Outdoor Skating Locations
Lace up your skates and head to the “coolest” spots in town! Skating areas typically open in mid-December and the skating season continues through the end of February, weather permitting and when ice conditions are determined to be safe.
Since each winter in Glen Ellyn is unique, there is no guarantee that weather will present conditions to allow skating on all or any rinks each year.
Skating and sledding activities involve a risk of injury; therefore, participation is at your own risk.
Newton Park Sled Hill
707 Fairview Avenue
Ready to hit the “slopes” for a little sledding? The sled hill at Newton Park provides fun for the whole family! Bring your sled or disc and enjoy the snow. Free and open to the public, sledding is allowed only during daylight hours from dawn until dusk.
The hill is not supervised, and the user assumes full responsibility for determining if the sled hill is safe to use. Please use caution when sledding and be considerate of others. A warming facility is not available.
Lake Ellyn Natural Ice Rink
645 Lenox Road
Safety is of utmost importance when it comes to using Lake Ellyn for ice skating. The red light means skating is prohibited as the ice is unsafe and the green light means it is safe to skate. Park District crews check the ice daily; however, conditions can change rapidly, please be cautious anytime you are on the ice. The best way to stay up to date on ice conditions is to sign up for notifications through the Park District hotline.
When the ice is safe for skating, lights will be available from 4:30 pm-9 pm daily.
Ice skate rentals are not available, so please bring your own. If you need skates, check with Paul’s Shoe Service, 486 N. Main Street or (630) 790-1030, as they often have used skates for sale or exchange.
The availability of skating on Lake Ellyn is dependent on weather conditions. Just because it’s very cold outside or the lake looks frozen, doesn’t necessarily mean the lake will be open for skating. In addition to needing temperatures below zero for several days, there are many other factors, such as the presence of snow, recent rainfall or periods of warmer temperatures, that impact the safety of the ice, ice thickness, and ability to groom/clear the ice.
As a reminder, Lake Ellyn is a 10-acre body of water subject to the environment and other conditions not controlled by the Park District. Please refrain from throwing debris onto the ice surface and absolutely no ice fishing. Both actions further complicate the District’s ability to provide safe and quality ice skating.
Newton Park Natural Ice Rink
707 Fairview Avenue
During the winter months, from mid-December to the end of February, the Newton Park tennis courts are transformed into a natural ice rink. However, the process of making ice requires specific weather conditions. It takes approximately 72 hours of continuous temperatures below 22° Fahrenheit, with several inches of frost in the ground, for the ice to be ready. The District does not use refrigerant coils to establish the ice rink.
Once the ice is ready and conditions permit, the rink is primarily designated for open hockey, except during specific hours from 11:30 am-1 pm and 4 pm-5:30 pm, when it is allocated for open/public ice skating.
During the designated open skating hours, if no ice skaters are present, hockey may be played, but it must stop immediately once skaters arrive. Similarly, if no hockey players are present during the designated hockey hours, skaters may use the ice, but they must leave immediately once hockey players arrive.
The lights at the rink are turned on from dusk until 10 pm. However, please be aware that there is no warming facility available on-site. For your safety, always check the flags before heading on the ice. The red flag indicates that skating is prohibited as the ice is unsafe, while the green flag means it is safe to skate.
Lake Foxcroft Natural Ice Rink
2S540 Lambert Road
Like Lake Ellyn, the availability of skating on Lake Foxcroft is dependent on weather conditions. The District posts flags at Lake Foxcroft to indicate whether it is closed or open. The red flag means skating is prohibited as the ice is unsafe, and the green flag means it is safe to skate! When the green flag is flying, skating hours are 6 am to sunset. This location does not feature lights or a warming shelter.
Please note, Lake Foxcroft and Lake Ellyn are two very different bodies of water. Just because one might be open does not mean the other is able to be open. Please refrain from throwing debris onto the ice surface and absolutely no ice fishing. Both actions further complicate the District’s ability to provide safe and quality ice skating.
