Visit the Beautiful Midway Ice Castle in Utah

Winter is here!  We live in Utah where winter is in full throttle. Our favorite event is the ice castle in Midway Utah. 

I have been thinking about all the Salt Lake City winter activities around town and trying to do as many as possible. The ice castle in Utah is always at the top of the list! 

We have been able to go to the Midway Ice Castle for the last few years! It is literally what fairy tales are made of. These ice structures and exhilarating ice slides make for a perfect winter wonderland during the winter season! It is amazing every time we go! 

In this post, I am going to list everything you will need to know when you visit! 

Let’s explore the Midway Ice Castle and learn all the fun things to do once you arrive! 

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What is the Midway Ice Castle and Why Should it Be on Your “Salt Lake City Winter Activities List?”

The Midway Ice Castle is a hand-crafted ice structure made by professional ice artists.  There are tunnels, icicle-adorned archways,and ice slides to explore.  It really is a beautiful work of art.  

The ice castle is built entirely by hand using hundreds of thousands of icicles.  The Utah ice castle includes breathtaking LED-lit sculptures (at night), ice thrones, ice-carved tunnels, and slides.

Ice Castle Locations in North America

This frozen attraction is located in six cities across North America. These popular ice castles are located in Colorado, Minnesota, New Hampshire, Wisconsin, and Utah.

I feel pretty lucky that there is an ice castle in Utah and that I do not have to travel too far to see it.  

If you are traveling to Utah in the winter this really needs to be on your Salt Lake City winter activity list!

Where is the Midway Ice Castle? 

The ice castle is located in Midway, Utah.  Midway is an up-and-coming mountain town. 

It is about 25 minutes from Park City.  The area is really beautiful.  A few years ago it was chosen to house the HGTV Dream Home.

The Midway Ice Castle is about a 50-minute drive from Salt Lake City and about 43 minutes from Provo.

It is located at:

Soldier Hollow Nordic Center

2002 Olympic Drive Midway, Utah

Homestead Resort

The ice castle is at the Homestead Resort and Golf Course. The location is great because if you wanted to make a weekend of it you have a nice place to stay at the resort.  There is also a crater located nearby with warm natural hot springs.

Midway Ice Castle Tickets and Reservations 

Opening Winter 2024

The ice castle usually opens in late December or early January.  Last winter season the opening date was January 13th.  

Closing Date

The ice castle will stay open as long as the weather conditions remain cold. Usually late February or early March.

Reservations

Reservations are needed.  There are time slots all day starting at noon on weekends and 4:00 pm on weekdays.

This attraction will sell out!  You will want to plan ahead and book a time to visit! 

Opening day is a great time to go.  Many people may not know the exact opening date.  You should have your choice of both daytime and nighttime slots.  At nighttime, it is lit up and even more beautiful.

We chose to go at 3:00 pm one year and thought it was great for keeping track of kids.  As our kids got older we have been at night and loved that as well. 

Ticket’s to the Midway Ice Castle

Ticket prices vary from weekday to weekend.  During the week adults are $19 and children (4-11) are $12.  Weekend Prices for adults are $25 and $17 for children.

Buying tickets online is pretty important to guarantee your spot.  But if you want to risk it, there are standby tickets available that are more expensive.

Coupons for the Midway Ice Castles

Use code Planningaway to get a 15% discount on your tickets.  

Proposal?

If you want to propose you can book a private alcove for this special occasion. 

What are the Midway Ice Castle Hours?

Hours for the Midway Ice Castle are as follows:

Weekday

4:00 pm – 9:00 pm

Weekends

11:00 am – 10:30 pm

Prepare for The Midway Ice Castle

What to Wear to the Ice Castle

With all outdoor Salt Lake City winter activities, certain clothing should be worn. For starters, put on some good-quality snow boots that will keep your toes warm.

I wish I would have put my little kids in snow pants or ski bibs. Not so much for the cold, but mostly because there are ice slides and if you are sliding down without the proper material you will get wet and be cold.

Gloves, hats, face masks, and earmuffs would be a good idea to take with you.  I happened to go and it was only 32 degrees out so it wasn’t super cold.  If you go at nighttime I would prepare to bundle up!

Bring a Sled

Bring a sled for your little children.  I saw a few parents pulling sleds around the castle and thought that was a genius idea.

Parking At The Midway Ice Castle

Parking is pretty easy.  You will park at the golf course because the Midway Ice Castle is actually built on the golf course.  There are four lots available.  If you park farther away there is a shuttle tram to take you to the entrance.

Entering the Midway Ice Castle

As you enter, you will go to a ticket area and be directed to the right location.  You will need to show your online purchased tickets which will be scanned.  

The ticket master will give you a card with your party size on it and you will proceed to the ice castle entrance.

Rules at the Midway Ice Castle

There are a few rules that you can read in this picture.  I think the most important ones were to not touch the ice and that if you leave the ice castle you may not re-enter.

