Grab your skates and head on up to Yosemite, the Curry Village Ice Rink is now open to skaters of all ages.
Celebrating its 80th year of operation, the Curry Village ice rink was first established in 1928 when the Yosemite Winter Club flooded an unused parking lot. Now a permanent fixture, the rink is located in the easternmost section of Yosemite Valley, nestled amongst towering pines and majestic, granite icons.
“It’s fun to see people’s jaws drop when they look up at the alpine glow on Half Dome during the afternoon skating sessions,” said Mike Poisson, manager of the ice rink for DNC Parks & Resorts at Yosemite, the park’s official concessioner. “That’s just one of the amazing sights of Yosemite Valley you can see when you’re on the ice. Glacier Point, Washington Column, and North Dome surround you while you skate through the crisp, mountain air. It’s awesome.”
The old rental skates are gone replaced by all new Riedell Soft series figure skates for adults and children, and adult hockey skates for those who prefer to experience the ice sans toe pick.
Daily skating sessions are offered from 3:30 to 6 p.m. and 7 to 9:30 p.m. weekdays (subject to weather conditions). On weekends and holidays, the rink is open for an additional morning session from 8:30 to 11 a.m., afternoon sessions from noon to 2:30 p.m. and 3:30 to 6 p.m., and an evening session from 7 to 9:30 p.m. Ice-skating in Curry Village is $8.00 per adult, per session, and $6 per child. Skate rental is $3.00 per session. Helmets are available at no additional cost, and private sessions for groups up to 200 in size are available.
For more information visit www.YosemitePark.com or call 801-559-4949. For current ice rink conditions, call 209-372-8319 and for road and weather conditions, call the automated National Park Service information line at 209-372-0200.
Photo by David via Flickr