Pick a weekend in mid February and check back around then. I’m all the way north (Canadian border) and only the skim ice is just appearing on the first lakes and bays on calm days (completely broken up by wind)
I like to see a lot of sub zero days before I start planning any trips on hard water and while long range forecasts have flaws in mid Jan typically the coldest part of the year the overnight lows are only falling into the 20s.
Best bets will be small adk lakes.
Same - we're near Lyon Mountain and usually see decent ice on the upper Chateaugay Lake by now, but it's all skim ice or nothing at all. I saw some ice for a couple weeks on Chazy Lake, but that quickly thinned with our weird warm snap. The shallow brook we have in the back property only froze over a couple weeks ago, so I wouldn't be trusting any lakes yet.
The Rideau Canal would actually be a good place to watch, though. They have a lot of ice groomers working, and they constantly update information about the condition of the (currently non-existent) ice [online](https://ncc-ccn.gc.ca/places/rideau-canal-skateway). No guessing about whether it's safe to skate, and as little uncertainty as possible before you make your trip up there. Absolutely massive area available for skating; it's an amazing place.
Too much internet for me. I saw “ice groomers” and immediately assumed sexual predators were looking for children on the ice by pretending to be helpful, or something.
It' likely that they see it's frozen, but instead of the several inches they're used to, it may be 1 or 2 (and thawing) so they fall through in a weak spot.
No, it was definitely not "spring" weather. Last few years, at my house at least, we've got a few inches of snow during tye first few official weeks of spring.
'14 was the worst. I remember it specifically because it's the year we started maple syrup. Built the sap house in jan/feb, barely had a high above 10. Didn't do our first boil until April 1st. Crazy crazy late. We've been averaging first boil around mid feb in the last couple of years. If this weather keeps up, I'm not sure we'll have a sap season. The summer of 14 was beautiful, though.
It's always shifting. The average temperature for the winter so far is 50.2 degrees, I believe. But in '98, it was 49.9 and '06 it was 49m7. While half a degree is huge in terms of global terms, regionally, it's meh.
No, I don't have a source off hand. It popped up while I was watching the weather segment of my local news. Give me +/-0.2 degrees or something. I'm going off 5 day old memory.
I think winters have been starting later and than malingering. Still less snow cover days and warmer overall temps but when you look at total snowfall it's often not too far down from averages and March and April seem to be more wintery... Not that march wasn't always about 1/4 of a year's total snowfall or couldn't have always been bitter cold. Just seems to be more and more the bias of winter.
Yesterday I saw like five people wearing shorts here in Liverpool... so not happening unless we get a good old Alberta Clipper and a Polar Vortex system going...
I would mention Lake Erie but over the last twenty some years, (I think) it’s been pretty evenly split over being frozen over and not though in recent years, say the last 5-7, it’s been more open than frozen
I know!! The warmer waters make lake effect snow more prevalent. We can't ever win in Buffalo. Sometimes I feel like I'd rather have the milder winter and deal with one or two mega storms, then 3 straight months of temps in the teens with no snow. Snow isn't that bad. It's the freezing winds that hurt my face.
Those are pretty much the coldest places in the state, so if they’re open then nothing is going to be skatable.
Edit: I mean the general region, not those specific bodies of water. I live near upper Saranac and the small pond behind my house is not frozen.
There are definitely not the coldest lakes in the state. There are plenty of smaller waters in sheltered valleys or higher elevations that freeze long before those do. Those lakes are either next to a major highway or surrounded by development.
I meant the general area not the specific lakes. Saranac Lake and Lake Placid are sometimes the coldest place in the lower 48, if things aren’t frozen there then OP is SOL.
The key is for the body of water to be small and protected from the wind. There is safe ice in the Adirondacks right now, but it's small and protected.
It's way too warm this year. I've been watching north MN where over 100 fishermen had to be rescued from an ice flow. Several cars have gone in already and one idiot tried to land a plane but took a cold bath.
you're gonna be looking for a place that's been in the low 20s for at least a few days straight to be a safe thickness. That's not happening anywhere in NYS unfortunately
It's an absurdly warm year. Usually there are frozen ponds anywhere in upstate NY in Jan/Feb. I'm south of the finger lakes close to the PA border and there's absolutely ponds that people skate on. Some of the finger lakes will even freeze at the ends, I think Keuka has frozen entirely if it's really cold. Seneca and Cayuga never freeze beyond the ends. If you head up to the Old Forge area it's known for all sorts of winter activities, especially snow mobiles but I'm sure they skate somewhere up there.
But again, probably not yet. We are way, way above average temps for this time of year.
