10 Places to Skate Outdoors Around Vancouver This Winter

Vancouver doesn’t freeze often, so outdoor skating here is mostly a built thing. You get refrigerated rinks under city plazas, a tent on a SkyTrain stop and a pond on top of Grouse. The lakes are another matter, and the Park Board wants you off them.

This guide starts close to home, downtown, on the Shore and in Surrey. Then it heads up the Sea to Sky to Whistler, out to Harrison and Manning, over to the Island and into the Okanagan. Each entry covers what you’ll find, how to get there, what it costs and the rules worth knowing before you lace up.

Some 2026-27 dates and prices are posted. Others aren’t yet. Where a rink hasn’t announced, you’ll see last season’s numbers marked as such, so you know what to expect.

10. Manning Park Resort Outdoor Rink (E.C. Manning Provincial Park)

This one comes with a catch. The outdoor rink is open only to registered Lodge and cabin guests. Day visitors can’t use it, so plan it as an overnight. The resort describes it as a rustic mountain rink for families. Hockey isn’t permitted, and you’ll need a free access ticket from the front desk.

Skate and helmet rentals are at the Nordic Centre. Skates are $8 an hour or $20 a day for 13 and over, and $5 an hour or $15 a day for 12 and under. Helmets are $2 an hour or $6 a day. Rates are on the resort’s skating page.

Access depends on the weather, and no 2026-27 opening date is posted. Last season the rink didn’t open until Jan. 2. The resort is on Highway 3 east of Hope, a signed winter-tire route. Published drive times conflict, so plan your own timing and check conditions before you leave.

9. Brewer’s Pond (SilverStar Mountain Resort, near Vernon)

Brewer’s Pond is a 2.5-acre natural ice rink at SilverStar. People come for pond hockey, a skate with someone they like, or a hot chocolate from Tube Town Cafe on the sidelines.

It runs in ski season, conditions permitting. Pond status can change quickly with the weather, and the Zamboni may not go onto the pond every day. SilverStar hasn’t posted 2026-27 opening dates or prices yet.

Everyone on the pond, tots included, needs a valid ticket or season’s pass and must be wearing skates. Rentals are at Brewer’s Base. See Destination SilverStar for current status.

Pond hockey has house rules. Only two games run at a time. No slap shots and no raising the puck. Sticks stay below waist height, and helmets are recommended.

8. Stuart Park Outdoor Rink (Downtown Kelowna)

Kelowna’s downtown lakefront rink is free. Once it’s open, public skating runs from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily, except Mondays from 6 to 8 a.m., when the ice is closed for maintenance. Last season the ice also closed for 30 minutes at set times every day (11 a.m., 5 and 8 p.m. on weekdays, more often on weekends). A gas fire pit at the north end of the rink gives you somewhere to warm up.

The city says the rink opens in early December. The exact 2026 date isn’t posted. Last season it opened Wednesday, Dec. 3 and closed Friday, Feb. 27 at 11 a.m.

Last season, rentals were available from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily, except Dec. 25. Rentals are cash only and weather permitting. Rental prices aren’t posted. Helmets and EZ bars have been available to rent, but the city asks skaters to bring their own protective gear.

Check the city’s still-image live cam at kelowna.ca/stuartpark before you head down. Schedules are on the city’s skating page. The highway routes from the coast are signed winter-tire routes.

7. City Centre Park Outdoor Rink and Ice River (Langford, Vancouver Island)

This is the odd one out, and that’s the appeal. In winter you skate from the arena along an ice river to an outdoor pond. The rink gets lights and decorations each season. There are cabanas, fire pits, skate rentals, helmets and skate buddies on site.

Skating opens Nov. 20, 2026. Registration for public sessions opens Oct. 21, 2026, and reservations are recommended. Book through City Centre Park.

Admission is charged here, listed before tax. Children 4 to 12 pay $5.95. Youth 13 to 17 and seniors 65 and over pay $7.10. Adults 18 to 64 pay $8.45. Skate rental is $4.25.

Sign the waiver before you arrive. Each skater signs once for the season, and an adult signs for anyone under 19. Children under 12 must be with an adult. Langford is on Vancouver Island, so you’ll need a BC Ferries crossing from the mainland.

