New Roads and Lake Waconia Ice Update 1/28/22
We spent part of Thursday plowing some new lake roads. We have added a road past the Walleye hump and out to Cemetery Reef. Ice on that road measured from 14 to 18 inches with 16 inches being a common thickness.
Out near Center Reef where the main road forks we extended the east road out to North Reef. As you approach North Reef on the south side of the road you will see a spring marked with lath and flagging tape. The spring is well off the path, just keep a lookout for it if off roading. Ice measured 14 to 17 inches on that newer stretch of road.
Off the roads in common snow areas the ice is usually between 14 and 18 inches thick. In the deepest drifts 13 inches of ice is rare but can be found- thicker ice will be just outside the drift. Almost 2 feet of ice can be found where there is no or very limited snow. Ice on the established main road measured between 19 and 22 inches yesterday where we checked.
We are allowing up to 1 ton trucks with up to 26’ Tandem wheel houses. If venturing out on your own always check ahead of yourself especially with the big rigs.
See you on the ice
The cold weather is back and it’s doing its job. Avery headed out this morning to get us all another ice thickness update. Avery checked our plowed frontage and the main lake road that heads out to Center Reef and then Wagener’s Bay. In his checking on the road he found between 16 and 19 inches of ice. When he got off the road he would look for deep snow to find our current reported minimums. Today in a very deep drift near “Under the Wires” (between the island and the peninsula) he found a very small area of 11.5 inches of ice. Immediately surrounding that drift in common snow he found 14 inches of ice. In areas that had minimal drifting and just common undisturbed snow around Pilsbury and Center reef he was finding 13 to 15 inches of ice. Spots he checked that had very little to no snow around Pillsbury and Center Reef had 15 to 20 inches of ice.
If you are leaving the marina on our main road and take a right at the large fork as you approach Center Reef and continue past most of the group on that reef you will notice a path that people have been following to the South side of Keg’s Reef. Avery did some ice checking along that path and out on Kegs. On the packed area of the trail he was finding 16 to 17 inches of ice. There is not a lot of drifting or spots that blew clean on that part of the lake. In the common snow areas found around Kegs Avery was measuring 13 to 15 inches of ice. 12” was the least ice he found out there and that was one small spot.
More Springs to report. A couple days ago an angler found and reported 2 smaller but notable springs North and West of the deep hole in Wagener’s Bay. The coordinates for these springs are 44° 52.002’ N 93° 48.525’ W These springs are marked with smaller sticks and flagging tape.
Starting Friday 1/21/22 we will now start letting some Tandem axle Houses on our access. 24’ houses and up to 26’ lighter weight houses will be allowed. Please no huge rigs. If you are in a one ton diesel please don’t push it and show up with a 26’ or bigger house.
See you on the ice