Trip Rating: 5.0/5 (for the experience — not for accessibility)
One of the coolest (pun intended) paddling experiences of my life took place at the Ice Boom in Fort Erie. It is also one of the most objectively dangerous environments I have ever entered in a kayak.
This is not a trip to approach casually, romantically, or impulsively. It took me years to become confident enough, skilled enough, and conservative enough to attempt it. Like many things in paddle sports, this is a risk-versus-reward decision but the margin for error here is extremely narrow. If you have any doubts at all, the answer is no.
Source: International Joint Commission
What the Ice Boom Is — and Why It Exists
Lake Erie is the shallowest of the Great Lakes and freezes faster than the others. When prevailing winds push large ice fields toward the Niagara River, that ice can be flushed downstream into Lake Ontario. Under the wrong conditions, ice can jam, stack, and act like a temporary dam, causing dangerous flooding and shoreline damage.
To prevent this, the International Joint Commission installs a seasonal ice boom across the outlet of Lake Erie between Fort Erie and Buffalo. In 2019, a boom failure resulted in massive ice surges along the shoreline, a reminder of the sheer forces involved.
The boom itself is a complex steel-and-cable structure nearly 9,000 feet long, anchored to the lakebed and designed to hold back enormous volumes of moving ice.
The ice boom consists of 22 spans. Steel pontoons are anchored to the lakebed at 400-foot intervals using 2.5-inch steel cables. When deployed, the boom stretches across the outlet of Lake Erie, just southwest of Buffalo’s water intake crib.
— International Joint Commission / NYPA / Ontario Power Generation
For paddlers, this creates a surreal, Arctic-like environment once ice accumulates behind the boom but it also creates entrapment hazards, dynamic ice movement, and lethal cold-water exposure.
The Paddle Itself
We launched from Waverly Beach and stayed strictly on the south side of the boom. Crossing over the boom is exceptionally dangerous. Becoming trapped between moving ice and fixed infrastructure is a real and unacceptable risk.
From a distance, the ice appears static. Up close, it is anything but. Thick slabs pile on themselves, flex, grind, and reform continuously. In places, the ice stacks into massive structures that feel geological rather than seasonal.
Tom beside an ice pile
In select, stable pockets, it was possible to carefully nose the kayak onto solid ice to pause and regroup, though this was done conservatively and with full awareness that conditions can change without warning.
Credit: Ed Sewell
Every direction offered dramatic views:shifting ice fields, surreal formations, and an unexpected skyline of Buffalo beyond the frozen chaos.
Unbelievable views of Buffalo
Critical Safety Notes — Read Carefully
- Do not attempt this trip without advanced rescue skills. Water temperature was approximately 4°C. An unplanned swim would be immediately life-threatening.
- I would not have attempted this paddle without another paddler of equal judgment and rescue capability.
- Winter access infrastructure is poor. Parking and washroom facilities are minimal or nonexistent. You must plan accordingly.
- Clothing and equipment are non-negotiable: thermal base layers, drysuit, paddling mittens, insulated booties, and a helmet. Even fully equipped, thermal stress was still present.
Launch Location
If you are interested in supporting Kayak Ontario, please consider doing so through our lessons, clinics, and guided experiences. You can find more information here.
Minimum skill level: Level 3 or higher, depending on conditions — and even then, only with appropriate partners and judgment.
0 comments