When Does Pickerel Lake Freeze? Typical Ice-In Nov 26, Ice-Out Apr 25
Pickerel Lake in Becker County, Minnesota usually freezes over around Nov 26, and usually has ice-out around Apr 25, based on Minnesota DNR ice observations recorded between 2001-2022. That works out to roughly 215 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 Pickerel Lake
| Typical freeze-up (ice-in) | Nov 26 |
| Typical ice-out | Apr 25 |
| Earliest freeze-up on record | Nov 13, 2018 |
| Latest freeze-up on record | Dec 17, 2001 |
| Earliest ice-out on record | Mar 29, 2016 |
| Latest ice-out on record | May 7, 2022 |
| Open-water season | ~215 days |
| Winters observed | 28 |
| Location | Becker County, Minnesota |
These are dates, not an ice-safety reading
A typical freeze-up date tells you when Pickerel 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 Pickerel Lake has landed as early as Mar 29, 2016 and as late as May 7, 2022 — a spread of weeks around the Apr 25 median. Freeze-up has ranged from Nov 13, 2018 to Dec 17, 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. Pickerel 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 2001-2022.