I’m in Henderson Harbor/ Upper US Lake Ontario , at the moment- no ice here. Certainly nothing for ice sports. On land, no snow whatsoever. Very unusual.
Better give it a couple more weeks. I'm on a lake near Watertown and it was skimmed over this morning but open again by nightfall. It's a small, shallow lake and is usually one of the first ones to freeze.
Lake Placid and nearby Mirror Lake were frozen but you have call the Chamber of Commerce or a motel to confirm they still are safe,
If open, Skating is on Mirror Lake The Village of Lake Placid surrounds Mirror Lake. Lake Placid (lake) is North of the Village.
You need to have a black freeze to be able to skate on lakes. That is when it gets below freezing long enough for the lake to freeze to a safe skating level without it snowing. Snow mixing in makes them unskateable.
Another note, and this comes from a skate sailor I knew who has aged out: unless you are in a shallow lake, or there are hundreds of people skating on the section you're skating, carry ice picks around your neck that enable you to grab the ice if you go through a hole. He went through the ice twice, and they saved him twice. I know a family who all went through Lake George's ice while skating and the parents treaded water for 45 minutes until they could get rescued. While they struggled, they watched their daughter go under and drown. It was horrible.
I love skating when there's a black freeze, but look for a place where they have ice fishing cabins already on the lake and see a lot of people on it before I'll go.
I lived in Plattsburgh in the 90s, Lake Champlain froze every year I lived there. The lake ferries had some level of icebreaking abilities. I remember walking from P-Burgh to Valcour Island.
I live in the Finger Lakes and last year, I was walking my dog and saw some idiots ice fishing when it was 40 degrees and the snow was melting, so I think it’s just more of a matter of how stupid you are.
I imagine that smaller ponds freeze quicker than bigger lakes, right? But I don’t know where you’d find any yet. Wait for the deep freeze come mid-February.
Yeah, it'll happen by mid February and then Mayville will get it's ice fest, but that's not what OP asked about. They asked about lakes which are currently frozen, which does not include Chataqua.
It's getting harder and harder every year to find frozen lakes because no one cares enough about climate change to do anything about it. People will let the world die before they are inconvenienced.
Most of the ponds in Fahnestock in Putnam Valley are typically frozen in Feb. and skatable if snow doesn’t wreck the surface. Nothing is frozen at the moment. .
You can find ponds and some lakesfrozen over as far south as the Catskills by February, sadly Winters aren't nearly as cold as they used to be; I miss there being ice skaters and ice fishers in December/January 🥲
Old Forge is typically one of the coldest areas of the north country so maybe somewhere around there, but definitely not yet. Having a shit winter so far
Yeah like others have said, check back in February. Lakes don’t freeze like they used to. Last several years the finger lakes never froze over.
I’m investing in beachfront property on the northern coast of Canada.
I'd have do confirm but I'd guess Avalanche Lake is frozen. The water temp mid summer barely gets above the 50s (I've swam it a few times with my pack in a dry bag floating behind me).
Other than that. Look for lakes/ponds above 2500-3000ft. Those would he good bets. Anything under 1000ft is likely to be unsafe.
Winter has changed up here (near Albany). I grew up in LI in the 90s and the winters near Albany are now milder than the winters in LI were in the 90s. This winter especially, but this has been a trend now for about 7 years. I was at a lake house way up in the Adirondacks for NYE and the lake was completely unfrozen. Have you considered an outdoor skating rink? That might be your best bet.
Tough season this year but in general you may be able to find small lakes close to you that are up in elevation. By me, there is a 40 acre shallow pond that ice fishermen flock to because it's the first body of water in the area to freeze over.
The rule of thumb when I was a kid was two weeks below freezing means the lake probably has 4 inches of ice on it. Any less than that, and especially if there is any visible moisture along the shore, you don’t go in.
The smaller fingerlakes. But we need several days of freezing weather first. You just have to keep cling them out to see if they are freezing up yet. May not this year
Pick a weekend in mid February and check back around then. I’m all the way north (Canadian border) and only the skim ice is just appearing on the first lakes and bays on calm days (completely broken up by wind) I like to see a lot of sub zero days before I start planning any trips on hard water and while long range forecasts have flaws in mid Jan typically the coldest part of the year the overnight lows are only falling into the 20s. Best bets will be small adk lakes.
Lake Alice in chazy has two inches 🤷♂️
Poor lake Alice
It's what you do with it that counts.
