How To Love a Michigan Winter
I LOVE winters in Michigan and I look forward to it all year, probably more than any other season. That wasn’t always the case though! I was born in southern California and grew up with palm trees. When my parents moved us to Michigan, I hated the cold. I hated everything about winter. I hated the snow, the grey skies, being stuck inside, and everything else. Finally in college I decided I didn’t want to hate it anymore since I would be spending at least the rest of my schooling (including three more years after college of grad school) in Michigan. It was too expensive to go to school out-of-state, so I figured I needed to make the most of it. I picked up a few winter hobbies and just like that, I fell in love. It became a time of year where I got to do some of my absolute favorite things - things that I couldn’t do for eight other months of the year. Now, there’s no way I’d ever want to live somewhere without cold, snowy winters.
I currently live in Traverse City, Michigan, a super popular beach town where tourists flock to like crazy all summer long. With the beaches, sand dunes, hikes, and amazing weather, it’s easy to get why. But as soon as summer’s over, it breaks my heart to see so many locals dreading the winter months. Tons of them even fly south - the snowbirds. The ones who are still here often wish they weren’t, and are waiting for retirement to move away in the winters.
It doesn’t have to be like that! I love advocating for our winters and helping people learn hobbies to enjoy it. Truthfully, there might even be MORE fun activities you can do in the winter than any other season. So I’ve compiled a list of all of the awesome winter activities you can only do in the winter here, in the hopes that you’ll find it, pick some of the things on it, and fall in love with winter too. <3 Enjoy friends!
Outdoor Dining: there’s so many cool places in Michigan to enjoy unique dining experiences in the winter. I love the cozy feel that comes with this season, especially when you’re enjoying meals with good company. I especially love how popular outdoor dining is in the winter! What an awesome way to embrace the snow and how pretty it is. You can also check out my post for my favorite places to eat outdoors in Northern Michigan this winter.
Ice Fishing: grab your shanty, hot cocoa, and something to keep you warm! Ice fishing is a great way to enjoy the cold and bring home dinner. Bonus points because you don’t have to deal with a boat launch!
Ice Skating: try some figure skating moves, pond hockey, or just skating around for fun. It’s great exercise and even more fun than rollerblading in the summer. If you fall a lot like me, wear your knee pads!
Fat Tire Biking: I had never heard of this until I lived up north. People up here really get into biking and I guess they decided it should be a year-round activity! They’re literally bikes with ‘fat tires’ so they can go over the snow and ice no problem. If you don’t have your own, you can rent them from Brick Wheels in Traverse City.
Fat tire bikes are great for snowy trail conditions
Snowshoeing: This might be one of my favorites! There’s so many great snowshoeing trails. It’s good exercise (more than you might think!) and probably the best way, in my opinion, to take in the beauty of snowy trails up north. You can buy new or used ones from Play It Again Sports in Traverse City or rent them Brick Wheels (mentioned above), or Crystal River Outfitters if you’re out near Glen Arbor.
Snowboarding or Skiing: both are super fun. I learned to ski growing up and I switched to snowboarding six years ago. They’re both a blast! Pretty much all of the ski resorts up north offer rentals and lessons if you’re new or need equipment.
Snow Tubing: There’s two places in Traverse City where you can go snow tubing and they’re both great. They both offer fast-paced tubing that’ll make you giggle like a little kid! Check out Timberlee Hills or Mt. Holiday.
Sledding: much like snow tubing except it’s free and you hike yourself to the top of the hill. One of the coolest things about sledding in Northern Michigan is that even if there’s not enough snow, you can still go sledding at the sand dunes in Empire! This makes it one of the easiest activities to enjoy winter regardless of how much snow we’ve gotten.
Snowmobiling: if you want a way to see from place to place that doesn’t involve activity as strenuous as hiking or skiing, snowmobiling is awesome. It’s great for people who like a faster-paced activity, and there’s a huge community for it in Northern Michigan! All the way from Grayling through the Upper Peninsula and up to Grand Marais, there’s tons of snowmobilers hitting the trails and stopping at dive bars and restaurants along the way. Talk about a road trip!
Dog Sledding: you can watch the UP 200 in Marquette and cheer on the mushers, or you can try it yourself! You can go to either Nature’s Kennel Sled Dog Adventures or Husky Haven Kennels if you’re in the Upper Peninsula, or you can check out Tree Tops Resort if you’re in the Lower Peninsula.
Husky Haven in the winter
Paddle Boarding: a popular summer favorite that people always forget about in the winter! Thanks to all of the rivers in Michigan and huge lakes we have, there’s a lot of water that doesn’t freeze all winter long. Always take precaution with the right equipment (especially if you’re going on moving water like a river) to avoid hypothermia, but done right, I think it’s the most beautiful time of year to paddle board. Snow makes everything quiet, and it’s incredibly peaceful to be out on your board surrounded by snow.
White Water Rafting: I’ve went a few times out west and down south in the warmer months and it’s a blast. Something super unique in Michigan is that here, we can go in the winter! They’re guided rafting trips to make sure the boats don’t tip over like rafting trips in most other places of the country - where they stop running in the early fall until late spring - and it offers such a cool experience that’s hard to get anywhere else. You can check out Big Bear Adventures or Jordan Valley Outfitters if it sounds like your cup of tea.
Hike the Ice Caves: during the summer, lots of people hike the Upper Peninsula to get to the picturesque waterfalls. The winter is no different! There’s lots of really cool ice caves that form in the winter you can hike to. One of the most popular ones is Eben Ice Caves about half an hour west of Munising. Eben Ice Caves are family friendly and dog friendly. I’d say the first 3/4 of the trail was very easy, and the last 1/4 was quite icy and hilly! On a summer day it would be very easy, but during the winter, I’d recommend ski poles or ice spikes, or both. To the east of Munising and along the Pictured Rocks Lakeshore, you can visit the Grand Island Ice Caves. They are bigger and more of a sight to see, but also harder to get to as you have to walk across lake ice from Sand Point to get to the island, and you need to make sure the ice is safe to walk across. This one is less of a family friendly activity and requires more planning to make sure it’s safe, but it’s really neat. You can also see ice climbers from time to time!
Visit Michigan’s German Town: an escape to little Bavaria has never been so close! If you’re not into the hiking/outdoorsy activities in the cold, plan a weekend to Frankenmuth. It’s a charming little town that functions year-round with restaurants, shops, activities, and aesthetic as if you’re in Bavaria (yes this includes German chocolate!). They have festivals and events essentially every weekend of the year. You can also check out Bronner’s, the world’s largest Christmas store, taking up 2.2 acres! Frankenmuth is a great place to take the family or just go on your own!
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Hopefully by now you’ve found something on the list that suits your fancy! There really is so many great activities to make the most of out of winter. I realize not everyone is going to love winter as much as I do, but hopefully you can pick a few of these hobbies to give yourself something to look forward to this winter!
Cheers!
Brooke
