SeasonMap

Ice season, month by month around the world

Ice caves, frozen falls, skating on the canal, dog sleds and ice roads — the weeks the cold is the attraction.

41 destinations on SeasonMap, ranked within each month by the comfort score — because the point is not only where the season is on, but whether the weather is worth the trip while it is.

← All seasons · The world's calendar

When it is on

Number of destinations with ice season on in that month. Windows move a little each year.

Ice season in January

  1. 🇯🇵 Sendai, JapanZao snow monsters · 1 Jan – 5 Mar (usually)Rime freezes onto the firs on the Zao ridge, about two hours west, until they are unrecognisable lumps.57climate
  2. 🇭🇺 Lake Balaton, HungaryLake ice · 5 Jan – 28 Feb (usually)In a cold winter the lake freezes right across and people walk, skate and sail iceboats on it; in a mild one it barely crusts at the reedy edges.51climate
  3. 🇨🇳 Beijing, ChinaSkating on Houhai · 20 Dec – 15 Feb (usually)Once the lake ice is thick enough the city opens rinks on Houhai and Shichahai, with hired chair-sledges and no pretence of elegance.48climate
  4. 🇯🇵 Takayama, JapanShirakawa-go winter light-up · 15 Jan – 20 Feb (usually)The thatched village an hour west is lit on a handful of winter evenings only, and both the parking and the viewpoint run on an advance ballot.44climate
  5. 🇰🇷 Pyeongchang, South KoreaPyeongchang Trout Festival · 5 Jan – 10 Feb (usually)A month of holes cut in the Odaecheon for ice fishing, plus the bare-handed catching pool that is the reason most people come.41climate
  6. 🇺🇸 Chicago, United StatesSkating in Millennium Park · 15 Nov – 5 Mar (usually)The McCormick Tribune rink opens under the Bean in mid-November and is free if you bring your own skates; the ribbon in Maggie Daley Park next door is the better ice and the longer queue.40climate
  7. 🇺🇸 Bozeman, United StatesHyalite ice-climbing season · 1 Dec – 15 Mar (usually)The canyon road is plowed through the winter specifically to keep the frozen falls reachable, and there are more routes up there than anywhere else in the lower 48.40climate
  8. 🇺🇸 Detroit, United StatesSkating at Campus Martius · 20 Nov – 25 Feb (usually)The downtown square turns into a rink under the city tree from late November, and it is the anchor of what winter nightlife downtown has.39climate
  9. 🇺🇸 Bryce Canyon National Park, United StatesWall Street closed for winter · 1 Nov – 10 Apr (usually)The switchbacks down Wall Street shut once ice and rockfall set in, so the Navajo Loop runs one way only until spring.38climate
  10. 🇹🇷 Kars, TurkeyCildir lake ice season · 1 Jan – 28 Feb (usually)The lake an hour north freezes hard enough to stand on, and the Golden Horse Crystal Ice Festival runs horse-drawn sleighs, cirit and ice fishing on the ice each February.38climate
  11. 🇺🇸 Madison, United StatesLake Mendota ice season · 20 Dec – 5 Apr (usually)The freeze and thaw of Mendota have been recorded since 1855, which makes the ice here one of the longest climate records anywhere, and it is arriving later.37climate
