When Does Bearskin Lake Freeze? Typical Ice-In Nov 26, Ice-Out Apr 28
Bearskin Lake in Cook County, Minnesota usually freezes over around Nov 26, and usually has ice-out around Apr 28, based on Minnesota DNR ice observations recorded between 1976-2008. That works out to roughly 212 days of open water a year. These are typical dates across many winters, not a forecast — individual years swing by weeks in either direction.
Ice record for Bearskin Lake
| Typical freeze-up (ice-in) | Nov 26 |
| Typical ice-out | Apr 28 |
| Earliest freeze-up on record | Nov 8, 1976 |
| Latest freeze-up on record | Nov 30, 2007 |
| Earliest ice-out on record | Apr 20, 2006 |
| Latest ice-out on record | May 13, 2008 |
| Open-water season | ~212 days |
| Winters observed | 6 |
| Location | Cook County, Minnesota |
These are dates, not an ice-safety reading
A typical freeze-up date tells you when Bearskin Lake has usually iced over — it does not tell you the ice is safe, and we hold no thickness measurement for this or any lake. The Minnesota DNR is explicit that no ice is ever completely safe: thickness varies across a single lake, and current, springs, aerators, and insulating snow all weaken it. Ice that held a truck last week may not hold a person today.
Read the ice-thickness guidelines before going out, and check current conditions with the Minnesota DNR ice-safety page and local bait shops, which track conditions lake by lake.
How much the timing varies
Ice-out on Bearskin Lake has landed as early as Apr 20, 2006 and as late as May 13, 2008 — a spread of weeks around the Apr 28 median. Freeze-up has ranged from Nov 8, 1976 to Nov 30, 2007. That year-to-year swing is why a median date is a planning tool, not a schedule. Freeze-up is driven by accumulated cold after the lake turns over in fall; ice-out by late-winter air temperature, sun angle, and how much snow sits on top of the ice reflecting it. Bearskin Lake carries an overall water-quality grade of A — the full breakdown is on the lake report.
Source: Minnesota DNR Climate Office ice-in / ice-out records, observations from 1976-2008.