Stay Safe on Michigan’s Winter Ice: Essential Tips for Assessing Ice Thickness Before Activities

Anyone planning to walk, fish, or drive on frozen lakes in Michigan must check how thick the ice is. You need 4 inches for walking or fishing. A spud, needle bar, or auger will measure thickness. If you find 3 inches or less, stay off.

Snowmobile and ATV riders need 5 to 7 inches at a minimum. Cars and trucks need 8 to 12 inches. Medium-sized pickups can't go out until there's 12 to 15 inches beneath them. These numbers are guidelines, but no frozen water is ever completely safe.

Test every 150 feet. Thickness changes across a single lake, and what looks solid might not hold your weight.

If you break through, use calm thinking and quick action. Keep your winter clothes on because they'll help you float. Turn back toward where you came from, then dig ice picks into the surface or grab the edge with your hands. Kick hard. Get your legs up and out. Once you're on top again, roll or crawl back to shore instead of standing.

"The biggest thing that the public can do is notify 911 and we can get our fire services out there and emergency services," said Anna Cullen, a conservation officer in Muskegon County, according to WWMT. "They have all the proper equipment. They have their hovercrafts that they can operate on the ice, which is super cool, and they can safely save somebody without putting anybody else in harm's way."

If someone falls through near shore, Cullen said bystanders can toss a rope or floating device. Always go out with another person, and tell someone where you're headed and when you'll be back.

Winter starts in West Michigan on Dec. 21, but freezing temps have already turned many inland lakes solid.