When Does the Ice Leave Emerald Lake??
One of the questions that comes up fairly regularly on Alaska cruise Forums is whether or not the wonderful colours of Emerald Lake are visible early in the season. Often the answers given are wrong, so I’m posting these photographs as an answer, as I know that many members of Cruise Critic in particular visit my Web sites.
May is the month of the greatest changes in the appearance of the lake. Exactly when the ice disappears to reveal the colours of the water varies from year to year, but can generally be described as mid May.
The first photo was shot on May 5, 2010. The ice is thin and rotten, and the colours can be seen reasonably well.
On May 5, 2011, however, the ice was still thick enough to hide the colours.
On May 11, 2011, Father Winter made a surprising and unwelcome return visit. I always recommend that people consider about May 20th as the earliest date to come up on a cruise – this is why. While not a frequent occurence, it does happen
Once the ice is rotten, a wind will greatly speed up the clearing of the lake, as happened in the days prior to this shot being taken on May 15, 2008.
This was shot on May 23, 2007. The last week of May commonly brings extremely warm temperatures – over 20°C (68°F), sometimes nearing 30°C (86°F).
If you’d like to see more photos of Emerald Lake throughout the year, I’ve posted an Images of Emerald Lake, Yukon album.
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