It's the time of the year when humans can walk on water.
Frozen lakes mean a lot of winter recreation across the area. But the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is reminding residents to always check the ice thickness before they haul heavy equipment onto lakes.
ATV's and foot traffic were the means of getting around on Lake Washington on Friday.
"For the most part ice is good everywhere, you're able to get out, walk out everywhere," said Dylan Vollmer. "And four-wheeling, you just got to know where you're at."
But even with the cold temperatures and good ice-making conditions, some fisherman say there's still certain areas where the ice thickness can vary significantly.
"I wouldn't go through the narrows myself," said Don Dallmann. "And you never know it might be three (inches) here; it might be 8 (inches) here."
The DNR says there should be at least 5 inches of ice for an ATV or snowmobile. A car requires at least 8 inches of frozen water and a medium-sized truck requires a minimum of 12.
"You got to know where you're at on some of the lakes," said Vollmer. "There's narrows and there's weak spots."
In one particular location on Lake Washington, the ice measured over 10 inches thick.
Right now, the D-N-R says many lakes in Southcentral Minnesota have an 8 to 10-inch ice layer.
The DNR says cars parked on the ice should be at least 50 feet away from other vehicles, and moved every two hours.