  12. 🇷🇺 Vladivostok, RussiaAmur Bay ice · 20 Dec – 20 Mar (usually)The bay freezes over and the city walks out onto it: ice fishing tents in rows off the Sportivnaya embankment, kite skiers, and icebreakers keeping a channel open to the port.36climate
  13. 🇺🇸 Breckenridge, United StatesIntl Snow Sculpture Championships · 20 Jan – 5 Feb (usually)Teams carve twenty-five-ton blocks by hand over five days, then the finished pieces stand on Main Street for a week until they slump.36climate
  14. 🇨🇦 Banff, CanadaSkating on Lake Louise · 20 Dec – 15 Mar (usually)The hotel clears a rink and a long track on the lake once the ice takes, usually just before Christmas.33climate
  15. 🇺🇸 Indiana Dunes National Park, United StatesShelf ice on the shore · 1 Jan – 5 Mar (usually)Waves build a ridge of ice mounds along the beach that looks solid and is hollow underneath; people fall through it into the lake most winters.33climate
  16. 🇨🇳 Harbin, ChinaIce and Snow World · 20 Dec – 28 Feb (usually)The ice city is cut from the Songhua and rebuilt every winter, with exhibits open from around the third week of December through late February.32climate
  17. 🇷🇺 Khabarovsk, RussiaIce Fantasy sculpture festival · 1–31 Jan (usually)An ice-carving competition held every January since the early 2000s, using blocks cut from the Amur.32climate
  18. 🇨🇦 Ottawa, CanadaRideau Canal Skateway · 5 Jan – 5 Mar (usually)Almost eight kilometres of frozen canal is ploughed into something people commute to work on.32climate
  19. 🇺🇸 Yellowstone National Park, United StatesOversnow winter season · 15 Dec – 15 Mar (usually)Between mid-December and mid-March the interior is reachable only by guided snowcoach or snowmobile, booked months ahead.31climate
  20. 🇷🇺 Irkutsk, RussiaBaikal ice season · 15 Jan – 15 Apr (usually)The lake an hour away freezes solid from about mid-January to mid-April, a metre or more thick and clear enough in places to see straight down.31climate
  21. 🇫🇮 Helsinki, FinlandSea ice and winter swimming · 1 Jan – 20 Mar (usually)The avanto — a hole cut in the ice beside a sauna — is what a Helsinki winter is actually for, and the public places are busiest now.30climate
  22. 🇷🇺 Magadan, RussiaSea of Okhotsk frozen · 15 Dec – 20 Apr (usually)The bay freezes over for a third of the year and people simply walk out onto it; icebreakers keep a lane open for the port.30climate
  23. 🇧🇾 Minsk, BelarusIce season · 10 Dec – 5 Mar (usually)Outdoor rinks go up in the parks and on Victory Square, and the Minsk Sea reservoir north of the city gets its ice fishing huts.30climate
  24. 🇮🇳 Leh, IndiaPangong and the lakes freeze · 20 Dec – 10 Mar (usually)The high lakes set solid from about the turn of the year, and the road out to Pangong runs on cleared snow when it runs at all.29climate
  25. 🇷🇺 Moscow, RussiaOutdoor skating rinks open · 25 Nov – 10 Mar (usually)Gorky Park, VDNKh and Red Square freeze their rinks from late November and keep them going until the thaw.28climate

