Going stir-crazy is a real thing for Michigan winters, especially if you live in the UP! It seems like it’s always either too cold or too snowy to go anywhere. The roads are bad, the wind-chill is below 15, and for the most part your kids would rather stay inside playing Roblox on their tablet. But you’re determined to get them out of the house and it happens to be a weekend without a recent snowfall and the temp is 30 degrees – sounds like a good weekend to go to the ice caves!

ice caves in Eben Michigan


The ice caves are a great little day trip – last weekend my friend from Cheboygan came out with her two kids just for the day. It was a 2.5 hour trip to get to Escanaba from the bridge, and then we all piled into one car to head to the ice caves. A 45 minute drive allowed us some time to visit and the kids to get reacquainted (they’re 10, 11, 13, and 14, so this takes a little longer than it used to!)

While our kids are a bit older now, I did take mine a few years ago and they had just as much fun then. And during this visit we saw several families with little ones, sometimes even pulled on sleds. It’s about a mile hike in – downhill on the way in and uphill on the way out – but there’s no rush, and it makes for a nice little day outside.

child walking behind ice formations in Michigan's UP
You can walk behind the biggest ice formations, they’re huge!
detail shot of ice formations in upper Michigan
Details of some of the ice formations – I thought they looked like jellyfish, and my kids liked that you could see the water running through them.

The people who own the property around the ice caves recently put in a nice new parking lot – we didn’t realize this and parked on the road, so that added a bit to our walking distance, but if you Google “Eben Ice caves” it’ll take you right to the parking lot. There’s a trailer selling souvenirs and snacks (we didn’t check this out but it’s a cool addition) and past that is the parking lot, complete with a nice new pit toilet.

The trail itself has been quite slick the two times I’ve been on it – I had ice cleats both times and would highly recommend them, but even so this time I found myself slipping a bit! (note, if you don’t have ice cleats, there’s a bar at the corner of the road to the ice caves that rents them out!) Snowshoes would be a bit overkill for this trail, I think – it’s very well packed down as it gets quite a bit of traffic – but I wouldn’t skip the cleats! There were several spots I just got on my butt and slid down, rather than risking walking – it seemed safer, plus it was a ton of fun!

a snow covered trail in Michigan's upper peninsula
The trees were snowcovered and the trail was well-packed- snowshoes aren’t necessary but I’d definitely recommend ice cleats!
4 kids and an adult struggling to climb an icy hill in Michigan's upper peninsula
We were climbing a hill after crossing a very small creek – it was quite slippery here and even with cleats, it was hard to get traction! I was laughing too hard here to even stand up!

The caves themselves are gorgeous. Even during the somewhat mild winter we’re having this year, there was lots of ice to explore. The kids had a lot of fun wandering through it all. We did see a few families with kids breaking icicles off – I’d advise against this, not only is it dangerous but it leaves less for the next family to see. If you do go to the ice caves, please be respectful and help your kids to be so as well <3

group photo of 2 adults and 4 kids at the eben ice caves in Michigan's upper peninsula


All in all we made the whole trip in about 3 hours – I’d add a little extra time if you have really little ones or a bigger crowd. The hike back out is mostly uphill so it’s a little more strenuous, but it almost feels easier than sliding your way down on the way in! I don’t like hangry kids, so I brought a backpack with snacks and water for everyone – it really just makes it easier for everyone if everyone is happy! I saw families pulling their little ones on sleds and I think that would be a great idea to give tired little legs a rest. I also made sure to bring a couple of flashlights just in case we got stuck on the trail after dark, a few bandaids, that sort of thing – it wasn’t a big risk but I always like to play it safe, especially with the limited cell service in the UP.

If you’re looking for something pretty quick adventure to get your kids out of the house, I definitely recommend visiting the Eben ice caves! Next we’ll be looking to take the kids snowshoeing – my daughter recently had a field trip snowshoeing near Pictured Rocks and she wants to go back. It’s something I’ve been wanting to do, plus I’m happy that she wants to get outside! If you’ve got recommendations for fun, easy, affordable outdoor activities in the UP, let me know!