Ice safety basics

Ice is never 100% safe. The US National Weather Service says the same: ice is never without risk.^[1] Every figure below is an agency’s guidance, published under its name and in its own unit, not a rule from HuntGrid, and none of them means the ice will hold you. Check the ice yourself, often, all the way out.

What the agencies publish

The National Weather Service office in Riverton, Wyoming, publishes a recommended least thickness of ice for each load:^[1]

• stay off ice 2 in (5 cm) thick or less;^[1]
• 4 in (10 cm) for ice fishing on foot, with no vehicles;^[1]
• 5 to 8 in (13 to 20 cm) for a snowmobile or an ATV;^[1]
• 12 in (30 cm) for a car or a small pickup;^[1]
• 15 in (38 cm) or more for a medium truck.^[1]

The National Park Service at the Upper Delaware gives a rule of thumb for walking: at least 4 in (10 cm) of solid, clear ice, or 8 in (20 cm) of white or snow ice, which is weaker.^[2]

Other agencies publish their own figures, and they don’t all agree. We link to them rather than repeat them: the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Lifesaving Society, Canadian Red Cross. Follow the guidance of the agency where you fish.

Ice isn’t the same everywhere

• Old and new ice. New ice is stronger than old ice, ice rarely freezes evenly, and snow on a lake insulates it and slows new ice from forming.^[1]
• Moving water. Ice over current, on rivers and streams, at bridges and near dams, is often dangerous.^[1] Stay away from feeder streams and springs too,^[2] which often leave weak spots.^[3]
• Pressure ridges. Where the ice has cracked and heaved as it freezes and expands, you can find open water or thin ice.^[1]
• Dark or honeycombed ice. Avoid ice that looks dark, honeycombed or porous.^[2]
• Warm spells and wind. Warm weather and strong wind can break ice up and open stretches of water.^[3]

Because ice changes from one spot to the next, the Park Service suggests drilling test holes as you go when you aren’t sure of the thickness, at least every 150 ft (about 45 m).^[2]

Before you go

• Tell someone where you’ll be fishing and when you plan to be back, and fish with a partner.^[2]
• Wear a life jacket that fits and is fastened: the Park Service strongly recommends one for ice fishing.^[2]
• Carry ice picks, two handles with spikes, and a rope.^[2][3]
• Bring an ice bar to test the ice, extra clothing and a fire starter.^[3]

If you go through

Stay calm. Use your ice picks to pull yourself out, or swim out: kick your legs behind you so your body slides up onto the firm ice instead of under it. Once you’re out, stay low and spread your weight over as much ice as you can.^[2] Then get dry and warm as fast as you can.

If someone else goes through, the Park Service teaches reach, throw, row, go: reach them with a long stick or a fishing rod, throw a rope, a life jacket or anything that floats, row or push a boat out to them, and go for help.^[2]

Ice in HuntGrid Fishing

The Ice guide in the app’s Tools has each agency’s figures under its name, the self-rescue steps and a gear checklist, and it works offline. Ice reports from other anglers appear on the Water card only after review, each with how old it is, and the app never estimates a thickness. Ice Mode reminds you that ice is never 100% safe^[1] each time you start it, and its SOS button opens the emergency sheet with the through-the-ice steps. The Cold water guide explains what cold water does to the body. More on ice fishing in the app.

Sources

The facts and figures above come from these official pages, read on October 17, 2026. The words and drawings are ours.

1. Winter weather awareness: ice, US National Weather Service, Riverton (Wyoming) office
2. Ice fishing on the Upper Delaware (news release), US National Park Service, Upper Delaware
3. On the ice at Bighorn Canyon (news release), US National Park Service, Bighorn Canyon