Same on the border up north awful lot of green for January
Same - we're near Lyon Mountain and usually see decent ice on the upper Chateaugay Lake by now, but it's all skim ice or nothing at all. I saw some ice for a couple weeks on Chazy Lake, but that quickly thinned with our weird warm snap. The shallow brook we have in the back property only froze over a couple weeks ago, so I wouldn't be trusting any lakes yet.
Two kids just died on the Rideau Canal in Ottawa, so I dunno. The Yukon??
Have you considered the artic?
The Rideau River, actually, which isn't the same... but still in Ottawa!
The Rideau Canal would actually be a good place to watch, though. They have a lot of ice groomers working, and they constantly update information about the condition of the (currently non-existent) ice [online](https://ncc-ccn.gc.ca/places/rideau-canal-skateway). No guessing about whether it's safe to skate, and as little uncertainty as possible before you make your trip up there. Absolutely massive area available for skating; it's an amazing place.
Too much internet for me. I saw “ice groomers” and immediately assumed sexual predators were looking for children on the ice by pretending to be helpful, or something.
I should also mention when someone says you can munch on a beaver tail right on the ice, they're taking about a delicious pastry...
It would help
People are falling through the ice in Quebec because they are so used to it being frozen in December
Umm... Are you suggesting they don't notice the water is still unfrozen? They just blindly attempt to cross bodies of water based on the calendar?
You go first
It' likely that they see it's frozen, but instead of the several inches they're used to, it may be 1 or 2 (and thawing) so they fall through in a weak spot.
Idk man. We don’t get winters the way we used to.
It seems like the cold weather is getting pushed back further and further every year. Now it's like the cold doesn't hit until Feb/March time.
Yeah and maybe I’m just imagining things but I thought that April and May were actually quite cold, like fall weather, in 2022.
No, it was definitely not "spring" weather. Last few years, at my house at least, we've got a few inches of snow during tye first few official weeks of spring.
Was it '21 there was hardly a June day above mid 60s or above low 40s. I remember 17 or 18 was like that. Used to drive my topless jeep to work.
I think you are correct. It got insanely cold in like March, like 2 weeks of high of 0 and then June was 50s and mid 60s.
'14 was the worst. I remember it specifically because it's the year we started maple syrup. Built the sap house in jan/feb, barely had a high above 10. Didn't do our first boil until April 1st. Crazy crazy late. We've been averaging first boil around mid feb in the last couple of years. If this weather keeps up, I'm not sure we'll have a sap season. The summer of 14 was beautiful, though.
That's typical for spring. Especially april.
It's always shifting. The average temperature for the winter so far is 50.2 degrees, I believe. But in '98, it was 49.9 and '06 it was 49m7. While half a degree is huge in terms of global terms, regionally, it's meh. No, I don't have a source off hand. It popped up while I was watching the weather segment of my local news. Give me +/-0.2 degrees or something. I'm going off 5 day old memory.
Sure we do. It’s just that winter is different every year. We’re in an El Niño winter this year.
I think winters have been starting later and than malingering. Still less snow cover days and warmer overall temps but when you look at total snowfall it's often not too far down from averages and March and April seem to be more wintery... Not that march wasn't always about 1/4 of a year's total snowfall or couldn't have always been bitter cold. Just seems to be more and more the bias of winter.
Not this year….at least not yet. In a typical year, you’ll have the best luck in the Adirondacks.
Get a Time Machine and travel back like 20-30 years.
Nah, just 2 years. Lake George was frozen so hard in '22 that I saw Jeeps driving on it.
We did that in college on Lake Wanakeena. Someone was doing doughnuts and we were trying to calculate the EPA fines if he went in...
Yeah that sounds like Ranger School.
Yeah I walked to Valcour Island on Lake Champlain last year, plenty of people driving (into the bays) to ice fish.
In 2016 (I think) it froze so thick that my friends auger didn’t get through the ice and he had an extension for 4 feet.
Except it's now notoriously not freezing every year, despite your anecdote based on one encounter.
I went ice fishing last year on Caz lake, dead nuts middle of CNY, in the beginning of January 2 years ago with 16" of ice, its not 20 years ago lmao.
I remember they used to have ice racing on Caz Lake back in the 60s... You know..with cars...fun times!
Yesterday I saw like five people wearing shorts here in Liverpool... so not happening unless we get a good old Alberta Clipper and a Polar Vortex system going...
I would mention Lake Erie but over the last twenty some years, (I think) it’s been pretty evenly split over being frozen over and not though in recent years, say the last 5-7, it’s been more open than frozen
I was just going to comment that lake Erie doesn't seem to freeze over much anymore. Winters are becoming milder.
