Celebrate the Holidays by Gifting a Road Trip to the Michigan Ice Fest 2026!

Nov 19, 2025

If you’re looking for a unique opportunity to make some memories and give the gift of the lifetime, we’ve got just the thing for you. Today on the blog, we’re taking a trip to Michigan for one of the coolest, quite literally, festivals around! Michigan Ice Fest rolls into town from February 11th through the 15th in 2026 in Munising. This unique festival combines creativity, activity, and adventure for a truly unforgettable experience! Taking advantage of the incredible views along the ice at Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, this family-friendly event is the opportunity of a lifetime. From classes to presentations to social events and more, you’ll find so many interesting things to enjoy as the festival celebrates its 35th year of fun!

Book your lodgings ASAP, as local area hotels, B&Bs, and rentals will fill up quickly for this popular event. Local spots like Pictured Rocks Inn & Suites, North Star Hotel, Roam Inn, Pictured Rocks Bed & Breakfast, etc are great places to start looking for bookings.

The focus of ice festival are the exciting climbing classes and clinics. Whether you’re a beginner or well-versed in the art of ice-climbing and ice related sports, you’ll find something worth your while! The festival only books the best of the best of the climbing industry to educate and hone your skills. Two local area climbs will be hustling and bustling: The Dreyer Hose and the Amphitheater, both off of Sand Point Road, but that’s not all there is to do!

There are numerous tracks to choose from based on your skill level and adventure seeking: The Ice Climbing Track is perfect for the novice or those looking to brush up on their skills; The Adventure Track is more backcountry style along the frozen waters of Lake Superior; the Mountaineering Track is for seasoned Midwest climbers to test and hone their skills; the Photography Track is for photographers with a grand sense of adventure who’ll do anything to capture the shot; the Youth Track is perfect to help build confidence and focus in younger enthusiasts; the Women’s Track is an all female only track led by women instructors; the Diversity Track is specifically curated to host and highlight climbers of color; the Skills Track is for brushing up on your skills and developing your perfect technique for utmost safety. There will also be numerous Guided Climbing Opportunities from local Michigan Ice Fest Guides.

This year’s festival also sees the introduction of several new activities and clinics. First, the Alpine Climbing Skills Clinic is designed to help attendees break into the Mountaineering class; learn how to climb steeper inclines, prepare for more challenging routes, and evaluate different types of alpine anchors. The V-Thread Clinic is designed to help participants hone their skills in creating secure V-Threads in ice, and each participant will be gifted a Petzl Multihook tool as part of their experience. The Wilderness First Aid Certification Course is geared towards climbers who enjoy lengthier outings of the full or half day variety, and aimed at folks who will also be traveling with reliable phone coverage for emergencies. The UPCC Board Anchor Class will focus on setting up top rope anchors for ice climbing and the physics required to be successful and stable.

Numerous lectures and Q&A sessions will also be taking place on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. Learn more about current issues and topics in the sport of ice climbing and mountaineering, learn tricks and tips for a successful climb from the pros, get to know different gear and their purpose, and even a little about the history of ice climbing itself. Come on down and enjoy a hot cup of coffee and get your jumpstart to the day before your next climb!

Special Dawn and Late Night events will be available for the early risers and late sleepers. Night Climbing is a unique experience piloted by the light of the moon and your headlamp. Night Photography also presents a new opportunity to learn your skills of long exposure and low-light nature photography. The Dawn Patrol Clinic is a 3-to-4 hour climb before the break of day done by headlamp so you can watch the sunrise.

And of course, we can’t forget about all the fun social events! There will be gear demonstrations from professional attire and gear companies, RAB speed dating events, raffles for exclusive gear freebies and goodies, dance events with live music, book release parties, beer tastings, and much more. You’ll also have the opportunity to meet famous climbers and mountaineers in person, and have the chance to attend a meet-and-greet or book signing from some of the industry greats!

Looking forward to even more winter adventure fun in the area? We’ve got a few more suggestions for planning a memorable winter road trip holiday gift!

The Winter Games in Marquette will be celebrating its 6th year highlighting the adventure and excitement of Great Lakes Sports! Events will include sports like Snow Volleyball, Sled Hockey, Snowshoeing, Rifle and Shooting sports, Curling, Figure Skating, Judo, Luge, Bowling, Archery and more. Events will kick off in Marquette and Grand Rapids in Early February.

The Negaunee Heikki Lunta Festival offers live music and entertainment, local eateries and pubs hosting seasonal and events specials, alcohol tastings and local vendors, family-friendly activities and live music, a sledding party, and plenty of twinkling holiday lights displays!

Several Dog Races are also taking place: The UP200, a 12-dog mid-distance race over 228 miles from February 12th through the 16th; The Midnight Run with 8-dog races and 82 miles of terrain; and the Jack Pine 30, a 6-dog race covering 26 miles of ground.