…and 13 more in January.

What's on around the world in January →

Ice season in February

  1. 🇯🇵 Sendai, JapanZao snow monsters · 1 Jan – 5 Mar (usually)Rime freezes onto the firs on the Zao ridge, about two hours west, until they are unrecognisable lumps.63climate
  2. 🇭🇺 Lake Balaton, HungaryLake ice · 5 Jan – 28 Feb (usually)In a cold winter the lake freezes right across and people walk, skate and sail iceboats on it; in a mild one it barely crusts at the reedy edges.62climate
  3. 🇨🇳 Beijing, ChinaSkating on Houhai · 20 Dec – 15 Feb (usually)Once the lake ice is thick enough the city opens rinks on Houhai and Shichahai, with hired chair-sledges and no pretence of elegance.59climate
  4. 🇯🇵 Takayama, JapanShirakawa-go winter light-up · 15 Jan – 20 Feb (usually)The thatched village an hour west is lit on a handful of winter evenings only, and both the parking and the viewpoint run on an advance ballot.51climate
  5. 🇺🇸 Chicago, United StatesSkating in Millennium Park · 15 Nov – 5 Mar (usually)The McCormick Tribune rink opens under the Bean in mid-November and is free if you bring your own skates; the ribbon in Maggie Daley Park next door is the better ice and the longer queue.49climate
  6. 🇺🇸 Detroit, United StatesSkating at Campus Martius · 20 Nov – 25 Feb (usually)The downtown square turns into a rink under the city tree from late November, and it is the anchor of what winter nightlife downtown has.49climate
  7. 🇰🇷 Pyeongchang, South KoreaPyeongchang Trout Festival · 5 Jan – 10 Feb (usually)A month of holes cut in the Odaecheon for ice fishing, plus the bare-handed catching pool that is the reason most people come.48climate
  8. 🇹🇷 Kars, TurkeyCildir lake ice season · 1 Jan – 28 Feb (usually)The lake an hour north freezes hard enough to stand on, and the Golden Horse Crystal Ice Festival runs horse-drawn sleighs, cirit and ice fishing on the ice each February.46climate
  9. 🇺🇸 Bozeman, United StatesHyalite ice-climbing season · 1 Dec – 15 Mar (usually)The canyon road is plowed through the winter specifically to keep the frozen falls reachable, and there are more routes up there than anywhere else in the lower 48.45climate
  10. 🇺🇸 Bryce Canyon National Park, United StatesWall Street closed for winter · 1 Nov – 10 Apr (usually)The switchbacks down Wall Street shut once ice and rockfall set in, so the Navajo Loop runs one way only until spring.44climate
  11. 🇷🇺 Vladivostok, RussiaAmur Bay ice · 20 Dec – 20 Mar (usually)The bay freezes over and the city walks out onto it: ice fishing tents in rows off the Sportivnaya embankment, kite skiers, and icebreakers keeping a channel open to the port.44climate
  12. 🇺🇸 Madison, United StatesLake Mendota ice season · 20 Dec – 5 Apr (usually)The freeze and thaw of Mendota have been recorded since 1855, which makes the ice here one of the longest climate records anywhere, and it is arriving later.44climate
  13. 🇺🇸 Breckenridge, United StatesIntl Snow Sculpture Championships · 20 Jan – 5 Feb (usually)Teams carve twenty-five-ton blocks by hand over five days, then the finished pieces stand on Main Street for a week until they slump.40climate
  14. 🇧🇾 Minsk, BelarusIce season · 10 Dec – 5 Mar (usually)Outdoor rinks go up in the parks and on Victory Square, and the Minsk Sea reservoir north of the city gets its ice fishing huts.39climate
  15. 🇨🇦 Ottawa, CanadaRideau Canal Skateway · 5 Jan – 5 Mar (usually)Almost eight kilometres of frozen canal is ploughed into something people commute to work on.39climate
  16. 🇫🇮 Helsinki, FinlandSea ice and winter swimming · 1 Jan – 20 Mar (usually)The avanto — a hole cut in the ice beside a sauna — is what a Helsinki winter is actually for, and the public places are busiest now.38climate
  17. 🇺🇸 Indiana Dunes National Park, United StatesShelf ice on the shore · 1 Jan – 5 Mar (usually)Waves build a ridge of ice mounds along the beach that looks solid and is hollow underneath; people fall through it into the lake most winters.38climate
  18. 🇷🇺 Yekaterinburg, RussiaIce sculpture season · 20 Dec – 25 Feb (usually)Blocks cut from the ponds go up as a temporary town in the centre and stay solid until the thaw takes them, which is usually late February.38climate
  19. 🇷🇺 Moscow, RussiaOutdoor skating rinks open · 25 Nov – 10 Mar (usually)Gorky Park, VDNKh and Red Square freeze their rinks from late November and keep them going until the thaw.37climate
  20. 🇨🇳 Harbin, ChinaIce and Snow World · 20 Dec – 28 Feb (usually)The ice city is cut from the Songhua and rebuilt every winter, with exhibits open from around the third week of December through late February.37climate
  21. 🇨🇦 Banff, CanadaSkating on Lake Louise · 20 Dec – 15 Mar (usually)The hotel clears a rink and a long track on the lake once the ice takes, usually just before Christmas.36climate
  22. 🇷🇺 Magadan, RussiaSea of Okhotsk frozen · 15 Dec – 20 Apr (usually)The bay freezes over for a third of the year and people simply walk out onto it; icebreakers keep a lane open for the port.36climate
  23. 🇷🇺 Irkutsk, RussiaBaikal ice season · 15 Jan – 15 Apr (usually)The lake an hour away freezes solid from about mid-January to mid-April, a metre or more thick and clear enough in places to see straight down.36climate
  24. 🇷🇺 Yakutsk, RussiaLena ice road · 15 Dec – 15 Apr (usually)There is no bridge over the Lena anywhere in Sakha, so once the ice is thick enough the river becomes the road and the trucks run supplies out over it.36climate
  25. 🇷🇺 Nizhny Novgorod, RussiaVolga and Oka freeze · 5 Dec – 25 Mar (usually)Both rivers set at the confluence below the kremlin, the boats stop, and ice fishermen dot the white from the Strelka downstream.36climate

