Winter lifeline to northernmost point in contiguous US hailed as success
By
Lauren Fox, AccuWeather staff writer
Updated Mar 9, 2021 2:19 PM EST
Businesses in Minnesota’s Northwest Angle have struggled since the border closed. This winter, they took matters into their own hands and built a 22-mile-long ice road.
Resort owners on Minnesota's remote Northwest Angle were hit with a devastating loss of business last year when coronavirus border restrictions prevented their core customer base from entering the remote region. A year later, however, the business owners have adapted to the new restrictions and are bringing their customers back to the Angle through the use of an ice road -- which they say was a success.
The Angle is a geographic oddity because despite being a part of Minnesota and the northernmost point of the contiguous United States, it has no actual land connection to the contiguous U.S. Instead, it is situated immediately adjacent to Canada -- with Canada flanking the Angle's west side and the Lake of the Woods, a freshwater fishing hotspot shared by the U.S. and Canada that is considered the walleye capital of the world, flanking its eastern and southern sides.
Americans trying to reach the Angle by car are able to do so only by driving through Canada. The coronavirus pandemic, however, has made travel tricky for anyone trying to leave or enter the Angle, which is home to only 110 residents, as the U.S.-Canadian border was shut down to all nonessential travel on March 21, 2020, and remains closed.
The decision from officials to close the border had significant repercussions for business owners on the Northwest Angle, who instantly became isolated from a customer base that was unable to reach the unique geographic destination.
As the winter season rolled in, the owners of 12 resorts decided to take action to bring customers back to the now-remote destination by creating a 22-mile-long ice road running through the Lake of the Woods from mainland Minnesota to the Northwest Angle.
The road is sturdy enough for cars to drive on and has become the only way people can travel in between the Northwest Angle and the rest of the U.S. for nonessential reasons.
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The ice road, shown above, is a 22-mile-stretch of ice with an 8-mile-stretch of land that allows people to travel between the Northwest Angle and the rest of Minnesota amid U.S.-Canadian border restrictions. (Photo/North Point Services)
"We were able to have guests," Paul Colson, owner of Jake's Northwest Angle, a lakeside fishing resort, told AccuWeather's Lincoln Riddle. "They were able to drive to my place for the first time since March 20 of last year."
Not only did his business draw customers, Colson said the attention the ice road received provided three weeks during which his business was once again busy.
"We've all been kind of bare bones as well as [with] employees, because how can you hire somebody for like just a few weeks?" Colson said. "It's been busy. It's been good."
The ice road was officially opened for business on Jan. 18. Passes to drive on the road started at $120, and by Feb. 28, 877 passes were sold. The sales from the passes were able to cover the costs required to operate the ice road.
"It was an unmitigated success for getting customers up here," Colson said. "I can tell you it made the difference between resorts being here and not being here."
The ice road gave business owners on the Northwest Angle the opportunity to bring customers back to their resorts. (Photo/North Point Services)
After being without business for so long due to the border closure, Colson said he was able to eventually do one-third of a normal year's business.
The ice road has now been in use for two months, but with spring on the horizon, the future for the ice road shortens with each new day. It could be in danger of collapse or melting.
The team that maintains the road said the ice has held up, but an eight-mile-stretch of the road that is on land has seen better days.
"Especially the spots where there's no trees around, there's sunlight hitting it all day long and it's thawing out, starting to get muddy," Cale Alsleben, a plow truck driver for Points North Services, said.
The ice road leading to the Northwest Angle has been in use for two months, but it is unclear how much longer it will be able to operate as the weather begins to warm up for spring. (Photo/North Point Services)
Gregg Hennum, owner of Sportsman's Oak Island Lodge, said the road will end up being a "short-lived" solution as the weather begins to warm up; however, it was effective in serving its purpose for the time that it did.
Alsleben said he predicts that the road will not be able to last through March, as the ice is already beginning to thaw during the day and refreeze at night.
The border closure between the U.S. and Canada is set to last until March 21, 2021; however, if the reopening date were to be pushed back, it would not be the first time.
Resort owners told Riddle that if the border opens up before next winter rolls around the ice road will not make a return next year.
"We'd love to take the bridges we built and burn them and cook hot dogs over them at the end just to call it a winter," Hennum said. "It's been a challenge."
