When Does Gilbert Lake Freeze? Typical Ice-In Dec 2, Ice-Out Apr 18
Gilbert Lake in Crow Wing County, Minnesota usually freezes over around Dec 2, and usually has ice-out around Apr 18, based on Minnesota DNR ice observations recorded between 2013-2024. That works out to roughly 228 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 Gilbert Lake
| Typical freeze-up (ice-in) | Dec 2 |
| Typical ice-out | Apr 18 |
| Earliest freeze-up on record | Nov 20, 2018 |
| Latest freeze-up on record | Dec 12, 2017 |
| Earliest ice-out on record | Mar 11, 2024 |
| Latest ice-out on record | May 11, 2013 |
| Open-water season | ~228 days |
| Winters observed | 52 |
| Location | Crow Wing County, Minnesota |
These are dates, not an ice-safety reading
A typical freeze-up date tells you when Gilbert 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 Gilbert Lake has landed as early as Mar 11, 2024 and as late as May 11, 2013 — a spread of weeks around the Apr 18 median. Freeze-up has ranged from Nov 20, 2018 to Dec 12, 2017. 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. Gilbert 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 2013-2024.