…and 14 more in February.

What's on around the world in February →

Ice season in March

  1. 🇯🇵 Sendai, JapanZao snow monsters · 1 Jan – 5 Mar (usually)Rime freezes onto the firs on the Zao ridge, about two hours west, until they are unrecognisable lumps.69climate
  2. 🇺🇸 Chicago, United StatesSkating in Millennium Park · 15 Nov – 5 Mar (usually)The McCormick Tribune rink opens under the Bean in mid-November and is free if you bring your own skates; the ribbon in Maggie Daley Park next door is the better ice and the longer queue.64climate
  3. 🇺🇸 Bozeman, United StatesHyalite ice-climbing season · 1 Dec – 15 Mar (usually)The canyon road is plowed through the winter specifically to keep the frozen falls reachable, and there are more routes up there than anywhere else in the lower 48.61climate
  4. 🇺🇸 Madison, United StatesLake Mendota ice season · 20 Dec – 5 Apr (usually)The freeze and thaw of Mendota have been recorded since 1855, which makes the ice here one of the longest climate records anywhere, and it is arriving later.60climate
  5. 🇷🇺 Vladivostok, RussiaAmur Bay ice · 20 Dec – 20 Mar (usually)The bay freezes over and the city walks out onto it: ice fishing tents in rows off the Sportivnaya embankment, kite skiers, and icebreakers keeping a channel open to the port.59climate
  6. 🇧🇾 Minsk, BelarusIce season · 10 Dec – 5 Mar (usually)Outdoor rinks go up in the parks and on Victory Square, and the Minsk Sea reservoir north of the city gets its ice fishing huts.55climate
  7. 🇷🇺 Irkutsk, RussiaBaikal ice season · 15 Jan – 15 Apr (usually)The lake an hour away freezes solid from about mid-January to mid-April, a metre or more thick and clear enough in places to see straight down.54climate
  8. 🇫🇮 Helsinki, FinlandSea ice and winter swimming · 1 Jan – 20 Mar (usually)The avanto — a hole cut in the ice beside a sauna — is what a Helsinki winter is actually for, and the public places are busiest now.52climate
  9. 🇷🇺 Nizhny Novgorod, RussiaVolga and Oka freeze · 5 Dec – 25 Mar (usually)Both rivers set at the confluence below the kremlin, the boats stop, and ice fishermen dot the white from the Strelka downstream.51climate
  10. 🇷🇺 Moscow, RussiaOutdoor skating rinks open · 25 Nov – 10 Mar (usually)Gorky Park, VDNKh and Red Square freeze their rinks from late November and keep them going until the thaw.50climate
  11. 🇺🇸 Bryce Canyon National Park, United StatesWall Street closed for winter · 1 Nov – 10 Apr (usually)The switchbacks down Wall Street shut once ice and rockfall set in, so the Navajo Loop runs one way only until spring.50climate
  12. 🇷🇺 Khabarovsk, RussiaAmur frozen over · 20 Nov – 15 Apr (usually)The river the city is built along freezes for close to five months, the hydrofoils stop, and people walk and ski where the boats were.50climate
