The good news: the lake is now fully frozen. The bad news: it happened in a snowstorm…
The recent cold temperatures means that the lake is now fully frozen. We’re finding at least 15 cm of ice everywhere we checked in the past few days.
The freeze-up happened in a snowstorm this year. This means that we’re finding more white ice than usual but also that we have some amazingly unique ice features this year. Some areas look like swirls, others like marshmallows and yet other areas have perfectly clear ice with bubbles.
Where to Go
Cline Landing, Abraham Slabs and the Ice Bubbles Parking Lot all have great patches of ice bubbles. Plan on having to spend more time searching for the bubbles this year since the areas closest to the access have the most white ice.
Want to see these views for yourself?
Join us for an Abraham Lake Ice Walk, available daily.
A Few Recent Photos
FAQ
What will the conditions be like tomorrow? The truth is that we don’t know. The weather is unpredictable and conditions change quickly. What we can share is what we saw that day to give you a starting point as you plan your adventure.
How come I didn’t see bubbles while you posted some from that day? We get this question a lot and it usually depends on where you went. Abraham Lake is a large reservoir and conditions can be drastically different from one end to the other. Our guides sharing these updates are on the lake daily and know where to go depending on the conditions. If you’re heading out on your own, use the information we share as a starting point and give yourself plenty of time to explore different locations if conditions at your first choice are less than ideal.
Is it more dangerous at this time of the year? It depends. This time of the year sees larger temperature fluctuations than what we would see in mid-winter, making it even more important to check the ice for yourself before heading out. At the same time, the most challenging sections of the lake are still open water making it an easy decision not to go there for a walk.
Ice Safety
We share this information to help visitors to the area plan their trip. This represents the conditions we have observed at a specific point in time. Ice safety depends on many more factors than just ice conditions and anybody going on the ice should have the knowledge and experience required to assess the risks, or should consider going with a guide.
