Ice Road, Bombardier Shuttles & Fly-In Service
We have 3 arrival options to the NW Angle with the Canadian border being closed. Guests should contact us for lodging availability first.
NW Angle Guest Ice Road
A winter road is in the works from the south end of Lake of the Woods to the Northwest Angle mainland!
Cost: $145 per vehicle (Springsteel Resort to Sunset Lodge)
Hours: 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. contingent on weather and ice conditions.
Route: The road will run from Springsteel Resort, Inc across the lake to the the Border Cut trail and along the trail to the main Angle road (Co rd 330). About 25-30 miles.
Rules: 25 MPH speed limit. The road is not wheelhouse friendly. There will not be enough clearance and you will get stuck. Regular passenger vehicles will be fine.
Note: Traveling along the ice road is at your own risk, we hope to have a safe, fun year of ice fishing and need everyone's cooperation to make this happen!
Hours: 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. contingent on weather and ice conditions.
Route: The road will run from Springsteel Resort, Inc across the lake to the the Border Cut trail and along the trail to the main Angle road (Co rd 330). About 25-30 miles.
Rules: 25 MPH speed limit. The road is not wheelhouse friendly. There will not be enough clearance and you will get stuck. Regular passenger vehicles will be fine.
Note: Traveling along the ice road is at your own risk, we hope to have a safe, fun year of ice fishing and need everyone's cooperation to make this happen!
The Northwest Angle Guest Ice Road, as it’s being called, will only be accessible to those who purchase a pass and eliminates the need to drive through Manitoba to reach the Angle, which is surrounded on three sides by Canada and reachable from the U.S. only by crossing the lake.
The U.S.-Canada border has been closed to nonessential travel since March because of the COVID-19 pandemic and could remain closed well into 2021 or perhaps even 2022, according to published reports.
According to Brett Alsleben, who owns Points North Services on the Northwest Angle mainland with his son, Cale, the road will cross about 22 miles of ice from Springsteel Resort near Warroad, Minn., north to Stony Point. From there, the road will move onto land and follow what’s known as the “Border Cut Trail,” a snowmobile trail that runs 8 miles north and south along the Minnesota-Manitoba border.
The Border Cut Trail comes out on Lake of the Woods County Road 330, where vehicles will then turn right toward Jim’s Corner, the junction of county roads 330 and 331. From Jim’s Corner, vehicles either can turn left toward Angle Inlet or right toward Young’s Bay and the ice road that’s plowed to Oak and Flag islands.
“That’s going to be the least eventful part of the trip,” Alsleben said. “Once you get there, you’re going to be happy.”
The U.S.-Canada border has been closed to nonessential travel since March because of the COVID-19 pandemic and could remain closed well into 2021 or perhaps even 2022, according to published reports.
According to Brett Alsleben, who owns Points North Services on the Northwest Angle mainland with his son, Cale, the road will cross about 22 miles of ice from Springsteel Resort near Warroad, Minn., north to Stony Point. From there, the road will move onto land and follow what’s known as the “Border Cut Trail,” a snowmobile trail that runs 8 miles north and south along the Minnesota-Manitoba border.
The Border Cut Trail comes out on Lake of the Woods County Road 330, where vehicles will then turn right toward Jim’s Corner, the junction of county roads 330 and 331. From Jim’s Corner, vehicles either can turn left toward Angle Inlet or right toward Young’s Bay and the ice road that’s plowed to Oak and Flag islands.
“That’s going to be the least eventful part of the trip,” Alsleben said. “Once you get there, you’re going to be happy.”
The area highlighted in orange shows the location of the Border Cut Trail on the Minnesota-Manitoba border, which will provide vehicle access to the Northwest Angle this winter. (Map courtesy of Northwest Angle Edge Riders)
Use of the road, while subject to change, is expected to cost $120 to the Northwest Angle mainland and $145 to Oak and Flag islands round-trip, Alsleben says. Springsteel Resort, as a partner in the project, will get $20 of that fee for its portion of the road, he said.
Organizers will use the online ticketing platform Eventbrite to sell the road passes. The ticketing site will go live Dec. 1, Alsleben says, and can be found at www.eventbrite.com/e/130524150247.
Visitors also will be able to purchase passes at Springsteel Resort.
All of the resorts on the Angle are involved in the project, and Points North Services, Sunset Lodge on Oak Island and Springsteel Resort will share the workload for plowing and maintaining the ice road, Alsleben said, a job that will include bridging cracks and ice heaves that form every winter.
The Northwest Angle Edge Riders, a group that grooms and maintains snowmobile trails on the Angle, also is a partner, and other resorts will chip in to help as needed, Alsleben said. As in previous winters, the Angle will be accessible by snowmobile on groomed trails from Warroad and other points along the south shore of Lake of the Woods.
Organizers will use the online ticketing platform Eventbrite to sell the road passes. The ticketing site will go live Dec. 1, Alsleben says, and can be found at www.eventbrite.com/e/130524150247.
Visitors also will be able to purchase passes at Springsteel Resort.
All of the resorts on the Angle are involved in the project, and Points North Services, Sunset Lodge on Oak Island and Springsteel Resort will share the workload for plowing and maintaining the ice road, Alsleben said, a job that will include bridging cracks and ice heaves that form every winter.