  13. 🇨🇦 Winnipeg, CanadaFrozen river trail · 5 Jan – 5 Mar (usually)The Assiniboine and the Red are ploughed into a skating trail from The Forks, several kilometres long in a good freeze, with warming huts commissioned from architects each year.50climate
  14. 🇺🇸 Indiana Dunes National Park, United StatesShelf ice on the shore · 1 Jan – 5 Mar (usually)Waves build a ridge of ice mounds along the beach that looks solid and is hollow underneath; people fall through it into the lake most winters.49climate
  15. 🇷🇺 Kazan, RussiaFrozen Volga and Kazanka · 15 Dec – 20 Mar (usually)The rivers set hard enough to walk on and the city moves onto them: ice fishing huts off the Kazanka, skates, and the Kremlin walls lit above a white plain.49climate
  16. 🇨🇦 Banff, CanadaSkating on Lake Louise · 20 Dec – 15 Mar (usually)The hotel clears a rink and a long track on the lake once the ice takes, usually just before Christmas.48climate
  17. 🇨🇦 Ottawa, CanadaRideau Canal Skateway · 5 Jan – 5 Mar (usually)Almost eight kilometres of frozen canal is ploughed into something people commute to work on.48climate
  18. 🇫🇮 Rovaniemi, FinlandHusky, reindeer and snowmobile season · 10 Dec – 5 Apr (usually)The safaris need a frozen base, so the season runs roughly from mid-December to early April rather than the whole cold half of the year.47climate
  19. 🇸🇪 Kiruna, SwedenIcehotel season · 1 Dec – 15 Apr (usually)The hotel at Jukkasjarvi is rebuilt each winter from Torne river ice, opens at the start of December and melts in spring; a year-round wing runs alongside it.47climate
  20. 🇺🇸 Fairbanks, United StatesWorld Ice Art Championships · 15 Feb – 5 Apr (usually)Carvers from a dozen countries work blocks quarried out of a local pond, and the finished park stays lit and open into early April because it is cold enough to.47climate
  21. 🇷🇺 Novosibirsk, RussiaOb Sea ice · 25 Nov – 10 Apr (usually)The reservoir south of the city freezes hard enough for cars, and the shore fills with ice fishing tents, kite skiers and snowmobiles.46climate
  22. 🇺🇸 Yellowstone National Park, United StatesOversnow winter season · 15 Dec – 15 Mar (usually)Between mid-December and mid-March the interior is reachable only by guided snowcoach or snowmobile, booked months ahead.44climate
  23. 🇺🇸 Voyageurs National Park, United StatesRainy & Kabetogama ice roads · 15 Jan – 10 Mar (usually)Once the ice is checked at a foot thick, the park plows two lake-ice roads — seven miles from Rainy Lake Visitor Center and nine from Ash River to Kabetogama — open to cars under 7,000 lbs at 30 mph.42climate
  24. 🇬🇱 Nuuk, GreenlandNuuk Snow Festival · 1–20 Mar (usually)Teams carve blocks of snow into sculptures in the middle of town over a weekend in March, while the light is back but the cold still holds them up.42climate
  25. 🇬🇱 Ilulissat, GreenlandDog sledding season · 5 Jan – 15 Apr (usually)This is the largest sledding district in Greenland and the teams work once the bay ice takes, roughly January to April.42climate

…and 7 more in March.

