This past weekend was full of surprises! Cold weather, more snow, lake ice starting to form, and best of all the Dryer Hose is in! If you are dreaming up a backcountry trip up here soon, remember to grab your snowshoes or backcountry skis to access climbs and account for the extra miles in your trip. The Lakeshore Trail out to Dairyland should be packed in but beyond that snowshoes or skis will be needed. Need shoes or skis? Down Wind Sports in Munising offers rentals. Speaking of rentals, check out this new program.

Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore offers the most varied ice climbing terrain in the Midwest. From steep pillars, to the slabbier sheets of ice on Grand Island. Add in super cold temperatures with bulletproof ice, and Munising is a premier area for testing new equipment. New this year to the Michigan Ice Fest is a full service Petzl Demo Center featuring all of the amazing ice tools and crampon products for the beginner to World Cup level ice climbing equipment. Our extensive demo line allows visiting climbers to experience a variety of products in a variety of conditions. Stop by Down Wind Sports in Munising where you can select from a wide variety of Petzl equipment, and test the gear in a spectacular climbing setting! Love the gear? You can apply your one time rental fee towards the purchase of the Petzl gear!

Most climbs along Sand Point Road are now in as well as most climbs along the Lake Shore Trail. Climbs that are close but not quite would be high volume waterfalls such as Miners Falls and Giddy Up. Of course that could change this weekend with the overnight Temps dropping to zero!!! Looks like some nice ice making weather leading into this coming weekend!

At Michigan Ice we take pride in being your go to site for current ice climbing conditions for Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore as well as climbs throughout the Upper Peninsula. Planning a trip to Pictured Rocks? We have you covered for all the latest snow and ice conditions on all of your favorite climbs. Check back often for updates, pictures, and trip reports!