How to check whether Yellowknife lakes are safe to walk on

The City of Yellowknife says its annual program of testing lake ice thickness around the municipality will begin in the near future.

Six inches of ice thickness is considered the recommended minimum before people walk out onto any frozen lake.

This time last year, some lakes had already reached that depth. Last year’s records show that parts of Yellowknife Bay, Frame Lake and Rat Lake had all achieved six inches of ice by November 6.

Each year, ice thickness testing is carried out by the Great Slave Snowmobile Association, with results shared each Monday to both the association’s Facebook page and the city’s website.

In a Thursday update, the city’s webpage for ice testing stated: “Ice testing will commence shortly. Updates will be provided every Monday once testing has begun.”

A city spokesperson added by email that updates are likely to begin “by mid-November” this year.

Residents are always advised to take care regardless of published ice thickness measurements, as the quality and depth of the ice can vary even over short distances. There’s never any guarantee that a lake is completely safe underfoot.