This Winter, Drive Across Frozen Lake Superior By Taking The Famous Ice Road In Wisconsin
Wisconsin winters can be pretty brutal. However, the cold weather does bring a few perks, such as the opportunity to drive on water … well, sort of. During the cold months of winter, Lake Superior freezes over, creating what has come to be known as the Madeline Island Ice Road, a thoroughfare between the Wisconsin mainland and Madeline Island. But you can do more than drive along the icy roadway. It’s also a popular spot for skating and biking. Take a look.
During these uncertain times, please keep safety in mind and consider adding destinations to your bucket list to visit at a later date.
Picture-perfect and brimming with nautical charm, Madeline Island is a popular destination. Typically, accessing the island requires hopping aboard a ferry.
However, in the winter, you can actually drive to the island via the Madeline Island Ice Road. Exactly as it sounds, the road is made of ice - more specifically, the frozen waters of Lake Superior.
And though ice roads aren’t necessarily rare, the Madeline Island Ice Road is unique in the fact that it’s the only ice road that appears on official state maps.
Aside from upkeep, there’s some prep work involved with operating the seasonal roadway. Each year, discarded Christmas trees are used to mark the Ice Road.
And when the icy waters are too thick for ferry service but too thin for vehicles, the Madeline Island Windsled becomes operational. An experience all its own, the Windsled is basically a flat-bottomed airboat that can travel on the ice but will float should the ice not be thick enough.
So, did you know about the Ice Road? Ever driven across it? If so, how was it? Know of another unique drive in the state? Tell us in the comments section.
This isn’t the state’s only famous road. Read about another here.
Address: Madeline Island, Wisconsin, USA
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Though Daniella was born in New York and has lived in a couple of other states, Mississippi has been her home for the past 25 years. After graduating from the University of Southern Mississippi, Daniella began to hone her writing skills through various internships, working for The Royal Obsession and Anatomie clothing. In the years since, she’s had the privilege of having her articles appear in several publications, such as Parents & Kids Magazine and Girl Meets Strong. She’s also had the honor of interviewing actress Sela Ward for The Mississippi Arts and Entertainment Experience.
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