What's on around the world in March →

Ice season in April

  1. 🇷🇺 Novosibirsk, RussiaOb Sea ice · 25 Nov – 10 Apr (usually)The reservoir south of the city freezes hard enough for cars, and the shore fills with ice fishing tents, kite skiers and snowmobiles.71climate
  2. 🇷🇺 Khabarovsk, RussiaAmur frozen over · 20 Nov – 15 Apr (usually)The river the city is built along freezes for close to five months, the hydrofoils stop, and people walk and ski where the boats were.71climate
  3. 🇷🇺 Irkutsk, RussiaBaikal ice season · 15 Jan – 15 Apr (usually)The lake an hour away freezes solid from about mid-January to mid-April, a metre or more thick and clear enough in places to see straight down.71climate
  4. 🇺🇸 Madison, United StatesLake Mendota ice season · 20 Dec – 5 Apr (usually)The freeze and thaw of Mendota have been recorded since 1855, which makes the ice here one of the longest climate records anywhere, and it is arriving later.70climate
  5. 🇺🇸 Fairbanks, United StatesWorld Ice Art Championships · 15 Feb – 5 Apr (usually)Carvers from a dozen countries work blocks quarried out of a local pond, and the finished park stays lit and open into early April because it is cold enough to.68climate
  6. 🇫🇮 Rovaniemi, FinlandHusky, reindeer and snowmobile season · 10 Dec – 5 Apr (usually)The safaris need a frozen base, so the season runs roughly from mid-December to early April rather than the whole cold half of the year.64climate
  7. 🇺🇸 Bryce Canyon National Park, United StatesWall Street closed for winter · 1 Nov – 10 Apr (usually)The switchbacks down Wall Street shut once ice and rockfall set in, so the Navajo Loop runs one way only until spring.61climate
  8. 🇷🇺 Yakutsk, RussiaLena ice road · 15 Dec – 15 Apr (usually)There is no bridge over the Lena anywhere in Sakha, so once the ice is thick enough the river becomes the road and the trucks run supplies out over it.59climate
  9. 🇸🇪 Kiruna, SwedenIcehotel season · 1 Dec – 15 Apr (usually)The hotel at Jukkasjarvi is rebuilt each winter from Torne river ice, opens at the start of December and melts in spring; a year-round wing runs alongside it.57climate
  10. 🇬🇱 Ilulissat, GreenlandDog sledding season · 5 Jan – 15 Apr (usually)This is the largest sledding district in Greenland and the teams work once the bay ice takes, roughly January to April.55climate
  11. 🇷🇺 Magadan, RussiaSea of Okhotsk frozen · 15 Dec – 20 Apr (usually)The bay freezes over for a third of the year and people simply walk out onto it; icebreakers keep a lane open for the port.53climate
  12. 🇺🇸 Crater Lake National Park, United StatesDeep winter · 1 Nov – 30 AprOne of the snowiest places in the country: the north entrance and Rim Drive shut, the west and south roads are ploughed, and rangers run snowshoe walks from Rim Village.49climate
  13. 🇸🇯 Longyearbyen, Svalbard and Jan MayenSnowmobile and sun-winter season · 1 Mar – 16 MayLight, snow cover and frozen fjords all at once: this is the window for the long snowmobile runs to the east coast and the ice caves, and for dog sledding on real snow rather than gravel.48climate

What's on around the world in April →

Ice season in May

  1. 🇺🇸 Fairbanks, United StatesNenana Ice Classic breakup · 20 Apr – 15 May (usually)An hour down the road a tripod stands on the frozen Tanana and the whole state bets on the minute it moves; the record runs unbroken since 1917.85climate
  2. 🇸🇯 Longyearbyen, Svalbard and Jan MayenSnowmobile and sun-winter season · 1 Mar – 16 MayLight, snow cover and frozen fjords all at once: this is the window for the long snowmobile runs to the east coast and the ice caves, and for dog sledding on real snow rather than gravel.57climate