6. Starlight Skating Rink at Lights by the Lake (Harrison Hot Springs)

This lakefront rink is synthetic, not ice. It sits under a canopy of lights in the boat launch parking lot at 495 Esplanade Ave. It pairs with the village’s Lights by the Lake display.

Lights by the Lake runs Nov. 21, 2026 to Jan. 10, 2027. The lights are on from dusk to 11 p.m., seven days a week. The opening ceremony is Saturday, Nov. 21. Tourism Harrison hasn’t posted separate 2026-27 rink dates.

The rink is free all season. Bring your own skates, or rent from the concession on select days. The most recent posted prices, from 2024-25, were $5 for skates and $2 for a helmet.

Skate in the last of the daylight, then walk the display. Sunset this time of year comes around 4:15 to 4:35 p.m., so get there early. No official drive time from Vancouver is posted. Check Tourism Harrison for updates.

5. Whistler Olympic Plaza Outdoor Rink (Whistler Village)

Each winter the municipality turns the Great Lawn and Pavilion at Whistler Olympic Plaza into skating rinks. You skate with the mountains around you, the Olympic Rings nearby and the village lights overhead.

The rink reopens Nov. 26, 2026, and typically runs until mid-March. Posted 2026-27 hours are 11 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. The ice closes for maintenance from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. and from 5 to 6 p.m.

This one charges a small fee. It’s $6.25 for adults, $5.25 for youth 13 to 18, $3.75 for children 4 to 12 and free for 3 and under. Ten-time passes are $51, $43 and $31. Rentals are $7.25, and helmets and skate aids are free. Sizes are limited, so bring your own skates and helmet if you can. Rental skates can’t leave the property, and there are no rentals for lake skating in Whistler. Rates are on the municipality’s outdoor skating page.

Whistler is 120 km north of Vancouver on the Sea to Sky Highway, about two hours by car. Winter tires are required on that route. If the lakes tempt you, know that skating on Lost Lake isn’t permitted.

Daily hours and ice breaks (most recent posted)

Rink	Daily hours	Ice closures	Season
Robson Square	9 a.m. to 9 p.m.	Not posted	2025-26
Shipyards Skate Plaza	Noon to 8 p.m.	About 30 minutes at 1:30, 3:30 and 5:30 p.m.	2025-26
Surrey Civic Plaza	1 to 8 p.m.	Not posted	2025-26
Whistler Olympic Plaza	11 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.	1:30 to 2:30 p.m. and 5 to 6 p.m.	2026-27
Harrison Lights by the Lake	Lights dusk to 11 p.m.	Not posted	2026-27
Stuart Park, Kelowna	6 a.m. to 11 p.m.	Not posted	Once open for the season

4. Grouse Mountain Mountaintop Skating Pond (North Vancouver)

Grouse has an 8,000-square-foot outdoor pond at the top of the mountain. It says this is the only mountaintop outdoor skate pond in the Lower Mainland. At Christmas the Light Walk around Blue Grouse Lake starts at a glowing light tunnel just off the pond. Santa’s workshop is part of the same event.

Grouse lists the pond as opening winter 2026/27. No exact date is posted. Peak of Christmas runs Nov. 20 to Dec. 24, 2026.

The pond is included with a Mountain Admission Ticket or Annual Pass. Admission covers the round trip on the Red Skyride or Blue Grouse Gondola. Posted prices are $89 adult, $49 child (5 to 12) and $229 family. The Lower Mainland rate is $74, $39 and $179, so compare before you buy if you live here. Skate rentals add $10 per adult and $6 per child. Details are on the skating pond page.

By transit, take the SeaBus to Lonsdale Quay, then the #236 bus, about a 25-minute ride. Buy a return ticket at the SeaBus or SkyTrain station so the whole trip is covered. Grouse puts the drive from downtown at 15 minutes. Every lot at the base is pay parking.

3. Skating at Surrey Civic Plaza (Surrey City Centre)

Surrey’s first outdoor rink opened last winter at Civic Plaza. It drew more than 43,000 visitors over its 12-week run. A 12,000-square-foot tent covers the 4,000-square-foot ice, with seating, family games, live music and free themed weekend programming. In May, the BC Recreation and Parks Association gave it a 2026 Program Excellence Award.

