Volume 6: Toronto's Top Outdoor Skating Rinks
- Dale Hoyano
- Dec 26, 2025
- 2 min read
With temperatures now well into the single digits (and even negatives), one wouldn’t be blamed for spending all of their free time in an after_collection matching set, indoors, steaming cup of hot cocoa in hand. But if you live in and around Toronto, perhaps I can entice you to get outside. You see, within the city of Toronto are approximately 50 outdoor skating rinks and ice trails. The best part…they are absolutely FREE! Over the years we have been around to a few of them and here are our favourites:
This ginormous skating trail was opened in 2018 to much fanfare. Scarborough, as a former independent entity, decided to focus on building arenas making the borough starved for outdoor skating space. This trail is quite long and provides a great workout with sweeping curves and uphill and downhill sections.
Want to flex on your friends with a great nighttime pic of Toronto’s skyline? Show up for a drop-in skate at Prince of Wales Park for an unobstructed look at the city in all its glory. As a bonus, this rink tends to not be as busy as others.
With a small skating trail located beside an actual outdoor hockey rink, the vibes at Rennie Park are unmatched. If you arrive on a game night, you can catch local kids going at it as part of the Rennie Park Outdoor Hockey League. The concession stand might even be open for popcorn and hot chocolate.
This skating pad has a great family vibe and a new modern changehouse. Warm cookies and hot chocolate from the snack bar make for the perfect winter outing.
This natural rink is run by community volunteers in the middle of Toronto’s bustling Sorauren Park. I’m a firm believer that everyone should try skating on a natural ice rink at least once, to experience the imperfections and the underlying fear of skating onto a bare patch. Ideal Coffee is across the street and their wine bar is just a few doors down if you are looking to indulge in après skate bevvies.
Bonus: The cities of Brampton and Mississauga also have free outdoor skating. Gage Park in Brampton and the Port Credit skating trail in Mississauga are both solid trail options.
Dale Hoyano
Co-Founder
Toronto based educator, entrepreneur and writer. Obsessed with everything local, interesting and different (and golf). Starting to realize that what I’m looking for is usually closer than I think.
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