Happy winter! Due to the varying ice thicknesses on Lake Waconia that we are reporting below, along with predicted mild temps, and a potential rainy, snowy and windy start to next week, we will remain closed at this time. This will be the only ice report we’ll make until later next week.
The ice at the beginning of this winter will be some of the most varied we’ve seen in many years due large areas of the lake freezing at different times along with the mild weather last week and the high winds when it got colder and tried to freeze up. While much of the lake is now frozen over, there remain scattered small areas of open water across the lake. It is definitely not a year to make assumptions about ice thickness.
Ben and Avery took the marina’s first ice walk today, December 7, 2022. They checked in Waconia Bay and to the east by the “Walleye Hole” or “Hump” that is between the 2 marinas. Some of the thicker ice was out from the perimeter shoreline that has been there since late November measuring 6 to 8 inches. Within some of those perimeter locations, they still found some ice as little as 3 to 4 inches with drifted snow. Once they got further out, they did find ice in the 5 to 7 inch range, but within those same areas were plenty of holes drilled that measured 2 to 3.5 inches too. There is a pressure ridge on the north side of Waconia Bay that extends to the island and should be avoided right now. There are uneven areas of snow drifted all over too which will hold back some ice growth due to the snow’s insulating factor. Unfortunately, due to the fresh layer of snow Wednesday morning, you can no longer see the obvious visible differences in the ice. That makes it extremely important to check ahead of yourself with a chisel if you decide to head out.
It might get tempting to go snowmobiling or ATVing, because there may be ice thicknesses that can support it in certain locations, but it’s definitely not a good idea to go across the lake unless you’ve taken plenty of time to measure thicknesses on your path. In general, we recommend avoiding using them at this time.
Be safe out there. We hope to report better news later next week!
