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Boundary Waters Quetico Forum :: Winter Camping and Activities :: Ice Thickness
 
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gonorth1
02/06/2017 04:14PM
  
What do folks know about ice depths in the BWCA?
 
WranglerPaddle
02/10/2018 09:25AM
  
Reviving this thread.


I'm heading up to Seagull next weekend for two nights and three days of fishing.


Has anyone been recently? How much ice can I expect to drill through? Are the pinch points & open water on Seagull relevant in mid-February or have they all frozen over?


I'm also wondering about the snow pack. Does anyone know what it's like around the end of the GFT? I'll be watching the weather closely. If there's no fresh snow this week, would it be possible to travel without snowshoes or would you recommend them (I'll only be traveling over the lake, not venturing onto any portages)?


Thanks for the help!
 
Banksiana
02/10/2018 10:30AM
  
Pinetree: "
I think when it warms up you might see a little slush forming.
Yeh breaking trail is a good workout. But coming back the same way you can really fly along if your trail is still there."


Generally slush is not temperature dependent but formed by the pressure of the weight of snow on the ice. The snow pushes the ice into the water, water moves up onto the ice and remains liquid due to the insulation of the snow above it. Over time outflow from the lake causes the water on top of the ice to drain.


Circumstances are different during periods of thaw.
 
Minnesotian
02/21/2018 07:57AM
  

Yep, Tuscarora this last weekend had 20" to 24". It also has about 10" of new snow of top of it too.
 
gonorth1
02/20/2018 07:34PM
  
22 inches of ice on Moose. On Feb. 18th there was about 6 inches of wind packed snow on the lake and on land. On the evening of the 19th there were 6 to 7 inches of new fresh, soft powder.
 
Pinetree
02/21/2018 08:42AM
  
Minnesotian: "
Yep, Tuscarora this last weekend had 20" to 24". It also has about 10" of new snow of top of it too. "


For this time of year that really isn't a lot of ice.
 
MNLindsey80
02/11/2017 10:43PM
  
In Ely - today.


No SLUSH...
20+ inches of ice



LOTS of snow.
 
walleye_hunter
02/07/2017 12:32PM
  
I was on 3 different lakes the past 2 days. I didn't measure the ice but it did gain a few inches during that little cold snap after the thaw. It is really good ice right now and there is not any slush to speak of. The snow that we have been getting the past few days might push some water up and create some slush.
 
fsupp
02/07/2017 12:59PM
  
The owners of Tuscarora Lodge have a weekly weather/ice report on their facebook page, which you can link to from their website


The ice on Sawbill 10 days ago was around 20 inches, with some spots much thicker. Perfect travel conditions.
 
Soledad
02/07/2017 03:08PM
  
I was on the Ely side and drilled through 20" ice. Top half was hard frozen slush type ice, the rest was solid and clear. Way better than this time last year.
 
Cedarleaf
02/15/2017 12:07PM
  
Just camped on Disappointment.


No SLUSH.


drilled an auger hole. Ice hold was full length of my arm up to my shoulder before we broke through. wow.



 
Pinetree
02/15/2017 02:22PM
  
quote Cedarleaf: "Just camped on Disappointment.



No SLUSH.



drilled an auger hole. Ice hold was full length of my arm up to my shoulder before we broke through. wow.



"


How much snow on top of the ice?
 
Cedarleaf
02/15/2017 03:06PM
  
quote Pinetree: "quote Cedarleaf: "Just camped on Disappointment.




No SLUSH.




drilled an auger hole. Ice hold was full length of my arm up to my shoulder before we broke through. wow.




"



How much snow on top of the ice?"


I'd say 8-12 inches. It was hard going with the pulk sled breaking trail...

 
Pinetree
02/15/2017 03:09PM
  
quote Cedarleaf: "quote Pinetree: "quote Cedarleaf: "Just camped on Disappointment.





No SLUSH.





drilled an auger hole. Ice hold was full length of my arm up to my shoulder before we broke through. wow.





"




How much snow on top of the ice?"



I'd say 8-12 inches. It was hard going with the pulk sled breaking trail...
"


I think when it warms up you might see a little slush forming.
Yeh breaking trail is a good workout. But coming back the same way you can really fly along if your trail is still there.
 
IcePaddler
02/16/2017 08:01AM
  
Got back from a trip up the gunflint on Sunday. Had around 8 inches of snow on the lakes and around 18-20 inches of ice. It was a straight up blizzard on the way out though so could be a little more snow now.
 
ILcdr
02/10/2018 02:59PM
  
About 20 inches on E. Bearskin two weeks ago.
 
MNLindsey80
02/18/2017 07:41PM
  
Just came from Parent out of Snowbank - and 2.5 feet of ice about....


VERY solid.


Starting to get a bit moist with the warm up and sticky snow.
 
Pinetree
02/08/2017 09:52PM
  
quote gonorth1: "Thanks for all of the input. I'll be heading north in a few weeks. Wanted to a get a sense of how deep I'll have to drill for water."


20 inches as reported is like 10-16 inches less than many years.
 
gonorth1
02/08/2017 04:26PM
  
Thanks for all of the input. I'll be heading north in a few weeks. Wanted to a get a sense of how deep I'll have to drill for water.