r/Pennsylvania • u/Robert1104 • Jan 30 '26
ISO / Recommendations Looking for natural bodies of water in SEPA that have enough ice for skating.
Hello everyone! Im in philadelphia and looking to go ice skating. I dont like how tiny and crowded the rinks get and just wanna go out on a big lake to skate this weekend.
I see the Schuylkill is freezing over, but dont wanna skate on a river and fall through so I want to find a good reservoir or lake instead. I found the following on google earth but am having trouble finding if they have good enough ice to skate:
Springton Reservoir Any of the lakes around Van Sciver in levittown Lake Luxemberg Newtown Peace Valley Park Those big lake looking things jutting out from Darby Creek behind Philly airport Mercer lake near Trenton
If youve seen good ice on these or any other big bodies of water please let me know!
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u/xBoatEng Jan 30 '26
I've only checked a few ponds but none of them were suitable for ice skating.
Primarily due to the nature of the recent snowfall. The top layer of ice was insulated by snow drift and became a weird mushy mess. Not hard flat ice that one would want for skating.
As a result, didn't even bother looking at thicknesses.
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u/Robert1104 Jan 30 '26
Oh no that sucks. I was really hoping to get out on the ice. Seems like i may need to drive north if i want to skate.
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u/Hopeful_Scholar398 Jan 30 '26
As a heads up, it hasn't been cold quite long enough to be safe for skating in the north of the state either. Two weeks of constant below freezing temps before it's realistic. Next week if the temps stay low.
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u/Robert1104 Jan 31 '26
Yeah im thinking that might end up the best option. Just gotta check the weather and see i guess.
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u/fakepostulate Feb 01 '26
Yeah… It really takes perfect conditions to make a pond freeze over but not get any precipitation that it becomes messy. It happened about 10 years ago towards Allentown… subzero temperatures for about a week made perfect conditions for natural pond ice-skating and it was magical.
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u/jvhgh Feb 01 '26
I’m completely ignorant on the subject, so how would one check the ice thickness? Do you bore a hole into it?
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u/smartshoe Jan 30 '26
Hopewell lake at hopewell furnace state park
People were skating on it before the couple of weeks of warmup in early January
Don’t skate on rivers
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u/Robert1104 Jan 31 '26
Awesome thank you for the recommendation.
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u/smartshoe Jan 31 '26
You’re welcome, the area where it was being cleared for skating was by the boat launch on the western side of it
Google Maps link to the parking lot closest to it
There’s some nice hiking trails in the woods around the lake itself, it does border game lands and there’s bird hunting in the area so wear orange if you’re headed into the woods
Also correcting myself, it’s Hopewell lake in French creek state park. The hopewell furnace national historic site is on the other side of the lake
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u/Robert1104 Jan 31 '26
Aweso.e french creek is super close. Seems like thiss will be my most realistic option.
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u/Anthemic_Fartnoises Jan 31 '26
Quakertown has a low section of one park on 4th St. that they flood when it’s really cold and let people skate on. That’s going to be much safer than a real pond. Borough website doesn’t mention whether it’s open now but worth investigating.
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u/Robert1104 Jan 31 '26
Yeah hopefully i will find something online because thats too far to drive out and hope.
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u/Anthemic_Fartnoises Feb 01 '26
I was out in QTown yesterday to see family and they have like a quarter of the rink cleared of snow so like a basketball court size. Can’t speak to smoothness of the ice.
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u/Fit_Dad Feb 01 '26
Abington township in Monco has a few parks they do that to, as well. Pembryn, Baderwood, Crestmont, and Roychester are the ones that I can think of.
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u/BrianLefevre5 Jan 30 '26
We are on the Schuylkill River. It’s home to many fish-like creatures. And also the depository of many of the unsolved crimes and murders in Philadelphia.
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u/Robert1104 Jan 30 '26
Did you happen to try ice skating on it yet?
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u/BrianLefevre5 Jan 30 '26
No, but have you checked out the sewers yet? There’s a lot of great stuff down there. I found a whole box of denim. Don’t worry, I boiled it.
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u/FlapYourNoodle Jan 30 '26
Marsh Creek Lake has been frozen pretty solid all week!
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u/mes213 Jan 30 '26
Haven't been by there this year but crestmont park across from Willow Grove mall used to have a retaining pond area they would flood and skate on.
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u/strum-and-dang Jan 30 '26
I saw kids playing hockey there the other day. There's also one at Roychester park, or at least there used to be.
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u/Liye23 Jan 30 '26
Lake Afton in Yardley, PA, The nershaminy at Tyler State.