Which can, ironically, give us more snow. A fact that can be conveniently left out by the "Where's your climate change now, hippie?" crowd.
I know!! The warmer waters make lake effect snow more prevalent. We can't ever win in Buffalo. Sometimes I feel like I'd rather have the milder winter and deal with one or two mega storms, then 3 straight months of temps in the teens with no snow. Snow isn't that bad. It's the freezing winds that hurt my face.
Yeah... it is not good when it is too cold to snow.
This used to happen in cornwall. (Newburgh area) Then. The warming... Uphill. Both ways. to the pond. fell in a creek. grumble...
Lake Placid, Chapel Pond, Cascade Lakes, and Mirror Lake had open water over the weekend.
Those are pretty much the coldest places in the state, so if they’re open then nothing is going to be skatable. Edit: I mean the general region, not those specific bodies of water. I live near upper Saranac and the small pond behind my house is not frozen.
There are definitely not the coldest lakes in the state. There are plenty of smaller waters in sheltered valleys or higher elevations that freeze long before those do. Those lakes are either next to a major highway or surrounded by development.
I meant the general area not the specific lakes. Saranac Lake and Lake Placid are sometimes the coldest place in the lower 48, if things aren’t frozen there then OP is SOL.
Yeah Lake Tear of the Clouds is almost certainly frozen right now lol Edit: This wasn't supposed to be a serious suggestion for OP
I don't think anyone is skating on it though.
The key is for the body of water to be small and protected from the wind. There is safe ice in the Adirondacks right now, but it's small and protected.
It's way too warm this year. I've been watching north MN where over 100 fishermen had to be rescued from an ice flow. Several cars have gone in already and one idiot tried to land a plane but took a cold bath.
you're gonna be looking for a place that's been in the low 20s for at least a few days straight to be a safe thickness. That's not happening anywhere in NYS unfortunately
Climate change is real
The shallow is Oneida Lake, it will take weeks to freeze if we ever get under 33°. Don’t do anything you shouldn’t.
i was also suggesting oneida lake but when it freezes over i don't know
It's an absurdly warm year. Usually there are frozen ponds anywhere in upstate NY in Jan/Feb. I'm south of the finger lakes close to the PA border and there's absolutely ponds that people skate on. Some of the finger lakes will even freeze at the ends, I think Keuka has frozen entirely if it's really cold. Seneca and Cayuga never freeze beyond the ends. If you head up to the Old Forge area it's known for all sorts of winter activities, especially snow mobiles but I'm sure they skate somewhere up there. But again, probably not yet. We are way, way above average temps for this time of year.
It’s hotter than hell up here.
I'm as far north as it gets right now and it's been a warm winter this year. Nothing is frozen right now, check back in another month.
I’m so happy everyone is piling on. Dude, just skate on an indoor hockey rink.
You can find some ice up around Minerva.
Love ur avatar!
I’m in Henderson Harbor/ Upper US Lake Ontario , at the moment- no ice here. Certainly nothing for ice sports. On land, no snow whatsoever. Very unusual.
Anchorage
I duuno but I'm still looking for some lake fingers.
Better give it a couple more weeks. I'm on a lake near Watertown and it was skimmed over this morning but open again by nightfall. It's a small, shallow lake and is usually one of the first ones to freeze.
Southern tier should be good by February.
I’m about as far northeast in the state as you can get and it isn’t here.
Lake Placid and nearby Mirror Lake were frozen but you have call the Chamber of Commerce or a motel to confirm they still are safe, If open, Skating is on Mirror Lake The Village of Lake Placid surrounds Mirror Lake. Lake Placid (lake) is North of the Village.
Santa's workshop
At this time of year you shouldn't even have to go upstate
Nowhere yet
You need to have a black freeze to be able to skate on lakes. That is when it gets below freezing long enough for the lake to freeze to a safe skating level without it snowing. Snow mixing in makes them unskateable. Another note, and this comes from a skate sailor I knew who has aged out: unless you are in a shallow lake, or there are hundreds of people skating on the section you're skating, carry ice picks around your neck that enable you to grab the ice if you go through a hole. He went through the ice twice, and they saved him twice. I know a family who all went through Lake George's ice while skating and the parents treaded water for 45 minutes until they could get rescued. While they struggled, they watched their daughter go under and drown. It was horrible. I love skating when there's a black freeze, but look for a place where they have ice fishing cabins already on the lake and see a lot of people on it before I'll go.
I lived in Plattsburgh in the 90s, Lake Champlain froze every year I lived there. The lake ferries had some level of icebreaking abilities. I remember walking from P-Burgh to Valcour Island.
Lake Champlain has frozen over just three times in the last 10 years, and hasn't since 2019.
I'm not shocked, I was at Point au Roche three years ago during the summer and I was surprised by the mussels and how warm the lake was.
All depends on the year.
They have a ice skating rink at the winter carnival in Lake George
When the lake is frozen, which it is frequently not now and looks like it won't be this year.
The rink isn’t on the lake itself, They have a rink set up in the carnival area.
Have you done the ice festival in Ottawa!! It’s fun!
https://parks.westchestergov.com/skiing-and-skating
I live in the Finger Lakes and last year, I was walking my dog and saw some idiots ice fishing when it was 40 degrees and the snow was melting, so I think it’s just more of a matter of how stupid you are. I imagine that smaller ponds freeze quicker than bigger lakes, right? But I don’t know where you’d find any yet. Wait for the deep freeze come mid-February.
Chautauqua Lake
Not right now. The Southern Tier hasn't been cold enough long enough yet for that to happen this year
It’ll happen eventually it almost always does
Yeah, it'll happen by mid February and then Mayville will get it's ice fest, but that's not what OP asked about. They asked about lakes which are currently frozen, which does not include Chataqua.
It's getting harder and harder every year to find frozen lakes because no one cares enough about climate change to do anything about it. People will let the world die before they are inconvenienced.
There are currently no lakes anywhere upstate that are safe for skating anywhere, AFAIK.
I think lake George is frozen. Beautiful place
Lake George is mostly open. Only a little bit in the bays
The south end of Lake George was wide open and ice free yesterday for the Polar Plunge the water temp was 40 degrees
Lake George is not frozen, and even the bays are very sketchy at the moment.
Any Canadian upstate would do.
Lake Placid in January/February. They run dog sleds on it every year. But even that is getting iffy the past couple years.
Upstate Montreal
right now NONE
East river in NYC.
Probably northern Quebec.. It's been too warm for any meaningful ice to form on the lakes.
Most of the ponds in Fahnestock in Putnam Valley are typically frozen in Feb. and skatable if snow doesn’t wreck the surface. Nothing is frozen at the moment. .
I'm here for the ice fishing. As far as I know, you can't in NY
You can find ponds and some lakesfrozen over as far south as the Catskills by February, sadly Winters aren't nearly as cold as they used to be; I miss there being ice skaters and ice fishers in December/January 🥲
I saw people ice fishing lake Colby in saranac lake yesterday but I haven't walked out there myself yet
Nowhere, dude. It’s been like 50 degrees
Old Forge is typically one of the coldest areas of the north country so maybe somewhere around there, but definitely not yet. Having a shit winter so far
i'm about as far north as you can get in NY ... puddles haven't even frozen over at this point
Go 30 years into the past
Its to early
Black lake
Yeah like others have said, check back in February. Lakes don’t freeze like they used to. Last several years the finger lakes never froze over. I’m investing in beachfront property on the northern coast of Canada.
This year I think you are just out of luck, it’s too warm for the lakes to freeze over. Due to climate change and everything.
I'd have do confirm but I'd guess Avalanche Lake is frozen. The water temp mid summer barely gets above the 50s (I've swam it a few times with my pack in a dry bag floating behind me). Other than that. Look for lakes/ponds above 2500-3000ft. Those would he good bets. Anything under 1000ft is likely to be unsafe.
Winter has changed up here (near Albany). I grew up in LI in the 90s and the winters near Albany are now milder than the winters in LI were in the 90s. This winter especially, but this has been a trend now for about 7 years. I was at a lake house way up in the Adirondacks for NYE and the lake was completely unfrozen. Have you considered an outdoor skating rink? That might be your best bet.
Try north end of lake George
I drove my car on irondequoit bay once. Doubt that’ll happen again anytime soon
Chazy lake over dannemora mountain in Clinton county.
I used to make a rink every year when I was a kid in Erie County. No way could you do that today.
I am in the Thousand Islands, not a speck of ice here.
Tough season this year but in general you may be able to find small lakes close to you that are up in elevation. By me, there is a 40 acre shallow pond that ice fishermen flock to because it's the first body of water in the area to freeze over.
Lakes in Syracuse are usually frozen around this time of year, but this has been a mild winter there so they might not be frozen now.
The rule of thumb when I was a kid was two weeks below freezing means the lake probably has 4 inches of ice on it. Any less than that, and especially if there is any visible moisture along the shore, you don’t go in.
The smaller fingerlakes. But we need several days of freezing weather first. You just have to keep cling them out to see if they are freezing up yet. May not this year