For many visitors to Banff during the winter, ice skating in Canmore and Banff is a highlight, and for many locals, it’s a favorite way to kill time. The best part is that most locations in the area offer free skating, which includes both gorgeous naturally frozen lakes and well-maintained rinks.
There’s not many things that compare to skating across a picturesque lake in Banff during the right weather. Any time of year is a good time to go ice skating on the lakes of the Canadian Rockies, but early in the season, in November or December, offers the best conditions. By late winter, the lakes are frequently covered in snow, which makes skating almost impossible without a shovel and some effort. But once that occurs, there are a number of well-maintained rinks you can visit.
Banff and Canmore are probably the best places in the world to put on some ice skates and hit the rink. Please read the safety information at the bottom of this post before traveling to any of these locations.
When Is It Possible to Skate in Banff?
Banff skating is contingent upon the local seasonal climate. We were waiting a little while longer the year before, but in 2020 we saw the first great ice skate of the season on Johnson Lake during the first week of November. There was absolutely no fantastic, wild ice skating season in 2021.
Skating in Banff and Canmore requires timing. It must be sufficiently cold to allow skating on the ice, but not so cold that the lake is covered with snow. This post’s images were all shot between November and January.
Many of the well-maintained rinks are open for ice skating throughout the winter. This covers Lake Louise and the town pond in Canmore.
Where in Banff You Can Enjoy Skating
Lake Louise
The renowned Lake Louise is the most iconic and picturesque spot in Banff for ice skating. It should come as no surprise that it is frequently ranked among the top ice skating rinks in the world. It’s even better because the frozen lake is preserved by the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise.
Unlike other natural lakes, the lake is regularly resurfaced and cleared of snow, allowing visitors to enjoy ice skating throughout the winter months.
The atmosphere of Lake Louise is what truly makes it unique from other lakes. In December, the lakeshore comes alive with fires, an ice bar, a horse-drawn sleigh, and an ice castle; the closer Christmas approaches, the more festive it becomes. It’s always a treat and one of our favorite winter activities in Banff.
Every few winters, Lake Louise has the potential to form a blue glass lake by freezing well before any significant snowfall. Though November is usually the worst month to visit Banff, don’t count on seeing the lake this way. It’s an incredibly beautiful natural occurrence.
There have only been five instances of the lake freezing like this in the previous thirty years. When it does occur, you usually only get a brief window of time to enjoy it; the previous year, this window of time was only six hours. I only mention this to temper expectations because, although the surface might be a frosted white, the views are breathtaking!
Lake Minnewanka Skating
December is probably your best chance to catch that picture-perfect mountain lake with a glass surface at Minnewanka. Because of its lower elevation and location in a valley with strong winds, the lake freezes later than Lake Louise.
This can create a flawless surface by blowing snow off the ice. This is an amazing experience on ice because it’s beautiful and has a better skating surface than most ice rinks.
The good news is that there’s a good chance you’ll get to skate on the lake during your visit to Banff around Christmas or New Year’s, as this is when the lake freezes. One New Year’s Day in 2020, we went skating on Lake Minnewanka. Still, everything is dependent on the year. Joining our Facebook group will allow you to receive updates on which lakes in Banff are frozen.
Vermilion Lakes
Located just outside of Banff town, Vermilion Lakes are some amazing natural lakes with breathtaking views. With its breathtaking views of Mount Rundle and the surrounding lakes, it’s one of our favorite places in Banff for sunsets or sunrises. It’s also a photographers’ paradise.
This lake is often one of the first in Banff to freeze over, though skating isn’t always possible due to its lack of maintenance and frequent thick layer of snow. Because of the warm spring water, the ice is thin near the third lake’s dock, so you should pay attention to its thickness there.
Bow River
White water rafting on the Bow river Banff
Not only can you skate on lakes and ponds, but you can also skate on the well-known Bow River. Every year, the town of Banff clears an oval when conditions allow, just west of Bow Avenue, just outside the town.
But since it’s a river, it can be highly sensitive to variations in ice thickness and seasonal changes. It’s a short stroll outside of the town center and situated next to the Banff Canoe Club.
Lake Louise Recreation Centre
This well-kept rink features an outdoor hockey and skating rink and is situated off Village Road in Lake Louise. It’s a fantastic location for an ice skating session on a well-kept surface.
