Outdoor Ice Skating in Lake County

The weather in Lake County can be frightful in the winter, but don’t stay cooped up in the house! Outdoor ice rinks are a great way to make the best of the plunging temperatures that we have here. Luckily for us there is no shortage of outdoor rinks in Lake County. All you need is a couple pairs of thick socks, laced up skates, and a cup of hot chocolate waiting in the car for you for a post-skating treat. Whether you prefer skating on land or on a lake this list will have a spot for you and your kids this season.

Please note that the condition of these ice rinks are 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.

Outdoor Ice Skating in Lake County

Antioch Ice Rink
414 Lake St, Antioch. | 847-395-2160
(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. During supervised skating hours, attendants will be on duty to monitor skaters. During unsupervised hours, no attendants are on duty but the warming house and bathrooms will be open. See their website for hours of both supervised and unsupervised skating. 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. Visit the Ice Conditions page for current ice conditions.

Century Park
Century Park North, 1401 Indianwood Drive, Vernon Hills | 847-996-6616
A limited supply of loaner ice skates are available for rental. They will be given out on a first-come, first-served basis. Hot drinks and candy are also available for purchase in the warming house. Check the park district’s website for daily availability. Alternatively, you may call the Weather Hotline at 847-996-6616 for updates to the ice rink.

Deerfield Park District
(847) 945-0650
For ice rink status and hours, visit Deerfield Park District Ice Rink Status Page or call their hotline at (847) 945-0650. Deerfield Park District maintains neighborhood rinks with timed lighting for your skating enjoyment from 4:00 - 10:00 p.m.

• Briarwood Park, Greenbriar Drive & Eastwood
• Patti Stryker (Pine St), Pine & Hackberry

Lighted family ice rinks with warming houses are located at:

• Jaycee Park, 1026 Wilmot Road
• Jewett Park Rink, 836 Jewett Park Drive

Grayslake Park District
847-223-7529
Grayslake maintains five neighbhood ice rinks. 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.

• 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

Gurnee Park District
847-623-7788
Gurnee Park District has three different locations where you can skate at 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 their website to hear the 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.

• Betty Russell Community Park, 5300 Pinewood Road
• Christine Thompson Park ( Located at the corner of Woodlawn and Belle Plaine Ave)
• Hunt Club Park, 920 N. Hunt Club Road
• Esper Petersen Park (In lieu of Viking Park)  located on corner of Grand and Old Grand Avenue
• University Park (Located at University Avenue and Estes Street)

Lake County Forest Preserve
847-367-6640
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.

• Lakewood Forest Preserve, Wauconda
• Old School Forest Preserve, Libertyville
• Independence Grove Forest Preserve, Libertyville

Libertyville Park District
847-247-5433
Adler Park features a lodge with a warming house and concessions stand. The lodge is only open when there is 3 inches of snow on the ground, and on weekends. Visit Libertyville Online for more information. Call 847-247-5433, press option #3 for hours and availability.

• Adler Park, 1500 N. Milwaukee Avenue
• Nicholas-Dowden Park, 748 Crane Boulevard

Lindenhurst Park District
847- 356-6011
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. Call 847-356-6011 before packing up your skates to make sure the rink is open and there is no disappointment.

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

Mundelein Park District
847.566.0650
Ice skating and sledding is 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.

• Keith Mione Community Park, 1461 N. Midlothian Road
• Lions Field, E. Noel Drive and Countryside Avenue
• Diamond Lake Sports Complex, 1016 N Diamond Lake Rd

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
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.

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

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. 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 rink is open on a particular day.

Wauconda Park District
847-526-3610
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 their website for details and hours of operation.

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

Waukegan Park District
847-360-4700
Waukegan 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.

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

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.

Wheeling Park District
333 W. Dundee Road, Wheeling | 847-537-2284
During the winter months when conditions are favorable, the park district maintains two ice rinks. 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.

• Heritage Park, 100 Community Blvd.
• Horizon Park, 350 Northgate Parkwa

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 freeze conditions. Check their website for current skating conditions.

Have a favorite skating rink? Leave it in the comments so we can include it in next year’s list!