Pilots cleared for landing on frozen Winnipesaukee

ALTON BAY — The eastern tip of the Big Lake is home to the only sanctioned ice runway in the lower 48. After weeks of monitoring ice depth, then clearing about 2 feet of snow, it's finally cleared for takeoff — and landing.

Organizers said on Jan. 23 there was enough ice to get the Alton Bay Ice Runway ready, but the most recent snowstorm threw a monkey wrench into their plans. Crews spent Wednesday and Thursday hard at work, clearing the runway and taxiway, and Airport Manager Jason Leavitt said they planned to open Friday.

“There’s plenty of ice and a ton of snow, but we have been working hard to clear it off for the weekend,” Leavitt said.

On Thursday morning, Leavitt and Runway Manager Paul LaRochelle showed off the mostly plowed ice at the Alton Bay Seaplane Base, the official name of the runway.

LaRochelle is the Alton Selectboard vice chair, and also manager of maintenance and plowing. He has been involved since 2009, when he had Leavitt's job, a full-time position with the New Hampshire Department of Transportation.

LaRochelle retired from that role, and now works part-time, with preparation for opening an integral part of the job. He was out on the ice around 8 a.m., along with others, including Bob Burton, who has been helping prepare the runway for opening since 2013.

“There’s a lot of snow,” Burton said. “Fluffy snow is better, but there is still 6 inches here from the last storm.”

LaRochelle said Alton Bay received nearly 20 inches of snow from the most recent storm, and the snow underneath was much heavier than the new accumulation.

“We got almost 2 feet of snow out here that we’re trying to get rid of now,” LaRochelle said. “We couldn’t do this earlier with the first snowstorm, because we didn’t have the ice thickness.”

LaRochelle said there is a 12-inch ice depth minimum imposed, so crews can plow and properly maintain the ice using machinery that sometimes weigh tons. Leavitt noted some plow trucks weigh upwards of 10,000 pounds, while the planes landing on the ice atop Lake Winnipesaukee generally top out at 3,000 pounds.

In the weeks leading up to opening, Leavitt and LaRochelle routinely check ice depth using cordless drills. Last week, they were drilling every 400 feet, and found some areas that were at the minimum, and others just below. On Jan. 23, Leavitt said they reached the minimum ice required, but the storm came immediately after, and they had to wait to plow.

Plowing takes a lot of time, and Leavitt said there are plenty of variables. The biggest is sheer size — the runway is 2,900 feet long and 125 feet wide.

“It’s come along well,” Leavitt said Thursday. “It’s been a lot of work. Some quick math: there’s well over 200 miles plowing all this. Somebody did the math, and probably 20,000 cubic yards of snow.”

Leavitt said the opening comes slightly later than last year’s opening on Jan. 24, which he said was mostly due to the thaw earlier in the month, followed by the snow coverage. Now, that's all cleared.

The majority of the planes using the runway are two- or four-passenger planes, and while most are fairly local, some come from southern states.

LaRochelle said local pilots will start using it “in no time,” and Leavitt said there have been planes landing within 15 minutes of the opening. Many pilots are from the Granite State and New England, and some come as far as the Lone Star State.

“There is one gentleman who came up from Texas last year just literally to land on the ice,” Leavitt said. “He shook hands, said 'hi' to a few people, and then flew home.”

Other pilots come from Florida and Georgia, but Leavitt said from Pennsylvania north tends to be the normal traffic. He said the interest is certainly high, which is evident by the Facebook video views, some reaching upward of 30,000. Hundreds of planes fly in and out each winter.

The Alton Bay Ice Runway is a rarity, the only ice runway recognized by the Federal Aviation Administration aside from Alaska. LaRochelle said there are some private airstrips on frozen lakes, such as Moosehead Lake in Maine, but this is the only one that is official.

LaRochelle said the ice runway has been around since the early 1940s, and the late Judson Downing, of Alton, was a pilot with a seaplane, and was one of those who applied to make it a seaplane base. It became an ice runway shortly after, and planes have been landing since.

But this year, the temperatures continue to be frigid with some nights and mornings dipping below zero degrees Fahrenheit. LaRochelle said this means ice just continues to thicken.

Leavitt and LaRochelle are excited to have plowing finished for now, but always have their eyes on the forecast.

“It’s going to be really good,” Leavitt said. “This weekend is supposed to be really cold. We don’t know what the storm is going to do on Sunday, so we’re watching that. Other than, we’re excited to finally get it open for 2026.”

There is no air traffic control, but pilots must announce their position, and when they are landing and taking off.

The Alton Bay Ice Runway is located at the end of the bay near the bandstand.