What's on around the world in May →

Ice season in November

  1. 🇺🇸 Chicago, United StatesSkating in Millennium Park · 15 Nov – 5 Mar (usually)The McCormick Tribune rink opens under the Bean in mid-November and is free if you bring your own skates; the ribbon in Maggie Daley Park next door is the better ice and the longer queue.62climate
  2. 🇺🇸 Detroit, United StatesSkating at Campus Martius · 20 Nov – 25 Feb (usually)The downtown square turns into a rink under the city tree from late November, and it is the anchor of what winter nightlife downtown has.60climate
  3. 🇺🇸 Bryce Canyon National Park, United StatesWall Street closed for winter · 1 Nov – 10 Apr (usually)The switchbacks down Wall Street shut once ice and rockfall set in, so the Navajo Loop runs one way only until spring.52climate
  4. 🇷🇺 Moscow, RussiaOutdoor skating rinks open · 25 Nov – 10 Mar (usually)Gorky Park, VDNKh and Red Square freeze their rinks from late November and keep them going until the thaw.41climate
  5. 🇷🇺 Khabarovsk, RussiaAmur frozen over · 20 Nov – 15 Apr (usually)The river the city is built along freezes for close to five months, the hydrofoils stop, and people walk and ski where the boats were.40climate
  6. 🇺🇸 Crater Lake National Park, United StatesDeep winter · 1 Nov – 30 AprOne of the snowiest places in the country: the north entrance and Rim Drive shut, the west and south roads are ploughed, and rangers run snowshoe walks from Rim Village.39climate
  7. 🇮🇸 Vík, IcelandIce cave season · 1 Nov – 31 Mar (usually)Most of Iceland's natural ice caves are only safe in the cold half of the year; the one under Myrdalsjokull up the road runs longer but closes at short notice for weather and glacier movement.35climate
  8. 🇷🇺 Novosibirsk, RussiaOb Sea ice · 25 Nov – 10 Apr (usually)The reservoir south of the city freezes hard enough for cars, and the shore fills with ice fishing tents, kite skiers and snowmobiles.32climate

