A overly zealous boater put a boat into the water at Indianhead Marina today in anticipation of the ice going out of the lake soon. He has only about 200 feet of open water right now, but I suppose he is hopnig that with this mild weather and the heavy rains, he will be able to get out to one of the islands for the weekend.

When there is still lots of ice in the main lake, it is usually possible to boat to Pine, Birch, Wilson, Eileen Gown and Browning Islands, out of Indianhead Marina or from the George Road docks.

It has been a long cold winter and cottagers are eager to get back on the water again. We are really looking forward to seeing boats come and go very soon.

In Muskoka, Islanders are a tough and devoted lot. Many love to be at the cottage as much as possible and do not let ice, hail, sleet, or snow stop them.

Boating to a party on New Year’s Eve on Lake Muskoka can be considered to be great fun.

Minus 20 temperatures overnight December 29th has provided ice coverage on parts of the Muskoka Lakes.
It has been very mild and rainy, but the cold temperatures overnight has started the ice build-up.

Without ice, a lot of Muskoka’s recreational activitites are on hold, so let’s hope for more cold temperatures, with no snow, while the ice builds. (The snow forms a blanket and stops the ice from building well, making it soggy and wet.)

It is wonderful to get out on the lakes in the winter, but be cautious, as it can also be dangerous.
Freezing and thawing can create ice pushes that are as high as 5 feet in the air.
You do not want to run into an ice push on your snowmobile, and it is also dangerous to walk near them, as there can be some open water behind or in front.

Be cautious if going out onto the lake. Meausure the ice with an ice auger before you go out. We like 6 inches to feel safe. Take a phone with you, and let someone know where you are going.

Enjoy the beauty and the recreational opportunities of Muskoka in the winter.

John paddledour canoe right over the lawn and parking lot at Indianhead, beside our cottage and boathouse. He was able to paddle almost all the way to the back of our property.

The water went up only about an inch over night last night, so we seem to be coming to the peak of the flood.

There is so much water coming into Lake Muskoka from all the Algonquin and Huntsville area down the Muskoka River, from the Gravenhurst area through the Hoc Roc River near Taboo, from Leonard and Brandy Lakes through Brandy Creek, and from Rosseau and Joseph through the damn at the locks in Port Carling. It all has to leave Muskoka through the falls at Bala. It is easy to flood the area on the Moon River below the falls at Bala, and so that has to be monitored carefully.

We were told that there was 18 feet of recorded snowfall in Muskoka this year that had to melt and travel out at the falls. In 20 years we have never seen such a flood. We have seen the river be very high before, but never have we seen the lake so high.

Please let us know if you have memories of the lake fooding to this extent in the past.

Remember if you are anxious to get your boat into the water, make sure your have a place that it can be tied, as it will float right over your dock.

We hope you were able to get things off the floor of your boathouse, and hope that your cottage is good and high on the land.

The water in Lake Muskoka came up another two inches over night. The lake is now covering some of the parking area at Indianhead Marina and most of the docks there are under water.

Some people with older docks that do not have a structure on them, to hold them down, are putting large tubs or barrels filled with water, to add weight to their docks and help the dock tops to fight the pressure of the high water.

We are going to take a drive around all the lakes today to see the water heights, and will put this information on the blog later today.

There is still a fair bit of ice out in the lakes, although it is diminishing quickly. Some bays are totally open if they have rivers or currents nearby or are west facing, and other bays are still totally frozen almost to the shore, if they do not get much sun. Most areas still have huge sections of ice floating around, making any boating impossible.

The water at our cottage is higher than we have ever seen it.

It has come up about 8 inches since last Sunday.

Our boathouse is totally surrounded by water, as all the docks, and the ramp to the shore are under about 4-5 inches of water.

We hope that this is as high as it gets, because the water is not too far below the electrical receptacles. Some wave action could have them all getting wet.

We had taken everything up of the floor of the boathouse, but some things on a bottom shelf are getting wet anyway.

Docks tops, that are not well secured, could be lifting off as a result of the pressure of the water rising. Floating docks could also be in danger is being ripped free.

Consider whether you should be getting someone to check on your Muskoka property for you.

There is still a a lot of ice on the lakes, but it is very warm today and the ice is becoming less stable. Some areas, like in front of Pride’s Marina, because it is close to the river, are totally open, with the exception of some thick slush in front of the docks.

We will keep you posted.

Sorry not to have pictures to show the conditions, but technology is not co operating with us today.

Lake Rosseau is still very solid. This shot was taken off Brackenrig Road on Sunday April 13th