The Northwest Angle Edge Riders, a group that grooms and maintains snowmobile trails on the Angle, also is a partner, and other resorts will chip in to help as needed, Alsleben said. As in previous winters, the Angle will be accessible by snowmobile on groomed trails from Warroad and other points along the south shore of Lake of the Woods.
The winter road to the Angle will be open from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. contingent on weather and ice conditions. In the meantime, partners in the project will be checking ice thickness and putting up signage, and Ronnie Davidson, owner of Davidson Construction and Sunset Lodge, got the contract to work on the land trail and make it vehicle-ready, Henry, of Lake of the Woods Tourism, said.
“I’m not sure when that’s going to happen, but everything’s moving forward,” Henry said, adding the ice road should open “sometime in January.”
“We have to make sure ice conditions are conducive (to vehicle travel), and we’re not going to start this up until then,” he said.
The road won’t be accessible to wheelhouses, the deluxe ice fishing houses that cover the south end of the lake every winter, Henry said.
“This is the first ice road that’s ever gone up to the Northwest Angle that’s been a normal ice road that people can pay and access, but there are limitations and restrictions on it,” Henry said. “This is really more of a travel corridor for guests that are staying up at the Northwest Angle.
“This is a pretty important year for these guys.”
Partners in the project have set up a “Northwest Angle Guest Ice Road-2020” Facebook page that will feature updated information on conditions and other details. Check it out at https://www.facebook.com/nwaiceroad.
“I’m not sure when that’s going to happen, but everything’s moving forward,” Henry said, adding the ice road should open “sometime in January.”
“We have to make sure ice conditions are conducive (to vehicle travel), and we’re not going to start this up until then,” he said.
The road won’t be accessible to wheelhouses, the deluxe ice fishing houses that cover the south end of the lake every winter, Henry said.
“This is the first ice road that’s ever gone up to the Northwest Angle that’s been a normal ice road that people can pay and access, but there are limitations and restrictions on it,” Henry said. “This is really more of a travel corridor for guests that are staying up at the Northwest Angle.
“This is a pretty important year for these guys.”
Partners in the project have set up a “Northwest Angle Guest Ice Road-2020” Facebook page that will feature updated information on conditions and other details. Check it out at https://www.facebook.com/nwaiceroad.
Bombardier Shuttle
Williams, MN
Bombardier Shuttle Fee:
$135 per person, round trip (4 person/$540 minimum)
Pick up and drop off location:
Long Point Resort 7046 Resort Lane NW Williams, MN 56686
($5 per day for parking.)
The trip across the ice is 27 miles, approximately 1.5 hours.
Pick up and drop off time:
Approximately 11am on arrival and departure days.
$135 per person, round trip (4 person/$540 minimum)
Pick up and drop off location:
Long Point Resort 7046 Resort Lane NW Williams, MN 56686
($5 per day for parking.)
The trip across the ice is 27 miles, approximately 1.5 hours.
Pick up and drop off time:
Approximately 11am on arrival and departure days.
Fly-In Service
1. Baudette and Warroad Airport Transportation: Round-trip transportation to and from either airport to Sunset Lodge.
Flight time: Approximately 30 minutes
Price: $330 per person for 4 guests and $200 per person for 5 and 6 guests.
2. International Falls Transportation: Round-trip transportation from the International Falls Airport to Sunset Lodge.
Flight time: Approximately 50 minutes
Price: $450 per person for 4 guests. If you have a larger party, we'd make multiple runs and would also give a 15% discount for the entire party.
3. Thief River Transportation: Round-trip transportation from Thief River Falls Airport to Sunset Lodge.
Flight time: Approximately 1hr and 15 mins
Price: $740 per person for 4 guests. If you have a larger party, we'd make multiple runs and would also give a 15% discount for the entire party.
4. Duluth Transportation: Round-trip transportation from Duluth Sky Harbor Airport (5000 Minnesota Avenue) to Sunset Lodge.
Flight time: Approximately 2 hours
Price: $1095 per person for 4 guests. $875 per person for 5 guests.
With the length of this trip, we would only be willing to take 5 guests at a time for comfort reasons.
Flights operated by Lake Country Air Service, LLC. https://beaverairtours.com/
Flight time: Approximately 30 minutes
Price: $330 per person for 4 guests and $200 per person for 5 and 6 guests.
2. International Falls Transportation: Round-trip transportation from the International Falls Airport to Sunset Lodge.
Flight time: Approximately 50 minutes
Price: $450 per person for 4 guests. If you have a larger party, we'd make multiple runs and would also give a 15% discount for the entire party.
3. Thief River Transportation: Round-trip transportation from Thief River Falls Airport to Sunset Lodge.
Flight time: Approximately 1hr and 15 mins
Price: $740 per person for 4 guests. If you have a larger party, we'd make multiple runs and would also give a 15% discount for the entire party.
4. Duluth Transportation: Round-trip transportation from Duluth Sky Harbor Airport (5000 Minnesota Avenue) to Sunset Lodge.
Flight time: Approximately 2 hours
Price: $1095 per person for 4 guests. $875 per person for 5 guests.
With the length of this trip, we would only be willing to take 5 guests at a time for comfort reasons.
Flights operated by Lake Country Air Service, LLC. https://beaverairtours.com/