Meet Elsa and Anna at the Midway Ice Castle

Before you enter the ice castle there is a great photo opportunity.  There is a sign that says, ” ice castle.” Plus Elsa and Anna from Frozen will be there to greet you and take a picture with you.

My little kids were so excited to go to the ice castle and then the added bonus of getting to meet the princesses was pretty awesome!

Horse-Drawn Sleigh Rides

Before or after your visit to the Utah ice castle you can book a horse drawn sleigh ride.  This ride will take you on a wooden winter trail around the ice castle.  (Tickets are sold seperatly for this activity.)

What to Expect at the Midway Ice Castle

I really wasn’t sure what to expect when I went in.  As you enter,  you get to walk between tall sheets of ice crystals.  It is pretty awesome.

Once inside the area opens up and you are surrounded by the walls of the castle.  Within the ice castle, there are mazes,ice caverns with crawl spaces, ice chairs, and slides to explore.  You can explore the whole area and take as many photos as you want.

What Surprised Me

I knew that it would be fun to take pictures and see the castle but I had no idea there were slides and mazes.  There were 3 slides.  Two of the slides are short and fast. 

In my opinion, one slide stands out above the rest at the Midway Ice Castle.  It is both long and fast! You will know which one I am referring to because it is the only slide that a mat is provided.

Slides at the Midway Ice Castles

There is really something for everyone at the Midway Ice Castle.  Even toddlers can enjoy one of the slides.  It is designed especially for little children.  My 4 and 7-year-old went on this smaller slide and loved it.

 Height Requirements

Two other slides do have a height requirement of 42″. The first one we went on was not extremely fast and I think kids ages 4 and up would do just fine.

The more intense slide that I mentioned above is extremely fast.  With that said my four-year-old loved it but if you have a timid child it might not be the best option. One thing I liked about this particular slide was the mat to sit on.  This was nice so your pants would not get wet!

My kids loved the intense slide and went down multiple times. Even adults will love this.  I went down and thought it was fun!

What is the Best Time of Day to Go to the Ice Castles?

Daytime

This is solely my opinion.  The first time I went I had little kids and I thought it was tough to keep track of them at the ice castle.  They were running in all the mazes and coming down different slides.

I would have been so stressed out if it had been dark and I could not see where they were running off to.  So, I would say daytime is best with little kids. Plus, it is more crowded at night!

One benefit of going in the daytime is that the time slots do not sell out as quickly.  When we arrived, the crowd level wasn’t bad.  We did not have to wait in any lines for the slides.  As the next time slot opened it became busy.  The lines grew rather large toward the end of our visit.

Nighttime

Now if this had been a date, nighttime would totally be the way to go.  You might not be able to stay as long because you may get cold but the Midway Ice Castle will be lit up with beautiful colored lights.

If you are there for photography in mind you should be able to get some great shots. I like the contrast in colors at night for sure.

The nighttime time slots are usually sold out, so you can expect it to be pretty crowded.

Just FYI: As my family has gotten older we have gone at night and had an amazing time! 

How Long Should I Plan to Stay at the Utah Ice Castle?

I would plan to stay 30 minutes to 1.5 hours.  If the weather is nice you can easily stay longer.  We were able to go on all the slides multiple times and we stayed over an hour.

Obviously, if you go later and they are sold out it is going to take you a lot longer to go down all the slides because the lines will be longer.  You will also have to wait in line to take pictures at particular spots as well.

Will I Be Warm Enough at the Midway Ice Castle in Utah?

First, I would say dress warm no matter what.  We went and it wasn’t bad at 32 degrees.  I was chasing kids around and was not cold at all.

Space Heaters

In the middle of the Ice Castle is an open space with huge space heaters.  There are log benches available to sit and relax on as well.

Refreshment Stand

If you are still too cold there is a refreshment stand that sells hot chocolate.  You can grab a cup and head to the space heaters to warm up.

Some people in our party got too cold because they didn’t have the right shoes.  Shoes really make a difference (get snow boots).  They decided to go back to the car because they couldn’t handle being in the cold for any longer!

Are you Ready to go to the Midway Utah Ice Castle?

The Midway Ice Castle is a great activity to do during the winter months, but if you need more ideas for your Salt Lake City winter activities list, be sure to check out my Ultimate Salt Lake City ski trip post.

Soldier Hollow is another great place for snow tubing. And of course, heading to Park City for some winter  fun is always an option!  Utah is a winter playground with so much to do! 

More Utah Winter Activities

I created a fun bucket list of things to do in Utah in Winter.  Click this link and I will email you a copy! 

Facebook Travel Community

If you have any questions or know of other great places to add to our Salt Lake City winter activities list please comment below!

Also, join my Planningaway Travel Community on Facebook.  This is a place where I post travel deals, and you can ask any questions about your Salt Lake City skiing trip or any other upcoming trips