Many of Yellowknife’s lakes have reached the level of ice thickness that’s generally considered safe for walking, the Great Slave Snowmobile Association reports.
Each winter, the association’s volunteers go out and test ice thickness at a range of local lakes.
On Monday, the association posted its opening results for the winter of 2024-25.
Six inches of ice is usually considered the minimum for people to safely walk on a frozen lake. Even then, the City of Yellowknife routinely cautions that residents should watch for weak spots when they cross a lake.
Monday’s measurements showed Back Bay, Long Lake, Frame Lake and Rat Lake each hit six inches at all locations tested.
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Niven Lake, Kam Lake, Range Lake and Grace Lake were all at around the four-inch mark in places.
Yellowknife Bay ice thickness varied from six inches near the Air Tindi floatbase to three inches at the boat launch and two inches by the entrance to what will become the Dettah ice road.
