Alton Bay Ice Runway Has Record-Breaking Season

The ice runway at Alton Bay Seaplane Base on Lake Winnipesaukee in New Hampshire has had a record-breaking season so far in 2026.

The ice runway, which opened for the season Jan. 31, recorded its 765th landing on Feb. 16.

“This breaks the record 764 landings that we had in our record-breaking 2025 season,” officials with the Alton Bay Seaplane Base said on Facebook. “By the end of the day we had a total of 774 landings for the season with more to come. The day ended with a pilot drawing a smiley face in the sky right over the bay.”

The record-breaking landing followed a “fantastic day on Alton Bay,” officials added.

On Feb. 15, the local Winter Carnival was held with “almost perfect winter weather.”

During the carnival, 131 pilots landed on the ice runway, they noted, including some from as far away as Virginia.

The ice landing strip, which opens only when the ice reaches a minimum thickness of 12 inches, is the only FAA-approved ice landing strip in the Lower 48 states.

It’s a strip that’s on a lot of pilots’ bucket lists. If you’re interested in landing there this year, you can find the schedule on the Alton Bay Seaplane Base and Ice Runway Facebook page. Be sure to check it as the runway often closes after snow storms until it can be plowed.

Find out what it’s like to land on the ice runway in Steve Schapiro’s 2022 story, “Pilot’s Bucket List: Landing on an ice runway.”