We looked for ice boating on Utah Lake and did not find it. No club, race, rental or outfitter for iceboats or ice sailing on Utah Lake turned up in our search in October 2026, and the Utah Lake Authority's own list of more than two dozen lake activities does not include it. The lake has an iceboat in its history, though, and plenty of people do go out on the ice in a cold winter. This page covers both, and the one part that matters most: when the ice is safe enough to stand on.
The one iceboat we found: the Dami-phi-no, 1924
In January 1924, two young Provo men, Hewitt Strong and Elmer Smith, took a homemade craft onto frozen Utah Lake that was part sleigh, part airplane. As local historian Jacob Barlow tells it in a write-up of a historical plaque at Fort Utah Park, it was an 18-foot, canvas-covered body on steel runners, with a glass windshield, porthole windows and room for five or six passengers, pushed by an 80-horsepower airplane engine and propeller. It steered with a third runner and a rudder. It had no brakes.
It reportedly reached about 60 miles per hour, and its builders hoped for 80 on smooth, snowless ice. When a Deseret News reporter asked what it was called, Strong answered, "Damned if I know," and the reporter named it the Dami-phi-no. In summer the owners put pontoons on it and ran it on open water. After a few seasons, Barlow writes, the novelty and the canvas both wore thin.
That is the extent of Utah Lake's documented ice-boating tradition. If you know of a current group, we would like to hear about it.
Why there is no ice-boating scene
We can only point to what the agencies say, but the reasons are on the record:
- The ice is unreliable. The DWR describes Utah Lake's ice as varying "wildly," with cracking, fragmenting and moving sheets that leave large areas of open water. Iceboating needs big, smooth, stable sheets.
- Some winters it barely freezes. In 2012 the Utah Lake Authority noted the lake "never really froze over." In February 2013 the same agency reported ice more than 10 inches thick in some areas.
- Nobody organizes on the ice. Answering a reader in a post on Nordic skating, the Utah Lake Authority said no municipality or other organization offers organized activities like that on the lake, "likely due to the liability and safety issues with fluctuating temperatures and ice conditions."
When the lake freezes
The DWR's winter fishing forecasts for Utah Lake, repeated each December, describe the usual pattern:
- Late December into January: ice begins forming in the marinas and harbors and in Provo Bay (Mud Lake).
- Around the first part of January: most, if not all, marinas have fishable ice, which the DWR defines as at least 4 inches.
- January: marina ice averages 4 to 6 inches.
- The main lake: it can freeze over completely, but the DWR warns that ice movement "often results in large ice stacking events along the shorelines, creating large areas of open water."
The DWR's dated reports show how much that varies:
| DWR report date | What it said about the ice |
|---|---|
| Nov. 22, 2022 | Marinas starting to ice over; 1 inch or less, "extremely unsafe" |
| Dec. 9, 2022 | Ice in most marinas, 1 inch or less |
| Jan. 27, 2023 | Marinas and most of the lake iced over; 1 to 3 inches at the state park docks |
| Feb. 2, 2023 | 2 to 4 inches at the state park docks; sheets moving and stacking |
| Mar. 9, 2023 | Nearly ice free; patches left in the state park marina |
| Feb. 25, 2021 | Lake ice free, boats launching from all marinas |
A rule of thumb from 2012, from Chris Keleher of the Utah Department of Natural Resources, quoted by the Utah Lake Authority: if nights have been in the teens and calm for several days, the lake is "usually frozen enough to enjoy. Just be cautious and use good judgment." That is a reason to go look, not a reason to walk out.
The ice-safety numbers
These come from Utah's Division of Outdoor Recreation and the Utah Lake Authority, which publish nearly identical guidance.
| Ice | What the state says it supports |
|---|---|
| Less than 4 inches clear ice | Stay off |
| 4 inches of good clear ice | Walking |
| 6 or more inches | Snowmobile or ATV |
| White (bubbly) ice | Weaker: 8 inches of white ice equals 4 of clear |
And the rules that go with the numbers:
- "Ice is never 100% safe," the state's page begins. Conditions "can vary drastically within a few feet and throughout the day."
- Drill test holes as you go out, especially when daily highs and lows are above freezing.
- Go with a partner, and tell someone where you will be and when you will be back.
- Spread out. Avoid large groups and equipment in one small area.
- Never go onto partial ice. Sheets can break away and strand you.
- Avoid stream mouths and underwater springs. Utah Lake has both. The warm spring near Lincoln Beach, which the DWR names as a winter white bass spot, is exactly the kind of place this rule means.
- Carry ice awls (picks) and a rope or throw bag, and wear a life jacket under or over your clothes.
- Never go in after someone. Use a rope or pole from safe ice or shore.
- Late season is the dangerous season. From March into April, ice can still look thick but hold less weight as it breaks down.