What's on around the world in November →

Ice season in December

  1. 🇨🇳 Beijing, ChinaSkating on Houhai · 20 Dec – 15 Feb (usually)Once the lake ice is thick enough the city opens rinks on Houhai and Shichahai, with hired chair-sledges and no pretence of elegance.50climate
  2. 🇺🇸 Chicago, United StatesSkating in Millennium Park · 15 Nov – 5 Mar (usually)The McCormick Tribune rink opens under the Bean in mid-November and is free if you bring your own skates; the ribbon in Maggie Daley Park next door is the better ice and the longer queue.46climate
  3. 🇺🇸 Detroit, United StatesSkating at Campus Martius · 20 Nov – 25 Feb (usually)The downtown square turns into a rink under the city tree from late November, and it is the anchor of what winter nightlife downtown has.46climate
  4. 🇺🇸 Bryce Canyon National Park, United StatesWall Street closed for winter · 1 Nov – 10 Apr (usually)The switchbacks down Wall Street shut once ice and rockfall set in, so the Navajo Loop runs one way only until spring.42climate
  5. 🇺🇸 Bozeman, United StatesHyalite ice-climbing season · 1 Dec – 15 Mar (usually)The canyon road is plowed through the winter specifically to keep the frozen falls reachable, and there are more routes up there than anywhere else in the lower 48.42climate
  6. 🇺🇸 Madison, United StatesLake Mendota ice season · 20 Dec – 5 Apr (usually)The freeze and thaw of Mendota have been recorded since 1855, which makes the ice here one of the longest climate records anywhere, and it is arriving later.41climate
  7. 🇷🇺 Vladivostok, RussiaAmur Bay ice · 20 Dec – 20 Mar (usually)The bay freezes over and the city walks out onto it: ice fishing tents in rows off the Sportivnaya embankment, kite skiers, and icebreakers keeping a channel open to the port.39climate
  8. 🇮🇳 Leh, IndiaPangong and the lakes freeze · 20 Dec – 10 Mar (usually)The high lakes set solid from about the turn of the year, and the road out to Pangong runs on cleared snow when it runs at all.34climate
  9. 🇧🇾 Minsk, BelarusIce season · 10 Dec – 5 Mar (usually)Outdoor rinks go up in the parks and on Victory Square, and the Minsk Sea reservoir north of the city gets its ice fishing huts.33climate
  10. 🇷🇺 Moscow, RussiaOutdoor skating rinks open · 25 Nov – 10 Mar (usually)Gorky Park, VDNKh and Red Square freeze their rinks from late November and keep them going until the thaw.31climate
  11. 🇷🇺 Nizhny Novgorod, RussiaVolga and Oka freeze · 5 Dec – 25 Mar (usually)Both rivers set at the confluence below the kremlin, the boats stop, and ice fishermen dot the white from the Strelka downstream.30climate
  12. 🇨🇦 Banff, CanadaSkating on Lake Louise · 20 Dec – 15 Mar (usually)The hotel clears a rink and a long track on the lake once the ice takes, usually just before Christmas.29climate
  13. 🇨🇳 Harbin, ChinaIce and Snow World · 20 Dec – 28 Feb (usually)The ice city is cut from the Songhua and rebuilt every winter, with exhibits open from around the third week of December through late February.29climate
  14. 🇷🇺 Khabarovsk, RussiaAmur frozen over · 20 Nov – 15 Apr (usually)The river the city is built along freezes for close to five months, the hydrofoils stop, and people walk and ski where the boats were.29climate
  15. 🇷🇺 Yekaterinburg, RussiaIce sculpture season · 20 Dec – 25 Feb (usually)Blocks cut from the ponds go up as a temporary town in the centre and stay solid until the thaw takes them, which is usually late February.29climate
  16. 🇷🇺 Kazan, RussiaFrozen Volga and Kazanka · 15 Dec – 20 Mar (usually)The rivers set hard enough to walk on and the city moves onto them: ice fishing huts off the Kazanka, skates, and the Kremlin walls lit above a white plain.29climate
  17. 🇺🇸 Yellowstone National Park, United StatesOversnow winter season · 15 Dec – 15 Mar (usually)Between mid-December and mid-March the interior is reachable only by guided snowcoach or snowmobile, booked months ahead.28climate
  18. 🇫🇮 Rovaniemi, FinlandHusky, reindeer and snowmobile season · 10 Dec – 5 Apr (usually)The safaris need a frozen base, so the season runs roughly from mid-December to early April rather than the whole cold half of the year.28climate
  19. 🇸🇪 Kiruna, SwedenIcehotel season · 1 Dec – 15 Apr (usually)The hotel at Jukkasjarvi is rebuilt each winter from Torne river ice, opens at the start of December and melts in spring; a year-round wing runs alongside it.27climate
  20. 🇮🇸 Vík, IcelandIce cave season · 1 Nov – 31 Mar (usually)Most of Iceland's natural ice caves are only safe in the cold half of the year; the one under Myrdalsjokull up the road runs longer but closes at short notice for weather and glacier movement.26climate
  21. 🇷🇺 Novosibirsk, RussiaOb Sea ice · 25 Nov – 10 Apr (usually)The reservoir south of the city freezes hard enough for cars, and the shore fills with ice fishing tents, kite skiers and snowmobiles.25climate
  22. 🇷🇺 Yakutsk, RussiaLena ice road · 15 Dec – 15 Apr (usually)There is no bridge over the Lena anywhere in Sakha, so once the ice is thick enough the river becomes the road and the trucks run supplies out over it.25climate
  23. 🇺🇸 Crater Lake National Park, United StatesDeep winter · 1 Nov – 30 AprOne of the snowiest places in the country: the north entrance and Rim Drive shut, the west and south roads are ploughed, and rangers run snowshoe walks from Rim Village.24climate
  24. 🇷🇺 Magadan, RussiaSea of Okhotsk frozen · 15 Dec – 20 Apr (usually)The bay freezes over for a third of the year and people simply walk out onto it; icebreakers keep a lane open for the port.24climate
  25. 🇨🇦 Yellowknife, CanadaIce road season · 20 Dec – 31 Mar (usually)Once the bay freezes thick enough, a plowed road opens across it to Dettah and the winter roads north start carrying trucks.24climate

What's on around the world in December →