Abraham Lake has beautiful methane bubbles and dangers, too

The frozen bubbles of Abraham Lake in the Canadian Rockies have attracted a lot of attention, drawing heaps of visitors to the ice, and increasing the risk.

Rocky Mountain House Search and Rescue, which responds to emergencies in the area, is warning those who want to see the methane bubbles in person to be prepared and be aware of the dangers.

"There's lots of hazards slips, trips and falls so we recommend people have crampons, Yaktrax and some good winter clothing in case you are stuck out here for some time," said Daniel Sweeting, with the organization.

The fact thatAbraham Lake is the result of a dam makes it particularly dangerous due to varying water levels that can cause the ice to collapse.

A large hole on the lake was making the rounds on social media recently, whichrepresents an extreme example of what could happen on the lake, said the organization.

"The ice that was over the land right there was able to stay suspended," said Sweeting.

"If you're walking over some some thin ice it could obviously collapse and it would be a few feet drop, or if you're exploring underneath it, were it to collapse, you could potentially get stuck under there."