Outdoor ice skating in southern Maine
Photo of Lee Twombly Pond at Family Ice Center by Amy Paradysz
By Amy Paradysz
Outdoor skating is even more special because it is fleeting. February is prime time for outdoor skating, not only at the well-known and well-maintained seasonal spots like Thompson’s Point Rink but, if the weather is just right at these ol’ fashioned community skating ponds from Kittery to Brunswick.
Maintained outdoor rinks
Lee Twombly Pond at Family Ice Center
20 Hat Trick Road, Falmouth
Nestled between two indoor skating/hockey rinks is a nostalgic pond-shaped manmade rink that is refrigerated and resurfaced by Zamboni. When the weather cooperates, it’s a wonderful skating pond open 10 a.m. to 8 p.m, for those who have their own skates. Confirm that it’s open by calling Family Ice Center at 207-781-4200. Restrooms are in the Pond House. No sticks or pucks on the pond. Free! familyice.org/lee-twombly-pond
Photo of Puddle Dock Pond courtesy Will Zimmerman.
Thompson’s Point Rink
10 Thompson’s Point, Portland
If you need rental skates and want outdoor skating in Southern Maine with food and drink options rinkside, this is a beautiful choice. The 10,000-square-foot covered rink right off I-295 has a view of the Fore River and the Portland skyline. Entry is $12 per person; children 4 and under are free. Rental skates $6; skate sharpening $7. You may need to plan ahead, because ticket sales begin each week on Sunday at 5pm for the following week. thompsonspointrink.com
Labrie Family Skate at Puddle Dock Pond
Strawbery Banke Museum, Portsmouth, N.H.
Just over the New Hampshire state line is a manmade skating “pond” in a quaint historical museum village, and the nationally renowned Ice Dance International company pops up here in the winter. Tickets go on sale on Sunday at 5 pm for the upcoming week when the weekly ice schedule is published. Admission is $8 for members, $16 for nonmembers, $8 for U.S. active-duty military and free for children under 5. Passbooks are available with 10 public skating admission vouchers for $128. Skate rentals are $6, skate sharpening $7. strawberybanke.org/labrie-family-skate
Cape Community Area
1 Gull Crest Drive, Cape Elizabeth
A community nonprofit called the Cape Community Arena Group runs a refrigerated rink and resurfaced rink that offers free “open skate” sessions. Check the detailed schedule spreadsheet on the website, because this ice also hosts hockey clubs and tournaments, community events, skating lessons and figure skating freestyle sessions. Bring your own skates. capearena.org
Cape Elizabeth community members run this hockey-sized refrigerated rink, which regularly offers free open skate sessions to the public. Photo: Dave Pratt
Natural ice and frozen ponds
West Brook Rink in Biddeford. Photo courtesy of Marty Grohman
West Brook Rink
1 Columbus Way, Biddeford
The volunteer-run rink on West Brook has lights, music and loaner skates (both hockey and figure) if you can find a matching pair in the right size. Check the “West Brook Skating Rink” Facebook page on updates on ice conditions and whether the rink is open. It’s a sunny spot, which makes for warm skating. But, if it’s not real cold out, the ice isn’t skateable. Free, donations accepted.
Mackey State Park
17 Bog Road, York
Volunteers maintain two patches of ice on Town of York land: one that’s 50 feet by 60 feet and one that’s 50 feet by 75 feet. There’s a warming hut and an occasional warming fire. Lights are turned on at dusk. Ice is scraped nightly by hand and a layer of water put down for fresh ice. Whether it is skate-able in the morning all depends on the weather. Check the “Mackey State Park” Facebook page for the latest conditions. Free.
Mill Creek Park
In the downtown Mill Creek-Knightville area of South Portland
Skating at this natural pond is an “at your own risk” situation, but sometimes the Parks department has time to clear the ice and snow (or you’re welcome to pitch in). There’s a shelter with a bench for changing into (your own) skates. Otherwise, no frills.
Riverside Golf Course Rinks
1158 Riverside St., Portland
A city-owned golf course turns out to the be the perfect spot for a pair of side-by-side rinks totaling 20,000 square feet of ice. The ice rinks are located on the North Course using the access road by maintenance building at end of parking lot. The smaller rink is lit at night, and they’re both free and open to the public around the clock. Bring your own skates. For more info: riversidegolfcourseme.com.
Photo of Payson Park by Amy Paradysz.
Payson Park
Baxter Boulevard & I-295, Portland
It’s a flooded field of a rink, but—if you’ve got skates in the car—it’s a quick stop off the highway and the price is right. The 0.6 acre skating rink is across from the tennis courts off Catafalque Drive. Free.
Windham Parks & Rec Skating Party at Chaffin Pond. Photo courtesy Katia Hrycay.
Chaffin Pond at Donnabeth Lippman Park
18 Chaffin Pond Road, Windham
Windham Parks & Recreation attempts to maintain a pretty large skating rink on Chaffin Pond on the end of dirt road off Route 302, behind Sherwin Williams. The designated skating area (read: no ice fishing) is “from stick to stick.” Free.
Pineland Farms
15 Farm View Drive, New Gloucester
The free rink behind the tennis courts is open daily 9 a.m. to 7:45 p.m., weather permitting, and maintained by hand. There are no rentals, and you may have to wait to get on the ice, which is limited to 25 people at a time. But you can get warm up by the fire, enjoy views of Mt. Washington or stop by the Welcome Center for a hot cholate. Check the Pineland Farms website or call 207-688-4539 to be sure the rink is open (that is, frozen and cleared of snow): pinelandfarms.org/recreation/winter/skating
Orland H. Blake Skating Pond
200 Main St., Yarmouth
Yarmouth Community Services maintains a free skating pond and open from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. if the lights are on. Look for updates on the “Yarmouth Community Services” Facebook page. Thank the Village Improvement Society for the warming hut.
Knights Pond
477 Greely Road Extension, Cumberland
Knights Pond Preserve, located less than a mile from the town centers of Cumberland and North Yarmouth, includes the shoreline of a 46-acre shallow pond—a popular place for ice skating—and a network of six trails. From Route 9 in Cumberland Center, turn west onto Greely Road Extension and the entrances will be at the end of the end. Here’s a map from the Royal River Conservation Trust: rrct.org/locations/knights-pond-preserve
Brunswick Mall Rink
Maine Street, Brunswick
The Parks & Recreation Department’s free skating rink on the town mall on Maine Street is in a quaint downtown with convenient parking and park benches. If you have your own skates and Mother Nature cooperates, you can drop by anytime from dawn to 10 p.m. Check the Parks & Rec website to confirm this natural ice surface is open: Winter Activities | Brunswick, ME
