When Does Ross Lake Freeze? Typical Ice-In Nov 21, Ice-Out Apr 14
Ross Lake in Crow Wing County, Minnesota usually freezes over around Nov 21, and usually has ice-out around Apr 14, based on Minnesota DNR ice observations recorded between 1996-2014. That works out to roughly 221 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 Ross Lake
| Typical freeze-up (ice-in) | Nov 21 |
| Typical ice-out | Apr 14 |
| Earliest freeze-up on record | Nov 15, 2014 |
| Latest freeze-up on record | Dec 1, 2007 |
| Earliest ice-out on record | Mar 23, 2012 |
| Latest ice-out on record | May 1, 1996 |
| Open-water season | ~221 days |
| Winters observed | 34 |
| Location | Crow Wing County, Minnesota |
These are dates, not an ice-safety reading
A typical freeze-up date tells you when Ross 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 Ross Lake has landed as early as Mar 23, 2012 and as late as May 1, 1996 — a spread of weeks around the Apr 14 median. Freeze-up has ranged from Nov 15, 2014 to Dec 1, 2007. 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. Ross 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 1996-2014.