2024 Ice and Resort Info

As the cold weather settles in, please post any ice information you have. Also info about resorts, roads or sleeper houses. Thank you

Couple skids just inside 1/2 moon island,Wahkon bay this morning.
A non-hub quite aways out, cant make out how big it is. Looks like the surface of the moon out past the islands using the glasses.

I believe Beachside posted they are expanding their road.

Here you go. Give it a week and there will be vehicles all over the place I would guess.

The Ol Bookface will probably be your best friend next to google.

Macs Twin Bay:
(1/10/24)
We got enough ice to open up walking, snowmobiles, and atvs. We are finding a pretty consistent 5 to 7 inches. We have staked out to the gravel. Small side by sides will be allowed out to C for now but we will continue to evaluate the ice. As always be careful on the ice, keep spread out, park your machines on the thicker ice. $10 walk on $15 vehicle. Guests of McQuoids Inn free.

Beachside Resort:
***ACCESSS UPDATE 1/10/24 – MILLE LACS LAKE – WAHKON BAY***
The ice crew has been working extra hard this week flooding areas, moving our rentals out on the lake, checking ice, and expanding our boundaries!
Starting Thursday morning January 11th we will be loosening up our restrictions by expanding our ATV/SNOWMOBILE/SxS boundaries, and allowing out some Wheelhouse traffic!
* ATV/SNOWMOBILEs will be allowed out to Ottos Reef, which is about 3 miles out. We are seeing 6-12″ of ice in this area.
* SxS Boundary has been extended out past Half Moon Island where we are seeing no less than 8″ of ice by our staked roads.
* Wheelhouses must be under 16′ from the V and must be hauled by an ATV or SxS. Wheelhouses must stay behind coned boundary past Half Moon Island (Beachside does offer a dolly service! Check in at bait shop and it is at a 1st come 1st served basis)
* No vehicles on the ice YET, but that may change as the weekend moves on as we are going to see some super cold weather, and the ice will be growing!

Well, I had a bunch of reports copy and pasted, it wouldn’t let me submit it. Now the rest is missing…

Dickie’s:
(1/10/24)
We have traveling roads to Shaws for walking, smaller side by sides, and snowmobiles. NO WHEEL HOUSES-NO VEHICLES.
You may park your vehicle and trailers at Northern Skys parking area across the road from MSA Flagship. NO PARKING ON THE ICE OR AT MSA FLAGSHIP’S BAR/RESTAURANT PARKING LOT.
If Mother Nature cooperates, we’re hoping to have drivable ice by next weekend.

Castle’s Resort:
(1/10/24)
We are limiting wheelhouse traffic this weekend 1/11/24 – 1/14/24 to customers with seasonal passes or purchasing seasonal passes.
***Season Wheelhouse Customers with 1/2 ton pickups and single axle wheel houses will be able to drive out in Zone 1
***Seasonal Wheelhouse Customers with dual axle houses 7K or under will need to be dollied out
*** We are open to all walkouts/ ATV/ UTV/ Sled traffic
***We are now parking 1/2 ton pickups and smaller vehicles out on the ice!

Red Door, Nitti’s Hunters Point, & Garrison Sports all had video ice reports. I’m not going to even attempt to attach those..

If I’m not mistaken, you don’t need an account on the ol’ Bookface to see their reports. Just search the resort you want and scroll down.

I believe Red Door and Garrison Sports are walking only right now. Myr Mar area was one of the last parts to lock up, so I’d be very careful on the North End. And I doubt the usual cracks have set in yet either.

We checked ice at a few places on the east side last Saturday. Most ice was about 4″ but we found less than 2″ in every spot we checked. Talked to a guy at the bait shop in Malmo that claimed he staked a trail out at liberty Beach and it was 4″ everywhere. Well we went to liberty Beach an followed that trail and found very thin ice right on the trail….. Be very careful if your heading out there this weekend.
I’ll be waiting another week.

Looked at quite a few resorts, most all are allowing foot traffic, pretty good reports afa walking is involved.

Depending on wind I might hoof it couple miles Saturday, here’s lybacks

The plan is to go out of a public access on foot or atv. Hopefully our ramps will make it across the crack that will likely form this weekend. I survived red and lotw, here we go on Mille lacs! Call the sheriff! The wind looks lovely.

Thanks guys. Any updates from over the weekend? Do any resorts have sleepers out yet?

I’ve scanned google this morning including FB posts but most is several days old.

Just looking for any fresh info…

Beachside has sleepers out.
Ben has a pickup w/ plow & SxS with snow blower expanding his lay down area for wheel house package users.

Garrison Sports posted an update today, open to ATV’s and Walk Outs, and they have the road plowed out to Garrison Reef. 6+” of ice. No side by sides.

You can sure tell a weekend is up coming.
A steady stream of wheel houses (2+ pretty much visable at all times this AM) going out in Wahkon.
Single axles are being pulled by 1/2 tons.
Dual axles get the SxS / dolly hitch treatment.

What’s snowmobile travel like right now, useless? Thinking about heading out on Saturday with youngest daughter but a little worried about using a snowmobile.

I would say no problem as long as you are cognizant that you aren’t getting cooling from the snow.
Plenty of slush & puddles on the ice.
Lots of traffic again this afternoon

Thanks, I still haven’t decided what I’m going to do, might just fish for some crappies close to home.

Went up Wednesday came back today before it got to crazy out there.
Bite was really good. Out in the mud during day. Hunkered down shallow overnight and had some nice fish come topside. Myself, son and one of his buddies landed around 50 eyes in those 2 days. Biggest was 26. Fish are pretty damn healthy.

Nice, have been hearing good things. Hows the ice out on the mud? I Ended going crappie fishing instead but that was fun too.

Depends where you go out of. I’ve is fine but some places have some cracks that are not super safe to navigate over.

Me and my son have a sleeper shack rented for the 13-15 of next month. Think that will still happen or will shacks be pulled off?

Boone04 wrote:

Me and my son have a sleeper shack rented for the 13-15 of next month. Think that will still happen or will shacks be pulled off?

Who did you rent from would be helpful to answer your question, they have good ice in the bays, not as much on the main lake.

Beachside posted a new report this morning, nothing new just an update. Still a dozen or so shacks outside 1/2 Moon. As John stated good ice down here. We’ll see what this weeks weather brings.

Ben has a sign at the Beachside access that it will be closed until 1/31.
Also all houses to be off.
His crew has been pulling their rental houses all day.
I have never seen this early of a shutdown.

Don’t think they are shutting down just preserving the access for the weekend. Others are doing the same.
Shacks melting the ice and freezing the houses in are the issue. Plenty of ice for shelters.
Randy’s just posted a little while ago they are go and ice looks great.