Ice Skating In The Capital Region: Indoors, Outdoors & Year-Round

At the beginning of the winter, I vowed that this would be the year that I would try out all the Capital Region ice rinks in search of the most spectacular settings and the smoothest ice. Little did I know just how many ice rinks there are in this area. Not only do we have many ice arenas, there are innumerable skating areas cleared out on area lakes and even homemade backyard ice rinks.

Now that it’s spring, it’s obvious that I won’t achieve my goal this year. Somehow, this makes skating on every ice rink in New York an even more appealing goal.

I’ve put together a list of ice rinks in the Capital Region, a checklist if you will, that I’m using to keep track of my progress. Many of these ice rinks are getting ready to close for the season, and the outdoor rinks will soon melt away. That’s alright. I’m more than ready to shed winter grays for spring blooms. But, never fear, I can still progress on my self-appointed challenge during the summer as a few area ice rinks are open year-round.

Read on for a complete list of ice rinks, ice arenas, skating clubs, and other resources for Capital Region ice skating enthusiasts.

Albany

Empire State Plaza Ice Rink– Seasonal, Free, Opening November 23, 2012. Hours: Every day from 11 a.m. – 8 p.m. Rentals: $3 for children under 12, $4 for adults, FREE rentals on Fridays. New this year: Learn to Skate Clinics, advance registration required. Full-service snack bar open Friday nights, weekends and school holidays; skate lounge with lockers for personal items now located at the Plaza level; and music. Empire State Plaza, Albany, NY.

Times Union Center Ice Arena– Occasional opportunities for public skating, sometimes with the River Rats Ice Hockey Team.

Albany County Hockey and Team USA Facility – Year-Round, $3 ($2/Seniors, $1/Under 5), Rentals $3, 830 Albany Shaker Road, Loudonville, NY, (518) 452-7396, Public skating, Camps, and Training Schools.

Bethlehem Area YMCA Ice Skating Rink – Seasonal (10/1-3/31), Non-Members $5/Adults, $4/Students, $3/5&Under, Rentals $1/Members, $2/Non-members, 900 Delaware Ave., Bethlehem, NY, (518) 439-4394, Lessons, Ice Hockey Clinics, Open Hockey Friday Nights.

Elm Avenue Park, Seasonal, Free, Open daily 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 10:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. Friday, Saturday and during school vacations. Call 439-4955, option 3 for current conditions and updates. Outdoor lake conditions apply!

Swinburne Skating Rink, Seasonal, $1/Adults, $0.50/Kids, $2/Rentals, Clinton Avenue and Manning Boulevard, Albany, NY, (518) 438-2406.

Buckingham Pond, Seasonal, Free, Bordered by Berkshire Boulevard, Euclid Avenue, Lenox Avenue, and Colonial Avenue in Albany, NY. Outdoor lake conditions apply!

Washington Park Lake – Seasonal, Free, Washington Park, behind the Lake House, Albany, NY. Outdoor lake conditions apply!

Clifton Park

Clifton Park Ice Arena – $5, Rentals $3, Year-Round, 16 Clifton Common Blvd, Clifton Park, NY, (518) 383-5440, Year-round lessons available.

Colonie

The Crossings Pond – Seasonal, Free, 580 Albany Shaker Road, Colonie, NY, (518) 438-5587. Call for hours. Outdoor lake conditions apply!

Skating available at the Town Hall and pocket park location at Forts Ferry, Maywood, Maplewood, Stanford Heights, Lishakill, Palma, and West Albany. For skating rink openings call (518) 785-4301. Outdoor lake conditions apply!

Cohoes

Van Schaick Pond – Seasonal, Free, Van Schaick Avenue, Cohoes, NY. Outdoor lake conditions apply!

Glens Falls

Glens Falls Civic Center – Seasonal (9/15-6/15), $4.50/Adults, $3.50/Kids, 1 Civic Center Plaza, Glens Falls, (518)798-0366.

Glens Falls Recreation Department Ice Rink – Seasonal, Free, Rentals Available, Fire Road, Glens Falls, NY, (518) 761-3855.

Skating available at Crandall Park (Upper Glen Street Route 9, Glens Falls, NY) and East Field (175 Dix Ave., Glens Falls, NY) (518) 761-3813.

Glens Falls Figure Skating Club

Rensselaer

Conway Ice Arena – $3 Adults ($2 Under 12, or HVCC Students/Staff), Rentals $3, Seasonal, Hudson Valley Community College, 80 Vandenburgh Ave., Troy, NY

Frear Park Ice Skating Rink – Year-Round, Park Boulevard and Lavin Ct., Troy, NY, (518) 266-0023.

Knickerbacker Park Ice Arena – Year-Round, 103 8th Ave,Troy, NY, (518) 235-0215.

RPI (Houston Field House) – Seasonal, $3/Adults, $2/Students, Free/RPI Students, Peoples Avenue, Troy, NY (518) 276-6262.

Randall School of Ice Skating, Year-Round Lessons, 200 Oakwood Avenue, Troy, NY.

Long Pond – Seasonal, Free, Grafton Lakes State Park, Outdoor lake conditions apply!

Troy Albany Youth Hockey

Saratoga Springs

City of Saratoga Ice Rinks, Year-Round, $4/Adults, $3/Youth, $5 Non-Members, $4 Rentals, 32 Weibel Avenue, Saratoga Springs, (518) 583-3744. Call for schedule. Lessons and ice hockey clinics available.

Saratoga Spa State Park, Seasonal, Two outdoor rinks. Hockey is allowed at the rink just off Avenue of PInes, but not at rink near Victoria Pool.

Saratoga Winter Club for Speedskating – Year-round training program utilizing indoor and outdoor ice.

Schenectady

Schenectady County Recreation Facility – $4 ($2 Children Under 5 & Seniors), Rentals $3, Year-Round, 5 Tower Road, Glenville, NY, (518) 384-2445. Lessons, Open Figure Skating, Stick Practice.

Messa Rink – $3 ($2 Faculty/Staff), Rentals $3, Seasonal, Achilles Center, Union College , 807 Union St., Schenectady, NY, (518) 388-6134, Skating & Hockey Lessons available.

Collins Park Ice Skating – Free, Seasonal, Outdoor lake conditions apply!

Indian Meadows Town Park – Seasonal, Free, Glenville, NY. One rink is reserved for free skating, the other for “pond hockey.” Rinks are open sunrise to sunset, or while lights are on until 9PM. The warming hut will be open on weekends and evenings when skating conditions and public use warrant. When the skating rinks gates are open, the rinks are open; gates closed – rinks closed. Outdoor lake conditions apply!

Iroquois Lake – Seasonal, Free, Schenectady Central Park, Schenectady, NY. Look for:
green flag means ice is safe, red means stay off. Outdoor lake conditions apply!

Day Trips:

Lake George Forum – Seasonal (10/1-4/30), $7/Adults, $5/Kids, $4/Rentals, 2200 State Route 9, Lake George, NY. Lessons, Puck Time, Stick Time, Open Hockey.

Lake Placid Olympic Ice Skating Facilities – Year-Round, $7/Adults, $5/Kids, $3/Rentals, 2634 Main Street, Lake Placid, NY, (518) 523-1655, Indoor and Outdoor rinks, Summer Skating Camps.

Mohonk Mountain House – Seasonal (Nov.-April), $15/Person, Free/Guests, Free Rentals, 1000 Mountain Rest Road ,New Paltz, NY, (845) 255-1000. Spectacular pavilion setting, ice skating, broomball, curling.

Skating Clubs: