Kirkwood Resort Blog

Well…the spring snowstorm that blew in last night slowed ice-out a bit!  The weather isn’t forecast to get nice again for several days.  The ice won’t melt much until that happens.  The whiteness on top of the lake is the fresh snow, which will melt off pretty quickly when it gets nice again.  I’d guess it will be at least Mother’s Day or shortly after before ice-out.  The water is opening up a bit on Grayling Arm and Madison Arm…and “the Narrows” have a small patch of open water…but the rest of the lake is total ice.

Put your guess on ice-out as a Comment to the Ice-Out 2010 Post at the top of the page…Kyle is guessing May 13….

Looking toward the Dam from the near Narrows

The top of the lake is starting to turn gray…but it is still some time before the actual ice melts.  (Yesterday there were 4 guys ice fishing near this spot!)

Ice-out is still several weeks away.  You see the lake is white on top…when the slush on top of the ice has melted through the snow and the lake looks greenish-grey, then the 1.5 feet of ice beneath starts to melt more quickly.

I’m estimating the ice will pass Kirkwood in about 3 weeks…if the weather stays warm.

From East of Kirkwood looking toward the Marina and Dam

PPL, the operator of the Hebgen Dam, took initiative several years ago to work with various agencies and marina operators to get a ramp on the lake to provide boating access even when the water level is low.  With the cooperation of many of them, the Missouri Madison Recreation Trust funded a project to extend the boat ramp and deepen the channel to the lake from the Kirkwood Marina.  The project was challenging…and very interesting to watch in process.  Holton Construction did the work on the project and showed great ingenuity and perseverance under difficult circumstances!

Holton Construction dredging the channel from the snowbridge they built

There are many of you who are chomping at the bit to get out on the water to catch those hungry fish, waking up after their cold sluggish winter!  I’ll add a POST here every couple of days to let you know what is going on with the ice on the lake and my estimate for “ice out”.  I invite you all to comment also, with your estimates of the date that the ice will pass the Kirkwood Marina…let’s see who can hit the date exactly!  To give everyone a fair starting point….see the picture below, taken around the first of April.  (See the Post on the “Low Water Ramp” if you want to know more about the excavator and dump truck!!)