|
LAKE SARAH NEWS
updated January 16, 2026
|
| Winterfest is back!
Mark your calendars - Sunday, Feb 22nd.
Contests, games, prizes, skating, music, and really tasty food. Come out and join us for a fun day with all of our neighbors and friends. Everyone is invited and you don’t need to live on the lake. Bring a friend to enjoy this unique experience.
Details visit the Lake Sarah Association website
|
| Reminder to Darkhouse / Spearing Enthusiasts
Please replace ice blocks in your fishing hole when you move or break them up. Also be sure to mark the thin ice area with sticks or tall weeds to warn others.
Leaving ice blocks on top of the ice can very dangerous for snowmobiles and vehicles especially after a light snow or at night. If you see a block left above the ice please break it up as best you can.
Putting the ice blocks back in the hole does speed up refreeze and thus improves ice safety for everyone.
Please be safe while enjoying the lake this winter!
|
When is ice safe?
There really is no sure answer. You can't judge the strength of ice just by its appearance, age, thickness, temperature, or whether or not the ice is covered with snow. Strength is based on all these factors -- plus the depth of water under the ice, size of the water body, water chemistry and currents, the distribution of the load on the ice, and local climatic conditions.
New ice is usually stronger than old ice. Four inches of clear, newly-formed ice may support one person on foot, while a foot or more of old, partially-thawed ice may not.
Ice seldom freezes uniformly. It may be a foot thick in one location and only an inch or two just a few feet away.
Ice formed over flowing water and currents is often dangerous. This is especially true near streams, bridges and culverts. Also, the ice on outside river bends is usually weaker due to the undermining effects of the faster current.
The insulating effect of snow slows down the freezing process. The extra weight also reduces how much weight the ice sheet can support. Also, ice near shore can be weaker than ice that is farther out.
Booming and cracking ice isn't necessarily dangerous. It only means that the ice is expanding and contracting as the temperature changes.
Schools of fish or flocks of waterfowl can also adversely affect the relative safety of ice. The movement of fish can bring warm water up from the bottom of the lake. In the past, this has opened holes in the ice causing snowmobiles and cars to break through.
Bottom line is - Please be careful and be prepared when out on the ice!
|
It's Official!
Lake Sarah froze over on December 1, 2025
The average Ice over date when calculated using the last 30 years of records as listed below is December 2. The earliest Ice over date was November 12 (1995) and the latest ice over date was January 12, 2024 after initially freezing on December 2, 2023. This website uses "remains frozen for the season" for our records.
"Ice over" is defined by MPCA Citizen Lake Monitoring Program standards as the date that the ice completely covers the surface of the water and that it remains iced over for at least 24 hours. The dates below from 1989 - 2006 were provided by Sandy & Gregg Friehe ('00-'05) (East bay) and Al & Sally Moen ('89-'05) (West bay). Recorded dates 2007 - present are as reported to the MPCA by Mike Peterson, lake Sarah's CLMP program volunteer. Anyone with additional records for missing years is invited to email this site. In years where different dates were recorded, the date was averaged and noted by an (*) Thank you to the Friehe's, Moen's, and Mike Peterson for your help! Current Ice over reporters are Scott Walsh, Scott Beaupre, and Joe Baker, Thank you!
Past years records of Ice over dates can be found on the Ice Data page on this website
|
As snowmobile riders prepare for the upcoming riding season, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources reminds riders of important information about safety, registration and trail conditions.
The snowmobile riding season can start as early as Dec. 1, but several conditions must be met before trails are opened, groomed and ready for travel:
- The ground must be frozen. Where trails cross wetlands, 15 inches of ice are needed to support the weight of trail groomers.
- Snow cover of about 12 inches must be on the ground to allow for trail packing and grooming.
- Trails must be cleared of fallen trees, signs put in place and gates opened.
To see if trail conditions are ready for riding, check DNR’s snow depth page (mndnr.gov/snow_depth), which also includes conditions of state parks and state trails that allow snowmobiling.
Nearly all of Minnesota’s groomed snowmobile trails — 21,000 of 22,000+ miles of trails — are Grant-in-Aid trails maintained by local snowmobile club volunteers, rather than the DNR. Many clubs post conditions of local trails online. To find the nearest club, visit the Minnesota United Snowmobilers Association website (mnusa.org).
Snowmobile registration and safety
While snowmobilers wait for snow and groomed trails, now is a good time to make sure registrations are current and snowmobiles are in good operating order. It’s also an opportune time to review safety training and check local trail maps for route changes or new trails. Don’t forget to review the 2025 snowmobile regulations (mndnr.gov/regulations/snowmobile) to refresh on state laws.
New snowmobile registrations, registration renewals and out-of-state trail stickers can be purchased in person at a deputy registrar of motor vehicles or at the DNR License Bureau in St. Paul. Renewals and out-of-state stickers can also be obtained on the DNR’s licenses and vehicle registrations website (mndnr.gov/licenses).
