10+ Ice Skating Rinks in Des Moines, Iowa

The temperatures are beginning to drop in Iowa, but that does not mean you cannot have fun outdoors! One activity you and your family may enjoy is ice skating in Des Moines. This is a great activity for people of all ages! Enjoy the open air lace up those skates and visit one of these outdoor skating rinks this winter season. There are several options in and out of Des Moines including city parks and more. Make sure to take a look at each listing and check the website for current ice conditions and flag systems they may use. Some may offer skate rentals and for some, you may need to bring your own ice skates. Take a look at these ice skating rinks throughout central Iowa.

Check out other fun Winter activities in the Des Moines area:

Below is a list of public indoor and outdoor public skating rinks. These skating rinks may have a cost to ice skate and provide ice skate rental if needed.

Brenton Skating Plaza

Address: 520 Robert D Ray Drive in Downtown Des Moines

Website:https://www.dsm.city/departments/parks_recreation/brenton_skating_plaza/index.php

Hours: Hours vary. Take a look at the Brenton Skating Plaza website for the whole schedule.

Admission: Adults – $10; Child 6-12 years – $6; Skate Rental – $4.50

Other Notes: Enjoy beautiful views of Downtown Des Moines near the Principal Riverwalk along the Des Moines River in this open-air facility. Do not miss a special tree lighting ceremony that happens every year before Thanksgiving. Looking for skate classes? Brenton Skating Plaza offers ‘Learn to Skate’ clinics throughout the season and offers birthday parties too!

West Des Moines RecPlex

Address: 6500 Grand Avenue West Des Moines, Iowa

Website: https://www.therecplex.com/public-skating/

Hours: Hours vary. Take a look at the Public Skating Rink schedule.

Admission: $7 to skate and $4 skate rental

Other Notes: West Des Moines RecPlex is a newer entertainment venue in West Des Moines and offers public skating and much more in their facility.

Johnston Town Center Ice Rink

Address: 6221 Merle Hay Road Johnston, IA 50131

Website: https://www.cityofjohnston.com/1115/Johnston-Town-Center-Ice-Rink

Hours: 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily. Skate rental and concession hours are Friday 5 to 8 p.m.; Saturday Noon to 8 p.m.; Sunday Noon to 5 p.m.

Admission: Free of charge unless renting ice skates ($5 per pair).

Other Notes: This is a synthetic ice skating rink, so it may feel a bit different than regular ice. This rink is not to be used for hockey. It is unsupervised. 

Wilson’s Orchard

Address: 3201 15th Ave., Cumming, IA

Details: Available until dusk Wednesday-Sunday. Ice Skating is not permitted outside of Farm & Market hours (listed below)

  • Wed-Fri | 11 am-9 pm
  • Sat-Sun | 10 am-9 pm
  • Mon-Tue | Closed

Admission: $5 Admission | ages 3+; $5 Skate Rental | 2-hour time limit

Other Notes: Skate rentals range in size from toddler to men’s 12. Kids, figure, and hockey skates are all available to rent.

Community skating rinks are places to ice skate that may or may not have set staff. These outdoor ice-skating rinks most of the time require you to own your own ice skates as well. Take a look at the list of community skating rinks in and around Des Moines below.

Greenwood Park Pond

Address: 45th and Grand Avenue in Des Moines, Iowa

Website: https://www.dsm.city/business_detail_T6_R60.php

Hours: Sunrise to sunset

Admission: Free of charge

Other Notes: Ran by the Des Moines Parks and Recreation. They use a flag system to indicate if it is safe to skate or not. A green flag indicates safety. A red flag indicates not safe. If not flagged or if there is a closed sign the public should assume not safe. Bring Your Own Skates. Unsupervised. We love playing broom ball here and exploring with shoes on!

McHose Park

Address: 1215 Francis Mason Drive, Boone, Iowa

Website: https://www.boonegov.com/topic/index.php?topicid=24 

Hours: Tuesday + Thursday – 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.; Friday – 5:30 to 9 p.m.; Saturday – 1 to 9 p.m.; Sunday – 1 to 5 p.m. Hours subject to change due to weather and volunteer staffing.

Admission: Free of charge

Other Notes: No skating when posted. Ice skate rink has a limited number of skates for rent at $2 per pair. Supervised by volunteers.

South River Valley Park

Address: 725 E 13th Street Ames, Iowa

Website: Ran by Ames Parks & Recreation-  https://www.cityofames.org/government/departments-divisions-i-z/parks-recreation

South River Valley Park Site – https://www.cityofames.org/My-Government/Departments/Parks-and-Recreation/Parks/River-Valley-Park

Hours: 6am to 10:30pm

Admission: Free

Other Notes: In partnership with Iowa Wild and Wells Fargo. Unsupervised.

Sunrise Park

Address: 506 SE Peterson Drive, Ankeny, Iowa

The Skating rink is operated by Ankeny Parks & Recreation: https://www.ankenyiowa.gov/our-city/departments/parks-and-recreation

Rules: https://www.ankenyiowa.gov/618/Community-Ice-Rink

Hours: Hockey – Dawn to Noon; Open Skate – Noon to Dusk

Admission: Free

Other Notes: In partnership with Iowa Wild and Wells Fargo. A green sign means safe to skate. A red sign means the skating rink is closed. The rink will stay open as long as the weather permits and the ice stays frozen. Unsupervised. City of Ankeny posts opening updates on facebook.

Scotch Ridge Nature Park Skate Rink

Address: 2710 Gateway Ridge Carlisle, Iowa

The Skating rink is operated by Carlisle Park and Rec: https://www.carlisleiowa.org/parks-recreation/pages/outdoor-ice-rink

Hours: Dawn to dusk

Admission: Free

Other Notes: Unsupervised, bring your own skates. The website is updated when the rink is frozen and open for the season.

Adel Community Ice Skate Rink

Address: Raccoon River Bank, 1009 Court St Adel, Iowa 50003

The skating rink is operated by Adel Park and Rec: https://www.facebook.com/AdelParksandRecreation

Hours: Dawn to dusk

Admission: Free

Other Notes: Unsupervised, bring your own skates, there is a small shed onsite that has several pairs to borrow. Please return them to the shed when you are finished skating. Facebook page updates when rink closes due to weather.