Reporting by Lincoln Riddle
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News / Business
Winter lifeline to northernmost point in contiguous US hailed as success
By Lauren Fox, AccuWeather staff writer
Updated Mar 9, 2021 2:19 PM EST
Businesses in Minnesota’s Northwest Angle have struggled since the border closed. This winter, they took matters into their own hands and built a 22-mile-long ice road.
Resort owners on Minnesota's remote Northwest Angle were hit with a devastating loss of business last year when coronavirus border restrictions prevented their core customer base from entering the remote region. A year later, however, the business owners have adapted to the new restrictions and are bringing their customers back to the Angle through the use of an ice road -- which they say was a success.
The Angle is a geographic oddity because despite being a part of Minnesota and the northernmost point of the contiguous United States, it has no actual land connection to the contiguous U.S. Instead, it is situated immediately adjacent to Canada -- with Canada flanking the Angle's west side and the Lake of the Woods, a freshwater fishing hotspot shared by the U.S. and Canada that is considered the walleye capital of the world, flanking its eastern and southern sides.
Americans trying to reach the Angle by car are able to do so only by driving through Canada. The coronavirus pandemic, however, has made travel tricky for anyone trying to leave or enter the Angle, which is home to only 110 residents, as the U.S.-Canadian border was shut down to all nonessential travel on March 21, 2020, and remains closed.
The decision from officials to close the border had significant repercussions for business owners on the Northwest Angle, who instantly became isolated from a customer base that was unable to reach the unique geographic destination.
As the winter season rolled in, the owners of 12 resorts decided to take action to bring customers back to the now-remote destination by creating a 22-mile-long ice road running through the Lake of the Woods from mainland Minnesota to the Northwest Angle.
The road is sturdy enough for cars to drive on and has become the only way people can travel in between the Northwest Angle and the rest of the U.S. for nonessential reasons.
CLICK HERE FOR THE FREE ACCUWEATHER APP
The ice road, shown above, is a 22-mile-stretch of ice with an 8-mile-stretch of land that allows people to travel between the Northwest Angle and the rest of Minnesota amid U.S.-Canadian border restrictions. (Photo/North Point Services)
"We were able to have guests," Paul Colson, owner of Jake's Northwest Angle, a lakeside fishing resort, told AccuWeather's Lincoln Riddle. "They were able to drive to my place for the first time since March 20 of last year."
Not only did his business draw customers, Colson said the attention the ice road received provided three weeks during which his business was once again busy.
"We've all been kind of bare bones as well as [with] employees, because how can you hire somebody for like just a few weeks?" Colson said. "It's been busy. It's been good."
The ice road was officially opened for business on Jan. 18. Passes to drive on the road started at $120, and by Feb. 28, 877 passes were sold. The sales from the passes were able to cover the costs required to operate the ice road.
"It was an unmitigated success for getting customers up here," Colson said. "I can tell you it made the difference between resorts being here and not being here."
The ice road gave business owners on the Northwest Angle the opportunity to bring customers back to their resorts. (Photo/North Point Services)
After being without business for so long due to the border closure, Colson said he was able to eventually do one-third of a normal year's business.
The ice road has now been in use for two months, but with spring on the horizon, the future for the ice road shortens with each new day. It could be in danger of collapse or melting.
The team that maintains the road said the ice has held up, but an eight-mile-stretch of the road that is on land has seen better days.
"Especially the spots where there's no trees around, there's sunlight hitting it all day long and it's thawing out, starting to get muddy," Cale Alsleben, a plow truck driver for Points North Services, said.
The ice road leading to the Northwest Angle has been in use for two months, but it is unclear how much longer it will be able to operate as the weather begins to warm up for spring. (Photo/North Point Services)
Gregg Hennum, owner of Sportsman's Oak Island Lodge, said the road will end up being a "short-lived" solution as the weather begins to warm up; however, it was effective in serving its purpose for the time that it did.
Alsleben said he predicts that the road will not be able to last through March, as the ice is already beginning to thaw during the day and refreeze at night.
The border closure between the U.S. and Canada is set to last until March 21, 2021; however, if the reopening date were to be pushed back, it would not be the first time.
Resort owners told Riddle that if the border opens up before next winter rolls around the ice road will not make a return next year.
"We'd love to take the bridges we built and burn them and cook hot dogs over them at the end just to call it a winter," Hennum said. "It's been a challenge."
Reporting by Lincoln Riddle
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