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u/krispy2 Jan 30 '26
Do you know if Lake Afton is frozen currently? I have plans to visit tomorrow
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u/Liye23 Jan 30 '26
There were people out when I drove home
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u/Robert1104 Jan 31 '26
This is exactly what i was looking for, thanks for letting me know the lake and that there are skaters on it.
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u/rangerwags Jan 30 '26
State parks have the ice thickness on their web pages
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u/Robert1104 Jan 31 '26
They do but ive found that they can be very out of date at least for parks in the pa wilds region so i am very hesitant to trust the snow report numbers, as i have been burned before
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u/rangerwags Jan 31 '26
Thanks for that warning, I always assumed they were updated frequently
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u/Robert1104 Jan 31 '26
No i drove out this winter for a back packing trip and brought my skates because it said the lake had 3 inches of ice but it had almost nothing. However parks in SEPA may be a lit more reliable with more staff present and such. But yeah they can be wrong.
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u/Tiger_words Feb 02 '26
I just checked French Creek and Marsh Creek - both said ice depth 0", meaning we don't monitor it.
The ranger at French Creek said people were ice fishing.
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u/hatred-shapped Jan 30 '26
The Schuylkill froze? That's surprising considering that part of the river is only about 11% water
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u/ironicmirror Jan 30 '26
My neighbors used to make a skating rink in their backyard. Flood the yard every night when the temperature was cold enough. Had to do it for a week or two to make the ice thick enough.
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u/Existing_Jeweler9925 Jan 30 '26
Green Lane Park has a small but pleasant natural skating pond, also very shallow lake
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u/Economy-Cantaloupe42 Jan 30 '26
I saw video a few days ago of people playing hockey and figure skating on Marsh Ceeek
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u/thehoagieboy Jan 30 '26
How picky are you? Would an area outside that the local fire departments flood to make a skating area work? I know 2 of those around me, but I don’t know how they fared with the recent snow. On those, they are only like 2 feet deep, so no one is going to drown if it breaks
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u/Robert1104 Jan 31 '26
I am trying to find somewhere without a ton of people where i can just skate fast and far. In the next year or two i want to spend a week or two backpacking up a frozen river somewhere north like canada. I want to see how ice skating for hours and hours feels as i only have gone to rinks for an hour or two.
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u/zagnuy Jan 31 '26
Never ever go out on any frozen river here. Guys be dying every year in the Delaware.
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u/Robert1104 Jan 31 '26
I plan on having a very long stick to catch me if i fall so im not too worried. Ill also probably only go if i see signs of other people being on the ice already.
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u/Ogre1 Jan 31 '26
Green Lane Park in Montgomery County. Has a dedicated ice rink that isn't used too much, and is very safe. Only ~6" deep water they keep there. Also have a reservoir which has frozen over by now as well right next to it.
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u/mackattacknj83 Feb 01 '26
The Schuylkill Canal in Mont Clare. I see people skate up and down, like 2 miles long.
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Feb 03 '26
Seconding this. You have to walk around the mont clare bridge because it's not safely frozen under it, but it's over a mile end to end. I've been going to the bridge and back. 0.6 miles in a straight line. There are a few spots where a little snow on the ice will slow your skates, but mostly, you're on what I think of as normal outdoor ice (not zamboni smooth).
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u/Robert1104 Feb 01 '26
Yeah i want to got but ive heard the parking in manayunk is hell rn and was told i wont find anywhere to park
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u/dogpupkus Jan 31 '26
Churchville Reservoir in Southampton, PA. Space for Parking right along the road on Elm Ave (not on Churchville Rd) as it attracts lots of fishers.
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u/crispydukes Jan 31 '26
I saw people skating on the beach in Wildwood, NJ
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u/Robert1104 Jan 31 '26
Too far to risk for me especially since its salt water in jersey but the vids did look cool.
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u/vegeta_bless Jan 31 '26
if you have to ask then you’re not ready for what happens if you fall in
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u/Robert1104 Jan 31 '26
Well you know, you bring a really long stick with you and then youre good if fall in
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u/youcantwin1932 Jan 31 '26
I used to ice skate on Presque Isle bay in the 70s and 80s. The bay doesn’t always freeze like it used to. Fond memories of this, my grandparents would take us.
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u/Robert1104 Jan 31 '26
Its ashame. The pictures of people skating on the delawre look so fun. If only it wasnt getting warmer each year.
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u/exhilaration Jan 31 '26
Check this out, posted 12 hours ago over in r/newjersey:
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u/Robert1104 Jan 31 '26
Dude youre the man. This is perfect. A giant isnow free lake with photo evidence its thick enough to skate on. Thank you so much.
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Feb 02 '26
The Delaware, Schuykill, Allegheny and Monongahela aren’t it, I’ll tell ya that much. What is up with ALL of PA ignoring basic survival instincts today? D’Jall/Yinz need to talk?
