For the first time in 25 years Marin County has an ice skating rink available daily to the public.

The outdoor rink opened Saturday Nov. 10 and is located near Kohl’s outside the Northgate Mall in San Rafael.  It will stay open through Jan. 13.

The rink is 5,000 square feet and while much smaller than the Yerba Buena Skating Center, still offers the ice skating necessities.  It costs $15 to skate and that price includes skate rentals. Once visitors have rented their skates they can skate for as long as they want.

During the weekdays the rink is open from 2 p.m. to 10 p.m. and on the weekends from 12 p.m. to 10 p.m. There are lights strung up over the rink and Christmas music is pumped through the outdoor speakers.

Marin on Ice runs the rink and is similar to Napa on Ice, which started last year.  High school and college students are the primary staffers and there is a skating supervisor on the rink to ensure safety.

The last ice skating rink available to the public in Marin was called Raydine’s and that closed in the early eighties. It was located were Fitness SF is today in Larkspur.

While the Northgate rink is small and the amenities basic, it is an ice skating rink that is only a 15 minute freeway drive away and has free parking, unlike Yerba Buena in the city.