the eerily clear ice. If you happen to own a pair of speed skates these lakes offer the perfect spot to slide off into the distance. Come early for the quiet and calm you can only find on a Rocky Mountain lake.
Vermilion Lakes
If you have seen a picture of Mount Rundle and Banff, then you already know this place. Set at one of the most iconic spots in the world, Vermilion Lakes is a short drive from Banff but a long way from the crowds. With the right conditions this is a giant rink with plenty of room. With a bit of snow, you can shovel and create your own personal pickup battle ground or carve a skating track along the shoreline grasses. It is not unheard of to see a pack of wolves run across the lake’s frozen ice in the distance. Add that to the whistle of the nearby CPR mainline and the Banff Springs off in the distance and you have one of the most Canadian skating experiences available.
Lake Louise
There is skating in the mountains and then there is “Skating In The Mountains.” The outdoor rink on the world-famous Lake Louise is hard to put into words. Sure, it is probably not the quietest place for a game of shinny or to practice your Triple Salchow, but look around. You are skating on the famous Lake Louise with the Victoria Glacier looming in the distance and the Chateau watching over the lake. It is impossible not to stop and take it all in.
If you prefer a covered ice surface, with a few more amenities and heated changing spaces, the Bow Valley has those as well. Drop-in and ice rentals are available at all three facilities but do depend on demand, time of year and day of the week.
In Canmore, you can visit the Canmore Recreation Centre and glide on the same ice where NHL teams often stop to practice at 1,300 + metres of elevation.https://www.canmore.ca/your-community/recreation/indoor-recreation/arena-and-public-skating
In Banff, the Fenlands Banff Recreation Centre is a beautiful building located near the western entrance, which has indoor and outdoor skating rinks as well as space for curling. Take a moment to view the history of hockey in Canada’s first national park dating back to the early 1900s. https://banff.ca/132/Fenlands-Banff-Recreation-Centre
Located in the village of Lake Louise, is the Sports and Recreation Centre which has drop-in or rental time on their covered natural ice NHL size ice surface. Open to the elements but covered by a large roof this space is as unique as it is beautiful. https://improvementdistrict9.ca/sport-centre/
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