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A mom and daughter skating on the outside trail at Richmond Green

Outdoor Skating

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Home/.../Recreation Programs/Skating/Outdoor Skating

More in this Section...

Important Outdoor Skating Information (updated February 26)

Ice rink closures: Mill Pond and Lake Wilcox are closed for skating up to and including Friday, March 5 due to the warmer weather. Richmond Green Skate Trail remains open at this time.

Inclement weather hotlines: For ice conditions and cancellations, call our inclement weather hotline(s) - 905-771-5487 for Mill Pond and Lake Wilcox or 905-771-5490 for Richmond Green Skate Trail.

Ice safety: Skating is prohibited at all Richmond Hill stormwater ponds. Violators will be fined. Read more.

Richmond Hill has great outdoor skating opportunities in the winter.

Richmond Green Skate Trail - Open, Pre-registration Required

Glide through the trees at our 250 metre looped skate trail with lights for evening skating and ample parking. The skate trail is located at 1300 Elgin Mills Road East right next to Tom Graham Arena.

New in 2021 due to COVID-19

  • Residents must pre-register in advance using their ActiveRH account. The cost is free.
  • Reservations are available to Richmond Hill residents only and limited to one time slot per day
  • Capacity is limited to 25 people per skate
  • Children 9 years of age and under must be accompanied on the ice by a guardian 14 years+
  • Skate times are limited to 45-minutes
  • Participants should arrive 10 minutes before their skate time and leave immediately after
  • Reservations will only be held for 10 minutes past the registered start time. If you arrive more than 10 minutes late, your spot may no longer be available.
  • Residents can cancel their reservations online through their ActiveRH account
  • Staff review all bookings and withdrawals/cancellations are released back onto the system, so check back often

Registration 

New time slots will be released daily at 9 a.m. for the next day

Reserve your skate time at Richmond Green

What you need to know before coming to the Skate Trail

COVID-19 health and safety guidelines 

  • Stay home if you are sick even with mild symptoms
  • Face masks are mandatory while you're off the ice and strongly recommended while you're on the ice
  • Maintain physical distancing of at least two metres from others unless you live together
  • Heated washrooms will be open with limited capacity and will be cleaned regularly
  • Changerooms and lockers will not be available
  • Do not share equipment, including skates, gloves and water bottles
  • Do not litter. Place used masks, gloves and wipes in the garbage

Skate trail health and safety guidelines

  • Bring your own skates. Rentals and skate sharpening services are not available
  • All persons on the ice must have skates on
  • Skate guards are recommended while off the ice
  • Children 9 years of age and under must be accompanied on the ice by a guardian 14 years+
  • CSA-approved helmets are mandatory for children 5 and under and strongly recommended for everyone else
  • All skaters must skate in the same direction
  • Hockey/shinny is not permitted
  • Do not speed or figure skate, backwards skate, participate in horseplay or carry children while on the ice 
  • Skating aids and wheelchairs are permitted on the ice. Persons accompanying users must have skates on.

Inclement weather

  • Registrations may be cancelled without notice due to unfavourable weather conditions, such as a snowfall or when it is too warm to maintain the ice. During these times staff will endeavor to reopen the ice rinks as quickly as possible and when it is safe to do so.
  • For skate trail conditions and cancellations you can call our hotline at 905-771-5490.
Skate trail hours of operation 
  • Monday: 10 a.m. - 10 p.m.
  • Tuesday: 10 a.m. - 10 p.m.
  • Wednesday: 10 a.m. - 10 p.m.
  • Thursday: 10 a.m. - 10 p.m.
  • Friday: 10 a.m. - 10 p.m.
  • Saturday: 10 a.m. - 10 p.m.
  • Sunday: 10 a.m. - 10 p.m. 

*Hours are subject to change.

Mill Pond and Lake Wilcox - Closed due to warm weather

New in 2021 due to COVID-19

  • Residents must pre-register in advance using their ActiveRH account. The cost is free and online registration is now open.
  • Reservations are available to Richmond Hill residents only and limited to one time slot per day
  • Capacity is limited to 25 people per skate (note: Mill Pond will have 2 rinks on it; 25 skaters per rink)
  • Children 9 years of age and under must be accompanied on the ice by a guardian 14 years+
  • Skate times are limited to 45-minutes
  • Participants should arrive 10 minutes before their skate time and leave immediately after
  • Reservations will only be held for 10 minutes past the registered start time. If you arrive more than 10 minutes late, your spot may no longer be available.
  • Residents can cancel their reservations online through their ActiveRH account
  • Staff review all bookings and withdrawals/cancellations are released back onto the system, so check back often
  • Ice rinks are open during pre-registered skate times only. No skating allowed outside of hours of operation.
  • Skating is only permitted within the marked ice rink(s)

