Whether you like it or not, winter is coming. But when it does arrive, there are still many things to do in the UP. One of them is visiting the Eben Ice Caves.
The Eben Ice Caves are stunning seasonal ice formations located in the Hiawatha National Forest near Eben Junction in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.
How They Form
- Not true caves: They are actually massive walls of ice that form over sandstone alcoves.
- Water seepage: Melting snow and groundwater seep through the sandstone cliffs.
- Freezing: Frigid winter temperatures freeze the water into giant icicles and hollow columns up to 50 feet high.
- Blue color: Thick ice absorbs other light wavelengths and reflects a striking blue glow.
The Hike
- Distance: About 1.7 to 2 miles round trip.
- Difficulty: Moderate, with a short climb up a snowy hill near the end.
- Gear: Ice cleats or crampons are essential because the trail and the climb near the ice walls get very slippery.
- Location details: The trail starts on private land where a local family maintains a parking area, and then enters public wilderness land. Donations are requested for parking.
When to Visit
- Best months: January and February offer the most stable and impressive ice formations.
- Melt: The ice usually starts to melt in April as spring arrives.
- Summer: In warmer months, there is no ice and very little water trickling over the dry rock face.
Cory, Abby, Jimmie, and I went to visit the Eben Ice Caves one year. These are the images we took while there. The hike in was pretty easy, and we got to see some cool things along the way, including a bent tree that looked like an arch and a small creek that we crossed.
Jimmie and Abby have been married since we made this trip. I guess Jimmie teasing Abby on the trip did not scare her away.
Cory is the one in the orange and yellow jacket, Jimmie is the one with the dark hair, Abby is the one in the blue outfit, and I am the one with the long hair sitting on a nature-made ice chair below.
Restrooms are provided in the parking lot. I was a little worried that my diesel truck would start in the parking lot without being able to plug it in, but it started just fine. Glad I got those glow plugs changed!
There is a little map at the beginning showing what you are getting into, but the trek was pretty easy. Another thing at the beginning was the ice monster made out of hay bales to greet you that reminded me of Bumble (the Abominable Snow Monster of the North) from the classic 1964 stop-motion animated special Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.
You get the opportunity to climb to the top and see the view from above, and if you sit in the ice ‘cave,’ you can enjoy the unique silence while sitting there. Even though it is not technically a cave, the sound is dampened by all of the ice.
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