When Does Upper Gull Lake Freeze? Typical Ice-In Nov 25, Ice-Out Apr 25
Upper Gull Lake in Cass County, Minnesota usually freezes over around Nov 25, and usually has ice-out around Apr 25, based on Minnesota DNR ice observations recorded between 2008-2024. That works out to roughly 214 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 Upper Gull Lake
| Typical freeze-up (ice-in) | Nov 25 |
| Typical ice-out | Apr 25 |
| Earliest freeze-up on record | Nov 14, 2014 |
| Latest freeze-up on record | Dec 12, 2024 |
| Earliest ice-out on record | Apr 11, 2015 |
| Latest ice-out on record | May 11, 2008 |
| Open-water season | ~214 days |
| Winters observed | 12 |
| Location | Cass County, Minnesota |
These are dates, not an ice-safety reading
A typical freeze-up date tells you when Upper Gull 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 Upper Gull Lake has landed as early as Apr 11, 2015 and as late as May 11, 2008 — a spread of weeks around the Apr 25 median. Freeze-up has ranged from Nov 14, 2014 to Dec 12, 2024. 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. The full nutrient and algae breakdown for Upper Gull Lake is on the lake report.
Source: Minnesota DNR Climate Office ice-in / ice-out records, observations from 2008-2024.
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