When Does Little Turtle Lake Freeze? Typical Ice-In Nov 14, Ice-Out Apr 19
Little Turtle Lake in Itasca County, Minnesota usually freezes over around Nov 14, and usually has ice-out around Apr 19, based on Minnesota DNR ice observations recorded between 2003-2022. That works out to roughly 209 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 Little Turtle Lake
| Typical freeze-up (ice-in) | Nov 14 |
| Typical ice-out | Apr 19 |
| Earliest freeze-up on record | Nov 7, 2003 |
| Latest freeze-up on record | Nov 24, 2021 |
| Earliest ice-out on record | Apr 15, 2015 |
| Latest ice-out on record | May 8, 2022 |
| Open-water season | ~209 days |
| Winters observed | 7 |
| Location | Itasca County, Minnesota |
These are dates, not an ice-safety reading
A typical freeze-up date tells you when Little Turtle 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 Little Turtle Lake has landed as early as Apr 15, 2015 and as late as May 8, 2022 — a spread of weeks around the Apr 19 median. Freeze-up has ranged from Nov 7, 2003 to Nov 24, 2021. 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. Little Turtle Lake carries an overall water-quality grade of D — the full breakdown is on the lake report.
Source: Minnesota DNR Climate Office ice-in / ice-out records, observations from 2003-2022.