Churchill polar bear Q
 

Anyone have a link to when the bay typically freezes up and the bears leave?

I have a chance to go 2nd week in Nov but I know that's a bit late and just wanted to see if there is a site with historical info on the freeze-up dates ... I realize it's a crapshoot any given year but just wanted to know if I was shooting sevens or elevens ... one guy I know arrived for six days just when all the bears walked away on the ice :)

Anyone know of such a site?

Thanks

Bill

Unfortunately I don't have such a link but at least this will top it for you - I know there are a few Fodorites who have been there or are going this season. I'm very excited to be finally making this this trip - 3rd wk of October.

Perhaps you can call a local tour company and ask what the past few years were like?

Enjoy-la!

This is the best I could find:
http://www.polarbearalley.com/polar-...g-nov7-21.html ((*))

Jed, thanks for the link, some interesting reading :)

Seems like in 2007 ice-up was around Nov 17th and in 2006 it was roughly Nov 20th, which is good to know. Sounds like in earlier years it was earlier so the dates we are looking at (to Nov 15) are risky.

Thanks for the info!

Chowder, thanks for the suggestion.

Bill

This year, Frontier's North has moved up their premium trip (the one that goes to Cape Churchill, considered to be the last place the bears gather before the ice forms), by about a week in comparison to last year. We would have booked that one, but it didn't look like we were going to clear the waitlist. So, after consulting with them, I felt comfortable booking the week before (12-19 November).