It reopens with the Surrey Tree Lighting Festival on Nov. 21 and 22, 2026, from noon to 8 p.m. both days. Skate and helmet rentals are complimentary that weekend. Welcome Winter follows on Nov. 27 (3:30 to 6 p.m.) and Nov. 28 (5:30 to 8 p.m.). The city’s contract call, as reported by the Delta Optimist, has the rink running to Feb. 15, 2027.

Skating is free. Rentals are $5 a pair. Breakfast with Santa on Dec. 5, 2026 costs $16 per person, and children under 2 get in free.

The rink is beside Surrey Central SkyTrain station, so the Expo Line takes you straight there. The tent keeps the rain off, which counts for a lot in a Lower Mainland winter. Event listings are on the City of Surrey site.

2. Robson Square Ice Rink (Downtown Vancouver)

The rink sits on the lower level of Robson Square, below Robson Street between Howe and Hornby, next to the Vancouver Art Gallery. It’s covered, so rain doesn’t stop it, but it’s still open to the air. It opened in 1982, and the province calls it Vancouver’s only outdoor public skating rink. More than 100,000 skaters use it each year.

2026-27 public dates aren’t posted yet. The official site says it plans to reopen in December 2026. Its school program runs Dec. 2, 2026 to Feb. 26, 2027. For reference, last season ran Nov. 28, 2025 to Feb. 28, 2026, from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., weather permitting. Last February it also added Wednesday theme nights from Feb. 4 to 25.

Skating is free if you bring your own skates. Last season, rentals were $5, ice cleats were $3 and sharpening was $5 when available. Helmets came free with a rental. Rentals were free for everyone on Family Day. 2026-27 rates aren’t posted.

Helmets are mandatory for everyone 12 and under. Children in strollers and people in wheelchairs also wear helmets, and whoever is pushing needs skates or grips. Leave phones and earphones off the ice, stay off the railing, and keep food, drinks, umbrellas and pets off the ice. Check the rink rules and hours before you go. You can walk here from any downtown SkyTrain station.

1. The Shipyards Skate Plaza (Lower Lonsdale, North Vancouver)

The City of North Vancouver calls this the region’s largest outdoor skating rink. It’s on the Lower Lonsdale waterfront, with downtown Vancouver and the North Shore mountains as the backdrop. The plaza is part of the Shipyard Commons. In summer the same space becomes a splash park.

It reopens for 2026-27 in late November. The exact day isn’t posted yet. Last season it ran daily from noon to 8 p.m. until March 29, 2026. The ice closes for about 30 minutes at 1:30, 3:30 and 5:30 p.m. for cleaning, so plan your arrival around those breaks.

Skating, helmets and skate aids are free. Last season, rentals were $8 for adults and $5.50 for kids. The rental counter closed at 7:30 p.m. Helmets are mandatory for kids 12 and under.

Take the SeaBus from Waterfront Station to Lonsdale Quay. The rink is a short walk from the terminal. Evenings and weekends are peak times, so a weekday afternoon is easier. Rental skates can run out, which is one more reason to bring your own. Updates go up on the Skate Plaza page.

When to go: the 2026-27 calendar

• Nov. 20, 2026: Grouse’s Peak of Christmas starts (runs to Dec. 24). City Centre Park in Langford opens.
• Nov. 21 and 22, 2026: The Surrey Tree Lighting Festival opens the Civic Plaza rink, with complimentary skate and helmet rentals.
• Late November 2026: The Shipyards Skate Plaza reopens. The exact day isn’t posted.
• Nov. 26, 2026: Whistler Olympic Plaza reopens.
• Dec. 2, 2026: The Robson Square school program starts. The public reopening is only posted as December 2026.
• Early December 2026: Stuart Park in Kelowna opens. The exact day isn’t posted.

Opening days for Robson Square, the Shipyards and Grouse usually firm up closer to the season, so check the official pages in November.

What to bring

• Your own skates. Robson Square, the Shipyards and Surrey are free with your own skates, Whistler is cheap, and rental supply is limited.
• A helmet for kids. Robson Square and the Shipyards require helmets for children 12 and under, and both lend them free.
• Warm layers. Robson Square, the Shipyards and Surrey are covered, but they’re still outdoors.
• Cash for Stuart Park in Kelowna, where rentals are cash only.

Frozen lakes and ponds: read this first

A cold snap brings out photos of people on Trout Lake. It does happen, just rarely. In January 2017, Vancouverites got 10 days of skating on Trout Lake, the first time in 20 years.

