In January, Rocky Mountain PBS photographed Will Morse of the Evergreen Park & Recreation District spraying water across Evergreen Lake to build a more even skating surface. By then Christmas, New Year's and Martin Luther King Day had all gone by, and the lake still hadn't opened. "I've never experienced anything like this," Lake House manager Krista Emrich told the station. She was in her sixth year in the job.
That's why EPRD's skating page looks the way it does this week. The 2026/27 prices are up, but there's no opening day. The district says it will release season information "once we have an opening day." Opening day depends on ice depth, and EPRD works with two depth thresholds. Last winter, which events took place depended on which threshold the ice had reached.
Eight Inches for Skaters, Sixteen for the Zamboni
RMPBS spelled out the numbers. EPRD needs eight inches of ice before it opens the lake to public skating and 16 inches before workers can put a Zamboni on it. The Zamboni number matters more than it sounds. RMPBS describes Evergreen Lake as the largest outdoor Zamboni-groomed rink in North America, so the grooming is part of what people come for.
| Ice depth | What it means on Evergreen Lake |
|---|---|
| 6 inches | Measured depth on January 16, 2026, with the lake still closed |
| 8 inches | EPRD's minimum to open for public skating |
| 16 inches | Minimum for workers to run the Zamboni |
Warm weather explains the slow start. RMPBS reported that December 2025 in Colorado averaged 10°F above the 20th-century December average, and that warmth kept enough ice from forming. The station also noted that the season normally runs from late December through February. A longtime skater who grew up on the lake in the 1980s recalled years when it froze in late October or early November.
The Lake Opened the Same Weekend the Tournament Was Canceled
Here is the 2025–26 season in order:
- December 21, 2024: The year before, the lake opened for skating on this date, according to a Denver Post roundup of metro rinks.
- January 16, 2026: The ice measured six inches, two short of the public minimum.
- January 22, 2026: RMPBS reported the lake still closed. EPRD had already canceled its end-of-January pond hockey tournament.
- Weekend of January 24–25: The 15th Annual Pond Hockey Championship had been scheduled for this weekend. CBS Colorado reported that the lake finally opened for skating on that Saturday.
- February: EPRD's February newsletter confirmed the lake was open for skating.
- By February 24: CBS Colorado reported the skating season was over and called it the shortest the town had ever seen.
Skaters were on the lake the same Saturday the tournament was supposed to start, and the tournament still didn't happen. EPRD's cancellation notice said the ice was "too thin for us to fully operate ice skating, let alone have support for the zamboni and other equipment." When the cancellation was announced, the ice couldn't carry the equipment a multi-rink tournament runs on, and that decision came before the lake was even open for public skating.
So opening day is only the first threshold. Anything that depends on groomed rinks and heavy equipment needs more ice than public skating does.
What This Winter's Calendar Can Promise
EPRD's 2026/27 calendar has items that need ice and items that don't.
Frostival doesn't need ice. EPRD's annual holiday event, set for December 12 on the district's Frostival listing, runs 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Evergreen Lake House and Dedisse Park. It's free and includes guided goat hikes, market booths, nonprofit activities, a food truck, a bar inside the Lake House, live music by Wild Mountain Thyme, and Santa from noon to 2 p.m. Parking at the Lake House is limited. None of it depends on how thick the lake is.
The pond hockey tournament does. EPRD has moved the 15th Annual Pond Hockey Championship to January 30–31, 2027. It still carries last year's number because last year's event never happened. Teams pay $750 in competitive, intermediate and novice divisions, and registration opened October 1 at 10 a.m. The new date is one weekend later than last year's January 24–25 slot. Last winter, the ice wasn't ready for the tournament by its late-January date, so the later slot buys about one more week of freezing.
