{"id":261057,"date":"2026-01-28T02:21:07","date_gmt":"2026-01-28T02:21:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/261057\/"},"modified":"2026-01-28T02:21:07","modified_gmt":"2026-01-28T02:21:07","slug":"frozen-lake-huron-creates-shortcut-to-canada-international-ice-bridge-opens-for-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/261057\/","title":{"rendered":"Frozen Lake Huron creates shortcut to Canada. International ice bridge opens for 2026."},"content":{"rendered":"

DRUMMOND ISLAND, MI — Not all international trips require planes and boats. If the weather\u2019s just right, why not snowmobile?<\/p>\n

The international ice bridge connecting the U.S. and Canada is officially open.<\/p>\n

When the conditions are right, an approximately 12-mile stretch of Lake Huron creates a frozen path between Drummond Island, Michigan and St. Joseph Island, Ontario.<\/p>\n

On Jan. 27, Drummond Island tourism announced access is open for snowmobiles, fat-tire bicycles, dog sled teams, snowshoers, and cross-country skiers.<\/p>\n

The ice bridge is currently 16 inches thick, according to the tourism bureau. Snowmobiles can cross safely at 5-7 inches of new, clear ice.<\/p>\n

Regardless of icy political relationships, there\u2019s no freezing out the friendship between Michigan and Canada. The ice bridge has been a longstanding tradition since 1969. It\u2019s opened ever year, except 2020 during the pandemic.<\/p>\n

From Michigan, the route begins at the Drummond Island Yacht Haven<\/a> and ends at Milford Haven on St. Joseph Island.<\/p>\n

Drummond Island has 80 miles of snowmobile trails and the connection across Lake Huron opens hundreds of miles of trails in both countries. <\/p>\n

\"DrummondDrummond Island is a large island about one mile from DeTour, Mich in the Upper Peninsula.Google<\/p>\n

Drummond Island is a large island about one mile from DeTour in the Upper Peninsula. A ferry runs on the hour from DeTour to Drummond Island. Snowmobilers can drive their sleds onto the ferry.<\/p>\n

Across the lake, sledders can check out the village of Hilton Beach on the northeastern shore of St. Joseph Island. The Voyageur Trail Society updates its trail map<\/a> annually.<\/p>\n

The ice bridge is open only when ice and weather conditions allow and is monitored regularly, according to the tourism bureau. <\/p>\n

The route is traditionally marked with evergreen trees to help guide travelers, though conditions can change rapidly, and caution is always advised. Cars and trucks are not advised to travel on the ice bridge.<\/p>\n

The bridge will stay open until the ice degrades in the spring and travel becomes hazardous. Check live webcams here.<\/a><\/p>\n

This unique form of international travel is permitted by U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Here\u2019s what to expect:<\/p>\n

Anyone entering the U.S. via the ice bridge is required to report their arrival to CBP. This can be done using the CBP Reporting Offsite Arrival \u2013 Mobile (ROAM) app on smart devices. At this time, the app is only available in the eastern U.P. for snowmobilers.<\/p>\n

The Drummond Island Tourism Association recommends snowmobilers download the app before traveling, as it works better with Wi-Fi. <\/p>\n

When entering Canada, sledders will need an enhanced driver\u2019s license and\/or a passport. <\/p>\n

The app satisfies the operator\u2019s legal requirement to report for face-to-face inspection, except in cases of:<\/p>\n

Travelers who require an I-94 entry document,Travelers who must pay duties on imported goods; andOther circumstances as applicable.<\/p>\n

In the app, travelers will be asked to input biographic information, along with conveyance and trip details. The information will be submitted to CBP for review; a CBP officer may initiate a video chat if more information is needed.<\/p>\n

Once the trip is reviewed, travelers will receive a push notification and an email with their admissibility decision. If it is determined that an in-person inspection is necessary, snowmobilers may be directed to an alternative site, where the inspection will be completed by CBP officers from Sault Ste. Marie.<\/p>\n

If you have travel questions, the Drummond Island tourism office is open 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. Monday-Friday located at 34974 S. Townline Road. The lobby is open for self-serve services 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. on weekends.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"DRUMMOND ISLAND, MI — Not all international trips require planes and boats. If the weather\u2019s just right, why…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":261058,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[242,85,46,141],"class_list":["post-261057","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-environment","tag-environment","tag-il","tag-israel","tag-science"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/261057","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=261057"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/261057\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/261058"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=261057"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=261057"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=261057"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}