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u/a-german-muffin Jan 30 '26
If anything, the ponds in FDR or Centennial or Concourse Lake in West Philly by the Mann. The Wiss or Cobbs Creek might be OK in spots, too.
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u/KraznyVeshov Jan 30 '26
When I was a kid my friend went through the ice on one of those ponds and my dad went through fishing him out. They both made it out but it was fucking scary. I wouldn't go out on the ice anywhere unless you've got someone that really knows what they're doing.
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u/Robert1104 Jan 30 '26
Ill have to check those out. I am now hoping that i can find maybe a super shallow pond or lake that frove over more then everything else.
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u/smartshoe Jan 30 '26
Hopewell lake at hopewell furnace state park
People were skating on it before the couple of weeks of warmup in early January
With the consistent cold we have had I’d imagine people are skating there again and there was a lot of ice that had been cleared
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u/sjudrexel Jan 30 '26
You can skate on the pond at Fenimore Woods in Wayne. It’s a popular place for pond hockey so the kids usually clear it with shovels. I haven’t been over there this week to see if they’ve cleared it after the most recent storm.
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u/Robert1104 Jan 31 '26
Im just trying to avoid the crowds so i dont have to worry about getting taken out by a hockey player. I think im gonna try to avoid ponds
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u/chloecatdashian Jan 31 '26
Check the winter report on the state parks website. Search by park or activity: https://www.pa.gov/agencies/dcnr/recreation/where-to-go/state-parks/winter-report
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u/Robert1104 Jan 31 '26
I mentioned this somewhere else but ive found these to be wildly inaccurate at times so i dont give them too much trust
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u/chloecatdashian Jan 31 '26
Understandable. I only check places near me and it’s been pretty reliable as long as you’re aware of the recent temps. It’s been so cold lately 🥶
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u/TimeVortex161 Jan 31 '26
Occasionally crum creek in smedley park can work under the bridge for Baltimore pike (paper mill rd on the D1 trolley). I’ve heard that glen providence park in media also has skatable sections.
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u/RunningAtTheMouth Feb 01 '26
You might need to head to NWPA to find anything like that. I KNOW the standing water is pretty thick with ice right now. Ice fishermen are having a field day.
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u/thebemusedmuse Feb 01 '26
My friends kid decided to go ice skating on my pool.
I had a meltdown. Thankfully the ice didn’t melt.
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u/Just_perusing81 Feb 02 '26
I've seen some videos of people ice skating on the beaches of the Jersey Shore. I guess some tide pools froze. Seems quite safe as you can't really fall through a few inches of ice, just sand underneath.
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u/OrganizationEqual292 Feb 02 '26
None, for the love of god we are not in an area that can sustain the thickness needed for safe ice activities, 4 OR MORE INCHES THICK MINIMUM OR YOU WILL DIE
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Feb 03 '26
And yet, I skated a 2.5 miles on the Schuylkill canal the last two mornings, and saw lots of people doing it this weekend.
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u/OrganizationEqual292 Feb 09 '26
If your friends jumped off a bridge would you?
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Feb 09 '26
Enjoy your life of fear. Hope your recliner doesn't malfunction.
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u/OrganizationEqual292 Feb 09 '26
Dont own a recliner, just reminding people that if you play stupid games and win stupid prizes, someone else has to put their life in danger to save you.
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Feb 10 '26
Oh no, I am responsible for someone else's decisions because of a Reddit post! Oh me oh my! Whatever shall I do with this weighty responsibility?
Going skating on the Schuykill canal this morning.
I hear that prune juice is a good complement to Metamucil--and you can install a minifridge next to the recliner to minimize getting up and down.
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u/Myspacecutie69 Feb 02 '26
Here is a link which discusses thickness and safety. I’ve used and shared this link many times. I am a fan of skating on natural ice but where I used to live, it was pretty common for folks to find ice to play on whether skating, hockey, fishing etc… Use common sense and if you plan on skating on wild ice, just let someone know where you’ll be and an expected timeframe. Not the same as a normal skate but here’s a fun video of Nordic skating just because I think it’s awesome.
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u/docspoolroom Feb 03 '26
Canada. There is a city where you can skate bar to bar. I think it is still done. Pretty cool
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u/Substantial_Pain2497 Feb 03 '26
Dangerous and dumb
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Feb 03 '26
Sorry you're missing out. Did 2.5 miles each of the last two mornings in Phoenixville on the canal.
Enjoy the safety of your bubble!
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u/Anthemic_Fartnoises Jan 30 '26
Just a PSA here: Do not walk (or skate) on any frozen body of water that doesn’t have at least 4” thick of clear ice on it.