Holiday skating hours are listed as TBD. EPRD's holiday table includes December 24, December 25, New Year's Day and January 18, all depending on weather and ice. Pickup hockey, skating clinics, IceBocce and ice-fishing rentals are all marked "Will Return for the 2026/2027 Season." Last winter, pickup hockey ran Sundays for ages 13 to 18 and Thursdays for adults, 5 to 7 p.m., as the lake allowed. Ice-fishing rentals were $75 for a two-hour block with two rods, an auger, bait and stools. EPRD's winter programs page says a Colorado fishing license is required, and the district doesn't manage or monitor ice fishing on the lake.
The late-season risk is real too. Emrich told RMPBS:
"Our seasons continue to get shorter and shorter. Once you get into February, you start getting erratic temperatures. You'll have a 60 degree day and then a really cold day. It's difficult to maintain ice when you're jumping around like that."
What the El Niño Forecast Does and Doesn't Say
This winter has a strong El Niño. The Climate Prediction Center's October 8 discussion issued an El Niño Advisory and put the odds of a strong-to-very-strong El Niño through January–March 2027 at greater than 83%.
NOAA's October 15 winter outlook favors warmer-than-average temperatures across the northern Rockies and puts the best odds of a wet winter across the southern tier. For the Intermountain West, it gives equal chances of below-, near- or above-average precipitation. NOAA also says seasonal outlooks don't predict snowfall totals, which generally can't be forecast more than about a week ahead.
For Evergreen Lake, the most relevant piece of the outlook is temperature. Last winter, RMPBS blamed the late freeze on warm temperatures, and this year NOAA leans warm for the northern Rockies. Water is a separate question. Denver Water's November 2 update describes severe drought and historically low snowpack across its system, but it doesn't address Evergreen Lake's level or skating. In practice, the ice gauge decides things, and the lake hotline is the place to check it. EPRD updates the recording daily and whenever the lake closes.
Paying for Skating Before There's Ice
EPRD's 2026/27 prices are posted. Everyone pays the same rates, residents and visitors alike.
- Season pass: $200, covering admission and skate rentals
- 10-punch pass: $120, admission only, valid this season only
- Single admission: $15, with no hourly limit
- Admission plus rental: $20
- Rental alone: $10
- Skate sharpening: $10 per pair
- Private rink: $150 per hour for up to 15 people
- Broomball rink: $175 per hour
If you rent skates, the season pass pays for itself on your tenth visit at the $20 rate. If you own skates, the punch pass works out to $12 a visit, $3 less than single admission. EPRD says it can't guarantee opening days, times or ice quality, and pass purchases are not eligible for refunds, transfers or credits. Last season opened the weekend of January 24 and was over by February 24, which left about a month to get those ten visits in. Two seasons ago, the December 21 opening gave skaters close to five extra weeks.
What's Different Around the Lake This Year
The Evergreen Metropolitan District's roughly $1 million dam outlet project started in June 2026 and is expected to finish before the end of the year. American West Construction is doing the work, with design support from GEI Consultants. It involves lining the old outlet pipe, replacing aging valves and adding equipment to measure water releases, which will let the district lower the lake faster in an emergency. During construction, the parking lot next to the dam is closed, the trail near the dam has detours, access to the spillway is limited, and the park area below the dam is closed Monday through Friday.
Parking is already tight once the lake opens. EPRD says Lake House parking is limited and runs weekend and holiday shuttles from Stagecoach Park. EPRD also added a generator at the Lake House in 2026 to reduce weather-related outages during events and programs. In October, crews replaced seven more pillars on the north lake trail and built new steps at a lower fishing area. For conditions on the ice itself, EPRD's ice safety page explains how changing water levels, currents and weather affect the ice, and notes that the district monitors depth and quality on the rinks it maintains.
The lake hotline is 720-880-1391.
Evergreen Lake is one of the reasons a winter in Evergreen feels like home, and I keep a close eye on what changes around it from season to season. If you're wondering how a home near the lake fits into your plans this year, Courtney Nelson can walk you through it. Request a free home valuation, and I'll show you how buyers are seeing your part of Evergreen this winter.