Because Utah Lake's ice "is not uniform around the lake," the Utah Lake Authority's own advice is to wait for 6 inches or more before venturing out at all.
Who goes out on the ice now
Ice anglers, mostly from the docks. This is the main winter use of the lake. The DWR says anglers "typically fish from the docks in the marinas/harbors because they are a safer angling strategy," and reports good fishing through the ice for white bass, yellow perch, black crappie and bluegill on small jigs tipped with worms. Our Utah Lake fishing by season guide covers the winter bite, and our ice fishing near Provo guide compares Utah Lake with the reservoirs that freeze more reliably.
Nordic skaters. In 2012 the Utah Lake Authority profiled a couple who had put about 130 miles on Nordic (long-blade) skates that winter, mostly on Goshen Bay and Provo Bay, reaching 10 to 17 miles per hour on black ice.
Fat bikers, runners and walkers. The same agency documented an ultrarunner crossing the frozen lake, a group biking across it in 2013 that included Provo's then-mayor, John Curtis, and a family that hiked from Pelican Bay near Saratoga Springs to Orem in 2.5 hours. That family hit a newly formed crack where the ice was about half an inch thick near shore. Conditions change quickly.
Paraflyers and others. In 2013 the Utah Lake Authority reported people paraflying over the frozen lake, along with ice hockey, dog sledding and even ice climbing.
Commercial carp fishermen. Carp gather under the ice, and the June Sucker Recovery Implementation Program has used winter seining through the ice as part of its carp removal; a 2010 account describes 400-yard nets pulled under ice 12 inches or more thick in Goshen Bay. Our Utah Lake ecology for kids page explains why the carp come out.
Watching from shore: ice push
Some winters end with a show. When degrading ice sheets are driven ashore by sustained wind, they pile up, a process Utah Lake State Park ranger Ty Hunter told the Utah Lake Authority can stack ice 20 feet or more. He was blunt about it: "Never get close to ice piling," because several-ton slabs can push and bury large objects within minutes. He described a boulder pushed up to a fisherman's truck.
Viewpoints Hunter named: the Utah Lake State Park breakwaters, the Provo Airport dike and Lincoln Beach, including Bird Island. Watch from a distance, and from land.
Winter at Utah Lake State Park
Utah Lake State Park, at the west end of Provo's Center Street, stays open in winter, with hours of 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. from November 1 through March 31, according to the state parks website. Two winter-friendly details:
- A lakeside sauna with a hot room for up to eight, a cold plunge and an outdoor shower.
- Live cameras on the park's page, including the marinas, so you can check for ice before driving out.
Our Utah Lake State Park guide covers the park's facilities and fees.
If you want ice without the lake
For skating on ice someone else is responsible for, see Peaks Ice Arena and our ice skating guide. For reliable ice fishing, the higher reservoirs in our Strawberry, Scofield and Yuba guide freeze harder and longer than Utah Lake does.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you go ice boating on Utah Lake?
Does Utah Lake freeze over?
How thick does ice need to be to walk on Utah Lake?
When is Utah Lake ice most dangerous?
What do people do on frozen Utah Lake?
Is anyone in charge of the ice on Utah Lake?
What is an ice push on Utah Lake?
Is Utah Lake State Park open in winter?
Sources
The facts in this guide were checked against these sources. Hours, fees and rules change, so confirm anything time-sensitive with the source before you go. How we make Provo.com.
- Utah Division of Outdoor Recreation: Ice Safety, Utah Division of Outdoor Recreation. Checked October 20, 2026.
- Utah Lake Ice Safety and Recreation, Utah Lake Authority. Checked October 20, 2026.
- Know your ice; Be safe!, Utah Lake Authority. Checked October 20, 2026.
- Winter wonderland: Top 10 things to do at Utah Lake when it's frozen, Utah Lake Authority. Checked October 20, 2026.
- That's a lot of ice: Cross country skating at Utah Lake, Utah Lake Authority. Checked October 20, 2026.
- More winter fun on a frozen lake!, Utah Lake Authority. Checked October 20, 2026.
- Good ideas are worth sharing at Utah Lake in winter, Utah Lake Authority. Checked October 20, 2026.
- Ice push creates incredible sights but dangerous conditions on Utah Lake, Utah Lake Authority. Checked October 20, 2026.
- Utah Lake activities list, Utah Lake Authority. Checked October 20, 2026.
- Fish Utah: Utah Lake fishing reports and forecasts (2020-2026), Utah Division of Wildlife Resources. Checked October 20, 2026.
- Carp Seining on Ice, Utah Lake Authority. Checked October 20, 2026.
- Utah Lake State Park, Utah State Parks. Checked October 20, 2026.
- Utah Lake State Park: Things to Do (sauna), Utah State Parks. Checked October 20, 2026.
- A Curious Craft Once Skimmed the Ice on Utah Lake, JacobBarlow.com. Checked October 20, 2026.