• The Vancouver Park Board says to stay off the ice at Trout Lake, Lost Lagoon, Jericho ponds and every other body of water in the city, and to keep pets off too.
• A Park Board spokesperson has said ice must be at least 18 cm thick before the board would recommend skating. Anyone on it before then is on it at their own risk.
• In Whistler, skating on Lost Lake is not permitted. The municipality doesn’t monitor ice thickness on other lakes.
• Sea to Sky RCMP have warned that no ice or body of water is ever entirely safe.

The rinks above exist for a reason. Use them.

Getting there: transit and winter driving

• Grouse: SeaBus to Lonsdale Quay, then the #236 bus, about a 25-minute ride. Grouse puts the drive from downtown at 15 minutes. Base parking is paid. See location and hours.
• The Shipyards: SeaBus from Waterfront Station to Lonsdale Quay, then a short walk.
• Surrey Civic Plaza: right beside Surrey Central SkyTrain station.
• Whistler: 120 km north on the Sea to Sky Highway, about two hours by car.
• Winter tires: B.C. drivers must obey winter tire and chain signs from Oct. 1 to April 30. Some lower-snow routes end March 31. The Sea to Sky is a signed winter-tire route. Details are on the province’s winter tire page.

Going out of town for Harrison, Manning, Kelowna or SilverStar, check road conditions and go prepared for winter driving.

Rink etiquette

• Robson Square bans earphones and phone use on the ice, sitting on the railing, and food, drinks, umbrellas or pets on the ice.
• At Robson Square, children in strollers and people in wheelchairs wear helmets, and attendants wear skates or grips.
• Hockey isn’t permitted on Manning Park’s rink.
• At SilverStar’s Brewer’s Pond, only two hockey games run at a time, slap shots are banned and sticks stay below the waist.
• Ice closes for cleaning and maintenance at set times at the Shipyards, Whistler and Stuart Park. Clear the ice when asked.

For a close-to-home skate, Robson Square, the Shipyards and Surrey are free with your own skates and easy to reach on transit. Grouse costs more but puts you on a pond at the top of the mountain. Farther out, Whistler, Harrison and Langford’s ice river make a day or a weekend of it. Bring your own skates, put a helmet on the kids and leave the frozen lakes alone.

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Photo credits

• Robson Square Ice Rink (15899473047).jpg by Mike from Vancouver, Canada, CC BY-SA 2.0 (combined into a montage, cropped). Via Wikimedia Commons.
• Robson Square Ice Rink (16084528692).jpg by Mike from Vancouver, Canada, CC BY-SA 2.0 (combined into a montage, cropped). Via Wikimedia Commons.
• Robson Square Ice Rink 2018.jpg by Wpcpey, CC BY-SA 4.0 (combined into a montage, cropped). Via Wikimedia Commons.
• Shipyards as seen from Lonsdale Quay – May 2018.jpg by Shaundd, CC BY-SA 4.0 (combined into a montage, cropped). Via Wikimedia Commons.
• Grouse Mountain in Winter – Flickr – Jaykhuang.jpg by Jay Huang from Pleasanton, USA, CC BY 2.0 (resized). Via Wikimedia Commons.
• Surrey Central (2025).jpg by Northwest, CC BY 4.0 (resized). Via Wikimedia Commons.
• Autumn in Whistler Village (24404000548).jpg by Ruth Hartnup from Vancouver, Canada, CC BY 2.0 (resized). Via Wikimedia Commons.
• Harrisons Hot Springs Mountain by ajithrajeswari.jpg by Ajith Rajeswari, Public domain (resized). Via Wikimedia Commons.
• Manning provincial park view.JPG by Bbb23, CC BY-SA 3.0 (resized). Via Wikimedia Commons.
• City Hall – City of Langford – panoramio.jpg by 8leung, CC BY-SA 3.0 (resized). Via Wikimedia Commons.
• Russdionnedotcom-Kelowna Stuart Park skate rink in snow with broken ethelene glycol problem Panorama.jpg by Accuruss, CC BY-SA 3.0 (resized). Via Wikimedia Commons.
• Ski Lift at Silver Star Resort in summer 2013.JPG by Accuruss, CC BY-SA 3.0 (resized). Via Wikimedia Commons.