When Does Elk Lake Freeze? Typical Ice-In Nov 28, Ice-Out Apr 13
Elk Lake in Sherburne County, Minnesota usually freezes over around Nov 28, and usually has ice-out around Apr 13, based on Minnesota DNR ice observations recorded between 1996-2018. That works out to roughly 229 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 Elk Lake
| Typical freeze-up (ice-in) | Nov 28 |
| Typical ice-out | Apr 13 |
| Earliest freeze-up on record | Nov 2, 1996 |
| Latest freeze-up on record | Dec 28, 2001 |
| Earliest ice-out on record | Mar 29, 2017 |
| Latest ice-out on record | Apr 29, 2018 |
| Open-water season | ~229 days |
| Winters observed | 34 |
| Location | Sherburne County, Minnesota |
These are dates, not an ice-safety reading
A typical freeze-up date tells you when Elk 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 Elk Lake has landed as early as Mar 29, 2017 and as late as Apr 29, 2018 — a spread of weeks around the Apr 13 median. Freeze-up has ranged from Nov 2, 1996 to Dec 28, 2001. 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. Elk Lake carries an overall water-quality grade of F — the full breakdown is on the lake report.
Source: Minnesota DNR Climate Office ice-in / ice-out records, observations from 1996-2018.