Ice is never 100% safe. The conditions shown in SouthBasin IceIntel — including satellite imagery, hazard zones, trails, and community reports — are informational only. They are not a guarantee of safe travel and must not replace your own local knowledge and field judgment.
Before You Go
- Check current conditions, then verify them in person at the access point.
- Tell someone where you are going and when you expect to return.
- Carry ice picks, a throw rope, a flotation device, and a charged phone.
- Dress for the weather and the water. Wind and cold change ice fast.
Check Ice Thickness Locally
Ice thickness varies across a single bay or channel. Test it yourself with an auger or chisel as you go, and never assume a report from yesterday still holds today. Widely published minimum guidelines:
- Less than 5 cm (2") — stay off.
- 5–10 cm (2–4") — one person on foot, with caution.
- 10–15 cm (4–6") — small group on foot, well spaced.
- 15–20 cm (6–8") — snowmobiles and ATVs.
- 20–30 cm (8–12") — light vehicles.
- 30+ cm (12"+) — heavier vehicles, never a guarantee.
These are guidelines, not a guarantee. Pressure ridges, cracks, currents, and river mouths create thin ice at any thickness elsewhere.
Hazards to Watch
- Pressure ridges and cracks — cross only at known safe points.
- Open water and thin ice near river mouths and currents.
- Shore ice — often thinner than the main body.
- New snow — hides cracks and weak ice.
In an Emergency
- Call 911 immediately.
- If someone falls through, call for help, reach with a pole or rope, and do not walk to the edge.
- If you fall through, use ice picks to pull yourself onto solid ice, roll away from the hole, and get warm and dry fast.
Our Role
SouthBasin IceIntel is a community tool. We do not verify every report, and approved content can still be wrong or out of date. You are responsible for your own safety decisions on the ice.
Questions? Email Iceintelapp@outlook.com.