Frozen Lake
“It’s so classic, romantic. It’s how it used to be, the real deal.”
A frozen lake is a sacred place. Evergreen Lake was created with the construction of the Evergreen Dam between 1925 and 1927. Originally created to provide the utilitarian role of a water source for the town residents and fire protection, it now serves as a symbol of the heart of the community. The 40-acre lake is encircled by picturesque mountain views that shift hues throughout each season of the year. In winter, the frozen lake becomes a magical winter place of play as the largest Zamboni-groomed outdoor ice-skating rink in North America.
There has been ice skating on the lake each winter since the dam was finished. An older Evergreen resident remembers the original warming hut had the smell of wet, wool socks and cigarette smoke. It was a simple log cabin that is now used for boat rental in the summer. The Evergreen Lake House now has a giant stone fireplace and is large enough for the thousands of visitors who come each day. When frozen, Evergreen Lake has over 10 acres of groomed ice skating with 11 pond hockey rinks and an enormous public rink.
Daniel Coffey’s first memories are playing hockey on the frozen lake while in Middle School. He recalled spending the entire day skating in the warmth of the sun, enjoying the brilliant golden hour of sunset, to ending the day in the freezing cold of darkness under the lights high above the rinks. “It’s such a joyful and playful feeling to glide over the lake with the wind in your face,” he shares. “And the joy of spraying friends with ice in their face with a hockey stop!” he adds with a mischievous grin. Daniel sells the unique experience without an ounce of effort. “With the backdrop of the Rocky Mountain, why would you go skate anywhere else?”
In the past, the ice-skating season began in early December; now, with warmer winter weather, it does not open until almost January. The minimum ice thickness is 16 inches for the Zamboni to drive over the ice to groom it. Heart Cameron was the Zamboni driver for Evergreen Lake for 22 years. “It’s as real as ice skating gets,” Cameron says. “It’s so classic, romantic. It’s how it used to be, the real deal.” Cameron retired in 2023. In front of the Evergreen Lake House is a tree planted by Cameron, and each year it is lit to begin the holiday season. There is a plaque to honor Heart Cameron next to the tree. It reads, “As the tree planted by Heart grows and flourishes at Evergreen Lake, so, too, have our parks and open spaces flourished under his watchful guidance and devoted actions.”
There is something mystical about ice-skating on a deep and vast body of frozen water. The open sky and outdoor air are embodied reminders of the winter season and placeness of play. For 100 years, people have come every winter to experience the magic of ice skating on Evergreen Lake. A frozen lake is a sacred place.
Thank you to Daniel Cofffey for his contribution to this article and to Heart Cameron for his years of service and care for the Evergreen community.
