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Mirror Lake Ice Out Contest

By Mike Lynch

March 25, 2021

Explore More: ausable freshwater center, contest, ice out, Mirror Lake

Update: Looks like we had two winners for the ice-out date of April 9: George Gotcsik and John Marona. Congrats!

Want a free subscription to the Adirondack Explorer? How about a copy of our Lake Placid hiking guide? What about an Explorer hat?

All you have to do to be entered in a raffle to win one of these prizes is to pick the correct ice-out date on Mirror Lake in Lake Placid.

Enter your submission in the comments below by April 3. We’ll be picking three winners after the big melt.

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Ice out on Mirror Lake is documented by the Ausable River Association, and we’ll be using its data for the official ice-out date. You can review the Mirror Lake ice record, which goes back to 1903, on the organization’s website.

If you want to track the changes on the lake, you can do so in realtime by following the Mirror Lake Livestream below.

We’ll also be posting photos in this gallery of the changes, so make sure you check back to stay current with the latest status updates.

Updates

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Saturday, March 27 – After a brief warm up and some rains late this week, winter made a comeback. This morning there were some flurries, winds, and cold weather. The ice had melted a bit since I visited on Monday, March 22. That day the ice still appeared safe enough that I saw people walking out onto the edges from the shoreline. Saturday morning, however, more water was present around the shoreline and the ice looked soft and inconsistent. Despite the snow and cold-weather, there was still a spring-like feel to the day as the sun rose. When I walked into the canoe launch around 10 a.m., the snows had already begun to melt, and water dripped from the trees into the lake. A crew of carpenters were working on a house near the carry, listening to loud music outside as if it were mid-July.

The dock on Mirror Lake near the public beach on Saturday, March 27. Photo by Mike Lynch
The view from the Mirror Lake canoe launch on Saturday, March 27. Photo by Mike Lynch

Thursday, April 1 – The Lake Placid region was hit with a storm that dropped several inches of snow on the area today. Recent warm and windy weather has melted a lot of ice toward the northern part of Mirror Lake, but much of the rest of the lake remains ice over. A pair of mallards were swimming in some open water near the public beach.

The view from the Mirror Lake canoe launch on Thursday, April 1. Photo by Mike Lynch
The view from the Mirror Lake canoe launch on Thursday, April 1. Photo by Mike Lynch
A view of Mirror Lake toward the village of Lake Placid on Thursday, April 1. Photo by Mike Lynch

Monday, April 5 – The ice is out or close to out on many Adirondack lakes and ponds now, but Mirror Lake continues to be mostly covered by ice other than the northern end near the public canoe launch. More birds can be seen enjoying the water now, including mallards and Canada geese. The ice is darkening more now though, and warm weather in the forecast for this week could lead to a rapid melt in the coming days.

The view from the Mirror Lake canoe launch on Monday, April 5. Photo by Mike Lynch
A view from the dock on Mirror Lake near the public beach on Monday, April 5. Photo by Mike Lynch

Friday, April 9 – Most of the ice on Mirror Lake was gone as of this morning, with some hanging on near the southern end. The northern end near the canoe launch felt especially spring-like because the birds were loud and no ice could be seen. The ice could be totally out today on the lake by the end of today, which couldn’t be a nicer day. Temps are forecasted to be in the 60s. The sky this morning was clear and a deep blue. We’ll update this post Monday with winners of the raffle. Check the livestream above to see if the last of the ice has melted.

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A view of Mirror Lake on Friday, April 9. Photo by Mike Lynch
A view of Mirror Lake from near the public beach on Friday, April 9. Photo by Mike Lynch
A view of Mirror Lake looking toward the village of Lake Placid on Friday, April 9. Photo by Mike Lynch

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Mike Lynch

Mike Lynch has been the Explorer's climate reporter since January 2025 and has worked for the publication since 2014. In addition to writing about climate change, he covers issues related to wildlife. Mike has also worked as a licensed outdoor guide and thru-paddled the 740-mile Northern Forest Canoe Trail. He is the author of 12 Short Hikes on Preserves near Lake George. He can be reached at [email protected].

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  22. Jack Buege says

    My guess is April 21, my wife’s birthday. I will remember this choice for ice out, and then hopefully also be able to remember my wife’s birthday.

    Reply

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