When Does Nokay Lake Freeze? Typical Ice-In Nov 24, Ice-Out Apr 16
Nokay Lake in Crow Wing County, Minnesota usually freezes over around Nov 24, and usually has ice-out around Apr 16, based on Minnesota DNR ice observations recorded between 2008-2024. That works out to roughly 222 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 Nokay Lake
| Typical freeze-up (ice-in) | Nov 24 |
| Typical ice-out | Apr 16 |
| Earliest freeze-up on record | Nov 19, 2017 |
| Latest freeze-up on record | Dec 18, 2015 |
| Earliest ice-out on record | Mar 14, 2024 |
| Latest ice-out on record | Apr 30, 2008 |
| Open-water season | ~222 days |
| Winters observed | 20 |
| Location | Crow Wing County, Minnesota |
These are dates, not an ice-safety reading
A typical freeze-up date tells you when Nokay 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 Nokay Lake has landed as early as Mar 14, 2024 and as late as Apr 30, 2008 — a spread of weeks around the Apr 16 median. Freeze-up has ranged from Nov 19, 2017 to Dec 18, 2015. 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. Nokay Lake carries an overall water-quality grade of C — the full breakdown is on the lake report.
Source: Minnesota DNR Climate Office ice-in / ice-out records, observations from 2008-2024.