Minnesota law requires a snowmobile safety certification for residents born after Dec. 31, 1976, but DNR recommends all riders complete a safety course. Information about safety training courses can be found on the DNR website (mndnr.gov/safety/vehicle/snowmobile).
An interactive snowmobile trail map is available on the DNR’s snowmobiling website (mndnr.gov/snowmobiling). Paper trail maps are available from the DNR Information Center. Email info.dnr@state.mn.us or call 888-646-6367 from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Saturday.
|
The final water level reading in 2025 was 978.71' on November 23
This can be compared to the final reading last fall on November 17, 2024 of 978.81' and the Ordinary High Water Level for Sarah of 979.90'. The highest water elevation for 2025 was 980.65 on July 2, 2025. The Spencer family will continue as the appointed volunteer monitoring our lakes’ water levels for the MN DNR, the LSIA and the lakesarah.com community website in 2026. Have a great winter!
|
U Study Explores Boat Impacts on Lake Beds and Water Quality - Phase Two of Saint Anthony Falls Study Released
|
 |
| How powerboats impact lakes below the surface July 29, 2025 - click image for link to U of MN news article |
|
|
The Saint Anthony Falls Lab (SAFL) released a long anticipated study of the impacts of different recreational boats on lake beds and water column: Recreational boat hydrodynamics and their impacts on the lakebed and water column.
As wake surfing has become increasingly popular over the last ten years, more and more lake associations, water resource professionals, resort and marina owners, lake service providers and individuals have reached out to Minnesota Lakes and Rivers Advocates (MLR) with concerns about safety, declining lake water quality, user conflicts, eroding shoreline and damaged shoreline infrastructure.
In response to the rising controversy, MLR pursued a three step strategy:
- Rely on the best available science to define the issues and create Best Practices for boaters,
- Lobby the State Legislature to pass legislation requiring a new boater's education and certification program,
- Include Best Practices for safety, wake and prop thrust management, and etiquette in the MN DNR boater education course and promote these Best Practices widely.
Starting in 2020 MLR worked with the Saint Anthony Falls Lab at the University of Minnesota to fund the Healthy Waters Initiative, a three phase study into the impacts of recreational boating on lakes. Funding for the research came from two sources. Over 200 contributions came from across the nation through the University of Minnesota Foundation in support of Phase One. Additional funding came from the Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund (ENRTF) as recommended by the Legislative Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources (LCCMR).
Donors, both individuals and organizations that contributed to the study had no input into the design or scope of this research and did not review or have input into the report prior to publication.
The project has three phases of inquiry:
SAFL recommendations based on this research are:
- When operating in planing mode powerboats should stay in depths of 10 ft or greater to prevent impacts to the lake bed.
- When operating is sustained displacement mode (ie. slow cruising), recreational powerboats should stay in depths of 10 ft or greater to prevent impacts to the lake bed.
- For most recreational boat users, traveling in waters less than 10 ft deep is unavoidable (e.g. going through channels, getting to and from boat lifts, docks, and launches, etc.). In these scenarios it is recommended to go as slowly as possible to minimize the magnitude of the bow and stern pressure waves.
- Wakeboats should operate in 20 ft of water or greater when in semi-displacement (surfing) mode to minimize impacts on the lakebed.
- All boats have the potential to damage aquatic vegetation. The depth recommendations provided above are specified relative to the lakebed but could also be interpreted as relative to the top of submerged vegetation. Since vegetation grows through the open-water season, this is a more difficult recommendation to specify. In general, boats should avoid areas of the lake with aquatic vegetation to minimize damage.
|
|
Many of the questions emailed to this site regard illegal or inconsiderate snowmobile, atv, boat or pwc operation or fishing/hunting violation questions. To report illegal vehicular activity you should contact Hennepin County Sheriff Water Patrol (612)596-9880, or West Hennepin Public Safety (763)479-0500, The Water Patrol will not issue a citation for offenses they do not witness. They may issue a citation if the witness agrees sign the complaint (much like a citizens arrest). If you plan on filing charges against an individual you should make note of the date, time, vehicle description and license number, identity or good description of the operator. A side note; If the offender wishes to appear in court you may be required to appear as witness / accuser. To report hunting or fishing violations call DNR West Metro Conservation Officer: Ben Ulrich Phone: (651)242-2166, DNR Enforcement (651)582-1502, or orTIP (turn in poachers) toll free hotline 800-652-9093. Click the blue text for a copy of the Minnesota Snowmobile Regs , Personal Watercraft Regs , MN Boating Guide , ATV/OHV Regs, or the current MN Fishing Regulations , in Adobe Acrobat Reader format (.pdf).
Lake Sarah (MN DNR #27-0191) is located in sections 1 and 2, township 118, range 24; and in sections 34 and 35, township 119, range 24, Hennepin County, Minnesota. GPS 45°4'19"N 93°41'24"W surrounded by the Minnesota cities of Independence, Greenfield, Loretto, Medina, and Rockford. Click here to view a Google hybrid map of lake Sarah. Suggestions for content and services to be provided by this site are always welcome! E-mail this website with your feedback, suggestions, comments or ideas.
|
|