Registration 

New time slots will be released daily at 9 a.m. for the next day

Reserve your skate time at Mill Pond

Reserve your skate time at Lake Wilcox

 What you need to know before coming to Mill Pond or Lake Wilcox

COVID-19 health and safety guidelines 

  • Stay home if you are sick even with mild symptoms
  • Face masks are mandatory while you're off the ice and strongly recommended while you're on the ice
  • Maintain physical distancing of at least two metres from others unless you live together
  • Heated washrooms will be open at Mill Pond. A portable washroom will be available at Lake Wilcox.
  • Changerooms and lockers will not be available
  • Do not share equipment, including skates, gloves and water bottles
  • Do not litter. Place used masks, gloves and wipes in the garbage

Ice rink health and safety guidelines

  • Ice rinks are open during pre-registered skate times only. No skating allowed outside of hours of operation.
  • Skating is only permitted within the marked ice rink(s)
  • Bring your own skates. Rentals and skate sharpening services are not available
  • All persons on the ice must have skates on
  • Skate guards are recommended while off the ice
  • Children 9 years of age and under must be accompanied on the ice by a guardian 14 years+
  • CSA-approved helmets are mandatory for children 5 and under and strongly recommended for everyone else
  • All skaters must skate in the same direction
  • Hockey/shinny is not permitted. No hockey sticks or pucks are allowed on the ice.
  • Do not speed or figure skate, backwards skate, participate in horseplay or carry children while on the ice 
  • Skating aids and wheelchairs are permitted on the ice. Persons accompanying users must have skates on. 

Inclement weather

  • Registrations may be cancelled without notice due to unfavourable weather conditions, such as a snowfall or when it is too warm to maintain the ice. During these times staff will endeavor to reopen the ice rinks as quickly as possible and when it is safe to do so.
  • For ice rink conditions and cancellations you can call our inclement weather hotline at 905-771-5487.
Parking
  • Lake Wilcox - Free parking is available. The parking lot closest to the rink is the north parking lot off of Olde Bayview Avenue
  • Mill Pond - Free parking is available in the lots on Mill Street directly across from the pond 
Mill Pond and Lake Wilcox hours of operation 

Mill Pond

  • Monday: 12 - 10 p.m.
  • Tuesday: 10 a.m. - 10 p.m.
  • Wednesday: 12 - 10 p.m.
  • Thursday: 10 a.m. - 10 p.m.
  • Friday: 12 - 10 p.m.
  • Saturday: 10 a.m. - 10 p.m.
  • Sunday: 10 a.m. - 10 p.m. 

Lake Wilcox

  • Monday: 11 a.m. - 5 p.m.
  • Tuesday: 11 a.m. - 5 p.m.
  • Wednesday: 11 a.m. - 5 p.m.
  • Thursday: 11 a.m. - 5 p.m.
  • Friday: 11 a.m. - 5 p.m.
  • Saturday: 11 a.m. - 5 p.m.
  • Sunday: 11 a.m. - 5 p.m. 

*Hours are subject to change.

**Ice rinks are open during pre-registered skate times only. No skating allowed outside of hours of operation.

***On Family Day, Mill Pond ice rink hours of operation have been extended from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Ice Safety

We know how inviting a clean sheet of ice can be. However, we advise everyone to stay off of frozen lakes*, rivers, ponds* and stormwater ponds, as the ice may not be safe. Even if the weather has been cold, other factors such as water flow, fluctuating water levels and snow on the ice, can contribute to unsafe conditions. In addition, even if the ice at the water's edge seems safe, it can get weaker further out.

Stormwater ponds are particularly dangerous to play on. Unlike natural ponds, stormwater ponds are designed to collect and release runoff from rainfall and snowmelt to help prevent flooding in the community. As a result, water levels change rapidly due to the constant water flow. The pond water may also contain road salt and other contaminants, which contribute to poor ice quality. These factors combine to create dangerous and unpredictable conditions, which put your safety and the safety of our emergency responders at risk.

If someone falls through the ice, call 9-1-1. Do not put yourself in danger. Throw a flotation device, rope, extension cord, ladder or long pole to hold onto. If they manage to get out, try to dry them off and keep them warm until emergency personnel arrive. 

*The only natural bodies of water that are monitored by the City are the Mill Pond and the City-run ice rink on Lake Wilcox (note that we do not monitor the entire lake). Please obey posted signage.  

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