LAKE CITY, Minn. – Ever so slowly, the ice pack on Lake Pepin is shrinking. The latest borings by the Army Corps found the thickest point at 20 inches at River Mile 769 south of Lake City. For shippers eager to start the 2025 season, it may be still awhile before navigation can resume. The ice is enirely the thicker sort — what’s called “blue ice.” It’s solid, in contrast with air-infused “white ice,” which yields sooner. This winter there’s no white ice.
