Pond Skating Conditions in Litchfield County

As of 1-25-2010, there is plenty of ice on the lakes and ponds in Litchfield County, Connecticut.  The issue for ice skating is that there is also a layer of snow on top of the ice.

The ice in Hartford County is much clearer and smother.  However, the problem is finding a place that allows skating, and finding a place where one can trust the ice.

Best of luck. 

Ice Skating at Plainville Middle School

In a previous post I mentioned pond skating at the Plainville Middle School in Plainville, CT.  This past weekend, I tried skating there.  The conditions were poor.  There was a layer of snow-ice chopped up on the top of the man-made pond.  In order to improve conditions there needs to be either a rain followed the next day by below freezing conditions, or the town of Plainville to put a layer of fresh water on the pond.  Neither of which has happened at last check.

If you wish to go skating at the Plainville Middle School, I suggest doing a drive-by to check ice conditions before making the effort to skate at this location.

Bristol-Plainville Outdoor Ice Skating Conditions

I checked out 2 different places local to the Bristol-Plainville Connecticut area this weekend for outdoor ice skating.

Plainville Middle School has an iced over pond cleared off for skating.  It is unsupervised and does not get a lot of use.  It's a good spot for some pick up pond hockey.  This is a natural, mostly untended surface, so conditions were a little rough this weekend.  There were a lot of bumps and snow patches.  However, it was skatable.  You need to go during daylight since there are no lights.  If there's snow, bring your shovel to clear off a spot.

The volleyball courts at Stocks Playground in Bristol were iced over and open for public skating.  The conditions are slightly better than in Plainville, although about a third of the rink was blocked off due to poor conditions.  Lights are available for evening skating, but the area is supervised.  The public can only skate during certain hours.  The exact hours are available on the Bristol town website under the Parks Department section.  The weekend hours are something like noon to 5 PM.  During the week the rink is open until 6 PM, although I'm not sure when it opens.  Otherwise, the gate to the fence is locked.  The rink is rather small (about the size of 3 volleyball courts) and crowded, and hockey is not allowed due to the congestion.  However, usually the ice is pretty smooth, and there are benches available.

Ice Fishing -- West Side Pond, Goshen, CT

This past weekend we had a family ice fishing adventure. We went to West Side Pond in Goshen, CT. There was well over 15 inches of ice.

We fished from about 10 AM until 1 PM using medium-sized shiners. The weather was brisk (about 25 degrees) with a tough breeze. Unfortunately, we did not catch any fish. Nobody around us seemed to be having too much luck either. However, we all had fun getting out onto the pond. Several of our group were ice fishing novices, so it was fun introducing them to the activity.

Pond Skating

In the past I've written posts regarding ice skating on indoor rinks or man-made outdoor rinks. This weekend we did some all-natural skating -- on a pond.

We had to break out the shovels to clear off about 4 inches of fluffy snow before skating. It was a "many hands make light work" sort of task. We came prepared with several shovels and several people. We had an area larger enough for skating cleared quickly.

The pond we skated on was located in front of the Plainville Middle School on Northwest Drive in Plainville, CT.

A good time was had by all.

Sledding at Page Park -- Bristol, CT

The winter tradition of sledding at Page Park continues! This light, fluffy snow is excellent for maximum sled speed.

Page Park is located off of King Street (Route 229) in Bristol, CT right across the street from Bristol-Eastern High School.

Ice Skating to Cure Winter Blues

If you're anything like me, you're always on the look out for opportunities to get outdoors during the winter months. Outdoor activities are especially sparse during the time after hunting season, but before the ice is thick enough for fishing. Ice skating is a fun family activity that can be done by people of all ages, and costs little money. Once you make the initial investment in the ice skates (you can get a decent recreational pair for around $50), outdoor ice skating is a free activity. Even if you don't have access to a safe pond, many towns now flood municipal areas for make-shift rinks. If you would rather go indoors, most local indoor ice rinks offer public skating time. Most charge $7 per person. Many also have skate rentals available for an additional fee. I recently went to the rink in West Hartford with my family. We all had a fun time, and we'll probably be returning for Martin Luther King Day. We've also made several visits to the local outdoor rinks.