Its longest record of ice cover comes from Lake Pepin, a reservoir of the river that stretches 21 miles between Reads Landing and Red Wing, Minnesota.

Lake Pepin, a reservoir of the Mississippi River that stretches 21 miles between Reads Landing and Red Wing, Minnesota, is used as an indicator of when commercial shipping can start up again ...

Ice cover on the upper Mississippi is already waning. Records from Lake Pepin dating back to 1843 show that ice thaws about two weeks sooner today than it did then.

Lake Pepin, a reservoir of the Mississippi River that stretches 21 miles between Reads Landing and Red Wing, Minnesota, is used as an indicator of when commercial shipping can start up again ...

Lake Pepin’s ice thickness is measured because it’s the widest naturally occurring part of the Mississippi River.

During the months the season is closed, workers conduct maintenance projects and repairs. The 2022 season started last March when a vessel broke through the ice on Lake Pepin on its way to St. Paul.

Money Barge and tow season closes on the upper Mississippi River The final towboat, the Motor Vessel Thomas Erickson, departed Lock and Dam 10 near Guttenberg, Iowa, with 15 barges.

(Photo by Pepin County Sheriff’s Office) An Iowa towboat is headed upstream from Dubuque and it appears there will be an early start to the navigation season on the Upper Mississippi River.

"We value the river for commercial navigation and for the unique navigation system that exists here.” Since 2014, Hince and her team have worked for solutions to preserve Lake Pepin.

Its longest record of ice cover comes from Lake Pepin, a reservoir of the river that stretches 21 miles between Reads Landing and Red Wing, Minnesota.

Lake Pepin, a reservoir of the Mississippi River that stretches 21 miles between Reads Landing and Red Wing, Minnesota, is used as an indicator of when commercial shipping can start up again ...