Johnson Lake
While the ice is still good, Johnson Lake, which is located off the route to Lake Minnewanka, is a popular place to go ice skating. It has a limited window of time when ice skating is possible here, just like many other natural lakes near Banff.
You can enjoy breathtaking views of Mount Cascade while skating at Johnson Lake. Johnson Lake also has a secret rope swing. Although it’s meant to be used for summertime lake jumping, swinging on it and skating off is also quite enjoyable!
Two Jack Lake
Enjoy a stunning skate and breathtaking views of Mount Rundle when Two Jack Lake freezes over. One of our favorite spots to go stand-up paddleboarding in the summer is the lake.
When the lake reflects the surroundings, it’s also a great place to take pictures. Before the lake is covered with snow in November and December, it’s a good place to skate.
Fenlands Banff Recreation Centre
You can ice skate in the summer at this one and only indoor ice rink in Banff, which is open year-round! Because the indoor ice rink has much milder temperatures when it gets too cold, it is an excellent surface that is guaranteed to be smooth.
If you don’t have your own ice skates, you will need to pay for both the use of the rink and rentals. Don’t worry, it costs only $7 for adults over the age of 18, and it’s the only establishment on the list with a fee. Teenagers pay $4.75, adults over 17 pay $7, and families pay a flat fee of $15.
Banff Springs
Since we have never stayed at the Banff Springs Hotel in the winter, we have never gone ice skating there. The hotel is directly opposite the small rink.
You are welcome to skate here as a guest, and since the main levels are accessible to the general public, you could also skate as an outsider. Now that “Christmas at the Castle” is well underway, it’s one of the most enchanted locations to visit.
Banff High School
You can’t miss it while driving down Banff Avenue, making it the most visible skating location in Banff. The town maintains the ice rink that is transformed from the athletic field during the winter.
This is a great place to skate if you don’t want to venture into the frozen wilderness. It’s conveniently close to most hotels, making it a convenient place for visitors to ice skate in Banff. Additionally, because the town maintains it, it is totally safe.
Canmore Town Pond
Without a doubt, this is one of the greatest spots in Canmore for skating. Just outside of downtown, the town of Canmore maintains a beautiful natural ice skating pond every winter. It’s fantastic for vacationers who choose Canmore as their base because it gets serviced every day and resurfaces three to five times a week, giving you a dependable surface.
If you want to go skating at night, this is a great place to go because it’s lit up. The pond is in a neighborhood and is surrounded by trees, so the only drawback is that there are no views. The town of Canmore is surrounded by a number of frozen ponds. Those are available on this website.
Gap Lake Skating
Gap Lake is located off the 1A on the route from Canmore to Cochrane. Because of its windy location, the lake does not receive much snow for a long period of time. While the lake isn’t the most picturesque place to skate, it does have some great frozen ice.
Spray Lakes
Similar to Lake Minnewanka, this enormous artificial lake has the ability to freeze over to perfect ice, reflecting the stunning Spray Valley vistas. Similar to Abraham Lake, the natural valley acts as a bottleneck for winds, producing hard ice that is frequently devoid of snow.
In the Canadian Rockies, it’s the perfect spot to go ice skating. But exercise caution—a fall in the ice could have serious repercussions because the reservoir is still deeper than many other lakes.
Lac Des Arcs
It’s difficult to determine which location in the Canadian Rockies is the most picturesque for ice skating. Located at the terminus of the Bow Valley, Lac Des Arcs is flanked by a large cement plant and the TransCanada.
When it’s in season, though, the ice here is usually very good. High winds and chinooks that tear through the narrow valley section and out to the foothills are well known for occurring in this area. The ice is kept clear of snow and in good condition by the wind.
Goat Pond
Although Goat Pond isn’t in Banff, it still deserves a spot on this list because it’s a fantastic spot for wild ice skating close to Canmore. Goat Pond is situated on Smith Dorrien Road. You’ll be in for a real treat if you can visit the pond soon after it freezes but before the first snowfall. This area has a lot of gorgeous logs and stumps that are visible through the clear us.
The farther you get from the road, the more views you should have if the ice is completely frozen. Even a stump “field” exists. At first glance, Goat Pond might not seem like much, especially in comparison to so many other picturesque locations in Banff.
