Can you walk on Frozen Lake Superior?

On large lakes such as Upper Red Lake and Lake Superior, people commonly choose to go on the ice before the entire lake freezes. While this is never recommended, it is especially dangerous on a windy day.



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Visiting the caves in winter requires at least a 2 mile hike (round trip) on the ice of Lake Superior. Travel on Lake Superior can be dangerous any time of the year. Traveling across the ice demands extra attention to personal safety. Lake ice is unpredictable, so traveling across it is never completely safe.

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Everyone should stay off of ice that is 2 inches thick or less. Ice fishing or other activities on foot is possible on fresh ice that is 4 inches thick. Snowmobiles or ATVs are possible on ice with a thickness of at least 5 inches.

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Have a plan in case you do fall in:
  1. Stay close to the surface by kicking your legs.
  2. Keep your winter clothes on to stay warm.
  3. Move in the direction you had just walked from. ...
  4. Find solid, unbroken ice and — if you have them — use the ice pick and rope to bore a hole through the surface and pull yourself out.


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In water that is around the freezing point, a person is likely to survive only 15 to 45 minutes with flotation and possibly up to an hour or so with flotation and protective gear before the brain and heart stop (Table 1). The surface temperature of Lake Superior in early to mid-summer is about 40 to 50 F.

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This is due to their lower latitudes and large depths. The deep lakes provide massive heat storage and allow the lakes to better resist freezing. Since the 1970s, ice coverage has generally decreased. However, we did experience one brutal winter in 2013/2014.

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If you can see the ground through the ice, then there's going to be warmer water under it. Out in the middle, the ice grows thicker over the cold dark depths. Also, ice always melts away from the shore first.

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