Walnut Creek on Ice — Local services in Walnut Creek

I've been to way better run pop up ice skating spots than this on the east coast. It's probably ok enough when it's not crowded, but the mayhem on the ice and grade D- skates took away from the experience. It was so bad, I want to believe I caught them on a bad day, but it was really bad.

Other costs...The snack shop is cool, not exorbitant. Didn't like that they charge 15 additional bucks for the walkers for beginners. At other places like this, those are free, or between $5 and $10... and kids just wait 'til one becomes available.

Because it's Walnut Creek, I expected a grade A, or at least B, not a grade D experience. We all met up here to make my daughter happy...but from reviews, I really we wish we'd have driven a little farther to the Kristi Yamaguchi one in San Ramon. We were here from the EC visiting local family and grandparents, so it being a lame experience annoyed me greatly. My daughter really really wanted me and all of her aunts to go ice skating with her. As kid, I grew up skating at the old Iceland in Berkeley and I loved skating there as a kid and younger adult, but got none of the nostalgia I was hoping for here.

Being uber crowded and chaotic really killed the fun. In some places there's a direction to the skating that is at least semi enforced by staff who skate around, maintaining order, the directionality, helping folks who fall and need help getting up, etc...Not at all the case here... there was unadulterated Lord of the Flies level mayhem on this rink. It seemed unsafe. But... we all clicked and finger signed the waiver, so I guess the proprietors are not terribly concerned about anyone getting hurt as they read my review while laughing all the way to the bank.

Skates. Each person's skates had at least one shoe with literally 2-3 feet of extra lace. I had to tie these long a#$ laces on my own and my kids' shoes and then deal with the 2+ feet of excess lace...After double tying the regular shoe lace knot, my and my kid's skates still had 2-3 feet of lace, I made a looped over extra knot and pushed the clump of excess lace down in my and my kid's shoes...if I'd had a pocket knife, or a pair of scissors, I'd have cut off that nonsense. Mine also had one with one super long lace...the other had not enough lace to get through all of the loops and tie...I had to skip a few loops on the skates. Asinine that they have these insanely long laces...if the tucked in portion of crazy long extra lace pops out it could totally make you fall...but don't forget...we finger signed that waiver...so if you sprain your ankle, break an elbow or lose a front tooth, oh well.

Also, one of my skates was collapsed such that one had a blade that leaned to one side... it was not perpendicular with the skate like the other...felt like I was going to hurt my ankle just walking. I wore skates from two different pairs to get a good fit.

Maybe it's fine, more of a C+ experience on less crowded days. On December 26, yeah it's gonna be at capacity, but there must be common sense capacity guidelines for year round places that were clearly out the window here. It would have been more safe and fun with half the number of skaters and probably more in keeping with industry norms.

We made the best of it. I really try to be open minded, not negative, but I cannot tell a lie...my favorite part was when the skating was over and we walked around the park / playground...

A fun outing, though it could have been better. At 20 bucks for 90 minutes, it was pretty good.

The ice was in need of smoothing over, as I kept almost slipping on piles of slush and uneven ice surfaces. The skilled skaters had no problem though, and offered helpful tips when I asked. It was pretty much impossible for me at least to even glide forward without my skates wobbling to correct over the bumps all over, especially by the sides. If they'd had even, quality ice, I'd give another star.

I saw they only had outhouses, so I avoided them. Not ideal bathrooms, but I get it.

Over priced snack bar, as per usual.

The real thing that got me was the tiny parking lot. When I couldn't find parking, I called to let them know I'd be late, and to ask if that would eat into my time, which they said it would. So I missed out on 15-20 minutes of skating because they only have room for about 20 cars. Odd at best, if you ask me, for being such a popular place in a city with lots of tourism. Might be a good idea to have more parking, or put up a sign about other places you can park nearby, or offering extensions when parking trouble takes up paid time, or at the very least, a warning that you'll probably have to park on the street when you buy tickets online. Overall, lots of potential, a good size place, they just don't seem to completely understand their audience. I'd like to see them consider the convenience, comfort, and time of their...

I am writing to express my concerns regarding my visit on Friday, December 30th,

During my time at the rink with my fiancé, the facility was overcrowded to the point that it was difficult to skate safely. The excessive number of people created hazardous conditions, particularly for children, many of whom were unsupervised.

At one point, I witnessed a child fall directly in front of me and cut his finger. I assisted him in finding his parents, only to discover they were not supervising him. I informed his father about the injury and emphasized the seriousness of the situation, as the injury could have been much worse. I also noticed numerous other unsupervised children, which heightened the risks on the ice.

Additionally, the lack of a clear cap on the number of skaters allowed on the rink made it challenging for anyone to skate safely. I personally fell due to overcrowding, with people stopping abruptly in front of me and skating against the designated flow.

I believe implementing a strict capacity limit would significantly enhance safety and create a more enjoyable experience for all visitors. In light of these issues, I kindly request a refund for this visit, as we were unable to fully enjoy or safely participate in the activity due to the...