When Does Upper Red Lake Freeze? Ice-In Dates

Short answer: in the Minnesota DNR record, Upper Red Lake has locked up between November 12 and December 16. The DNR has six years on file, 2014 to 2025, and the middle of those dates is about November 22. Five of the six years it froze between November 12 and November 27. That is a short record, so treat it as a rough window and not a promise.

No ice is ever 100% safe. Check it yourself.

An ice-in date is not a green light. It is the day observers say the whole lake is frozen and stays that way. It tells you nothing about thickness where you plan to stand.

What the records show

The DNR State Climatology Office keeps the state's lake ice-in records. Volunteer observers report them. Here is what the DNR has for the Red Lakes and for the closest long record.

• Upper Red Lake (DNR lake ID 04003501, listed as "Red (Upper Red)"): 7 entries covering 6 years, 2014 to 2025. Earliest November 12, 2019. Latest December 16, 2016. The DNR lists a median of November 22. The 2014 date appears twice because two sources reported it.
• Lower Red Lake (ID 04003502): 3 ice-in dates. Earliest November 12, 2019. Latest December 1, 2024. The middle date is November 27, 2023.
• Bemidji (Lake Bemidji, also Beltrami County): 80 entries from 1958 to 2025. The DNR lists earliest November 4, 1991, latest December 20, 2001, and a median of November 28. Some years have more than one entry from different sources.

The DNR median counts only dates from 1950 on. The DNR draws its ice-in map markers only for lakes with 20 or more years of data. Upper Red spans 11 years, so it does not get a marker, and its median rests on a thin record.

Upper Red Lake ice-in dates

There are no entries for 2015, 2017, 2020 to 2022, or 2024 under this lake ID. The DNR also has a separate record under the plain name "Red" (ID 04003500) with one date, November 30, 2024. We could not tie that ID to either basin, so it is not counted above.

Nearby lakes for comparison

Lower Red and Bemidji are not Upper Red. Treat them as clues.

Bemidji has no 2023 entry. In the years both lakes have a date, Upper Red and Bemidji do not always line up. In 2016 both froze late, Upper Red on Dec. 16 and Bemidji on Dec. 9. In 2019 Upper Red was Nov. 12 and Bemidji was Dec. 3. One lake's date is not another's.

What "ice in" means here

The DNR defines ice-in for its citizen observers as the day the entire lake is frozen over and the ice cover remains through winter. Observers do not report ice thickness.

The DNR says plainly that it does not measure ice thickness on Minnesota lakes. It also says ice-in dates should not be used to track ice thickness for recreation. And it does not post the current year's ice-in dates in real time, for safety, because the ice cover may not be permanent for the season.

So an ice-in date tells you roughly when a lake locked up. It does not tell you what is safe to walk on today.

Who manages the water

Upper Red Lake is in Beltrami County. It is a very large, shallow lake. The DNR lists it at about 119,000 acres, with a mean depth of 12 feet and a maximum depth of 15 feet. Part of it is inside the Red Lake Indian Reservation. The DNR states that "those portions of Red Lake located within the Red Lake Indian Reservation are closed to non-band members except by special authorization of the tribal council."

For state anglers, the DNR publishes a boundary guide. It says the actual boundary is not a true north-south line. To stay on state waters, it recommends anglers stay east of 94° 43' 12.0" W. It adds that everyone fishing near the boundary is responsible for knowing their location, and that a GPS unit helps.

Rules for state waters and tribal waters differ. Check before you go.

Ice thickness minimums (DNR)

These are the DNR guidelines for new, clear ice only:

• Under 4 inches: stay off.
• 4 inches: ice fishing or other activities on foot.
• 5 to 7 inches: snowmobile or small ATV.
• 7 to 8 inches: side-by-side ATV.
• 9 to 10 inches: small car or SUV.
• 11 to 12 inches: medium SUV or small truck.
• 13 inches: medium truck.
• 16 to 17 inches: heavy-duty truck.
• 20 inches or more: heavy-duty truck with a wheelhouse shelter.

White ice is only about half as strong as new, clear ice. The DNR says to double these numbers on white ice. Ice is seldom the same thickness across a lake. The DNR notes it can be two feet thick in one place and one inch thick a few yards away.

Vehicle limits can be set on Upper Red

Upper Red has had vehicle limits when ice was unsafe. In the 2023-24 season, after a December 29 rescue of 122 people and four other rescues in the two weeks before it, vehicle access on Upper Red Lake was restricted starting December 30, 2023. The Beltrami County Sheriff's Office announced the restriction would be lifted January 10, 2024. A regional TV news report on the lifting listed the same DNR thickness guidelines and quoted the DNR: "Ice can never be considered 100% safe."

We did not find an official source for a typical start date for the ice fishing season or plowed road access on Upper Red. So we do not give one. Check the DNR and local notices for current conditions.

How to check current ice

1. Do not rely on a date. Check thickness where you are standing.
2. Drill a hole. Measure clear ice, not slush or white ice.
3. Drill again every few steps. Ice changes fast.
4. Stay off the edges of pressure ridges, cracks, and open water.
5. Wear a flotation device and carry picks and a rope.
6. Tell someone where you are going and when you will be back.

Early ice is the risk window. "First ice" looks solid and often is not. The DNR says new ice is usually stronger than old ice, and that four inches of clear, newly formed ice may support one person on foot. It also says a foot or more of old, partially thawed ice may not.

Do not drive onto ice because someone else did. A plowed road is not proof of safe ice. Measure for your own load.

No ice is ever 100% safe. Check it yourself.

What we will update

Iceline will update this guide as new Upper Red entries are added to the DNR record. Until the record grows, treat mid to late November as the time to start watching, and treat any first ice as unproven until you measure it.

FAQ

When does Upper Red Lake freeze?

In the DNR record it has frozen between November 12 and December 16, with a median of November 22 across six years from 2014 to 2025. That is not a promise for any year.

What is the earliest Upper Red Lake has frozen?

November 12, 2019. The latest on file is December 16, 2016. The record is short, so an earlier or later date is possible.

How thick should ice be to walk on?

The DNR says 4 inches of new, clear ice for ice fishing or other activity on foot. Use 5 to 7 inches for a snowmobile or small ATV. Double the numbers on white ice. Check it yourself.

Can I use any part of Upper Red Lake?

Not all of it. Part of Upper Red is inside the Red Lake Indian Reservation and closed to non-band members without tribal authorization, per the DNR. State anglers should stay east of 94° 43' 12.0" W.

Does the DNR measure ice thickness on Upper Red?

No. The DNR says it does not measure ice thickness on Minnesota lakes. Your safety is your responsibility.