News — Winter Activity

Courtesy of NPS When most people think of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, they think of outdoor adventures! Winter in the Upper Peninsula is no exception! One thing that is on our bucket list is exploring Pictured Rocks in the winter!  Pictured Rocks is beautiful in every season, but winter brings an unique sense of adventure to the area! There are a lot of activities at Pictured Rocks during the snowy season - cross country skiing, snowmobiling, ice climbing, winter camping and more! Some winters, the Pictured Rocks area receives more than 200 inches, so you will have no shortage...

Mackinac's classic Christmas weekend benefiting Mackinac Island's Churches and Mackinac Island Medical Center is happening this weekend! This is a yearly tradition where  the community of year-long residents gather to celebrate the Christmas season. The Mackinac Island Community Hall is opened up for shopping, an auction and meals! All of the profits are given back to the churches and medical center.  The Christmas Tree Lighting was last night, Friday, December 6th at 5:00 PM in the center of Main Street.  There is a snowmobile raffle, too! Attendees purchase tickets to win a 2020 Yamaha Snowmobile which benefits the Mackinac Island Christmas Bazaar....

Winter can seem endless, but a lot of outdoors men and women don’t let a little cold weather / snow stand in their way of camping! Winter camping is popular in all parts of Northern Michigan, but there are a few spots that are favorites: Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore Park: This is a cool spot (literally!) to see ice pancakes and beautiful winter scenes. Camping is allowed throughout the park. Sources claim that Chapel Loop is the best spot, which is a 10.4 mile loop. Porcupine Mountains: If you want to go camping, but not have the full outdoor experience...

It seems like winter will never end all over Michigan and Mackinac Island is no different! While there are no cars on the island, the roads still must be kept clear for other modes of transportation. Some people say that the average snowfall Mackinac Island gets each year is 94 inches, while the United State’s average snowfall is just 26 inches. That should give you a good idea of how buried Mackinac Island is under snow during winter. Currently, the ice bridge is open and used to get back and forth from Mackinac Island to the mainland. While this is...

February 2nd, Groundhog Day, marked the official halfway point of the winter season being over. If you are anything like our staff, you can’t wait to get outside this spring! The weather will be warm and biking around the island sounds like the best idea in the world. But since there is still a long winter ahead, doesn’t a winter picnic sound like the perfect way to break the indoor monotony? Hop in the car, head to your favorite state park, bundle up and get ready for an adventure! Take a hike, snowshoe or cross-country ski while working up an...