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 2025
The ice castle usually opens in late December or early January. This season the opening date was Jan 15th.
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
What a great, thorough, and informative article. If I’m ever in the area, a stop at Midway Ice Castle is a must!
Yes, it is only open for a short time because it will melt!
will they build another one next winter?
Yes, I think so. It has been coming back for several years now here and they keep adding locations other places.
Amazing experience. You’d feel like you were in a Frozen.
It makes you want to break out in song!
I think it is great that Elsa and Anna from Frozen are there to greet you. I also would go down the slide many times over.
It was a special treat!
That looks so lovely and yet so cold!!!
The temp wasn’t too bad during the day but nighttime would be cold!
This looks rather epic and magical! WOW I had no idea something like this existed so close by…. worth a road trip !
I like that there are several locations too!
Definitely on my bucket list. Beautiful photos
Thanks, yes it was on my list for a few years and I am glad I made it!
Sliding down slides in an ice castle?! My kids would love this!
Yes, they would love it for sure!
We may have to visit this place one day. ?
Oh yes it is fun!
This is absolutely magical 🙂
It really was magical!
Ice castles are so exciting-especially at night. This one looks great!
It is like being in Frozen!
wow, this place looks awesome! Def adding this to my list to visit in the future.
It is only open for a short time so be sure to check that out!
Great post about the ice castle! You answered many of my questions that I wondered if I was going to visit. I can’t wait to visit Utah one day.
Oh good!
We’re hoping to get to the New Hampshire ice castles soon. It looks like so much fun, I’m sure my girls will love it.
Your kids will love it!
Having lived in Georgia and now D.C., an ice castle is something I’ve never come across before, but it sounds awesome! It would be hard to choose between day and night, but I would love to see the ice all lit up. What a fun winter activity!
Yes, It probably is more magical at night!
This looks like such a cool adventure! I would love to see this in person!
It was really cool to see!
So cool you finally got the opportunity to go…it is so popular! And love the day shots – just as magical as the night. Wish I would have went down the slides last season but was much too cold when we visited in Minnesota. Maybe this year!
Last year the Midwest was crazy cold! Hopefully, this year you can!
I have never been in an ice castle, not have I ever heard of one. It looks so fun!
Oh cool, yes, it has been around for a few years but I just did it for the first time this year.
What a great article. I’ve heard people mention this in the past but never really knew much about it. Now I want to go! I’m assuming it would be best to stay in Salt Lake as far as that is where there are the most things to do? Enjoyed the article. Pinned to refer to later.
I would probably stay in Park City or on the Homestead Resort where the ice caste is located. The Homestead resort has a natural hot spring that is really cool.
This is so cool! I didn’t think about ice castles having slides and mazes, either. My family would be all over this!
It was a totally surprise to us, I just thought it would be cool to walk around in.
I cannot believe ice castles exist in the US and I didn’t know about them! Thanks so much for the heads up!
Such a cool thing huh! You should look up Alex boye frozen on youtube from a few years ago. It is a really cool video.
These have become so popular. I am not sure how the one in New Hampshire is doing this winter. We are having a relatively warm season.
We had a warm season a few years ago and it wasn’t open for too long.
My kids would love to play Frozen in this. Dream place to be Elsa! ?
Yes, it is perfect for that!
Winter’s beauty!! This is something I would brave the cold to see.
Bundle up and get some hot chocolate!
How cool! Going at night would be a fantastic idea for a date, it sounds romantic!
It would be a great date location!
Wow! How fun! It reminds me of the ice hotel on a Hallmark movie that I re-watched last nite. Lol
It was probably filmed there!
Who knew there was a place like that in Utah? That looks like it would be up in Canada or Alaska. So very cool!
It is very near Park City in the mountains.
This is so cool! I’ve been wanting to go to the one here in Colorado for several years but haven’t been yet. This makes me want to make it more of a priority.
I know I was the same way. I wanted to go but didn’t want to get out in the cold but I am glad I did!
Wow that looks like a real life frozen movie!! ?
It is pretty cool. They have shot music videos here.
Another place I have never been to but would like to get to some day!
I hope you get to!
This looks amazing! Cold, but amazing! 🙂 I’m putting this one on the list! Great article!
Thanks!
We are going to Utah in December with family and friends so I will add this to our list of things to do as it looks great!
It didn’t open until January this year. It depends on weather, December may be too early!
Such a great post! We never knew ice castles could have a maze, that sounds so neat and amazing! Thank you for sharing your adventure.
It surprised me as well. My kids loved that part.
What a unique experience! I didn’t know this type of thing existed in the states. You know how much I love all the photos!!
I know it was really overcast too I wasn’t sure how our photo’s would turn out!
Oh my goodness my girls would love this so much! I need to make sure to put this on my list for next season. Thanks for sharing!
Oh for sure and I know there is one one the east coast too!
I wish we had those in my neck of the woods! It seems so awesome and I enjoy winter that this would be an awesome day trip! Thanks for sharing!
It was a great day trip!
Just looking at the pictures gave me super chills. It looks fun though. Thanks for sharing.
I know right!
This looks like so much fun!! I had to chuckle though when you said 32 degrees so it wasn’t too cold. I’ve been out of Colorado for 9 years now and living in SoCal. I’ve clearly changed because my eyes doubled in size when you said 32 wasn’t too cold. We’re in hiding when the temperature drops below 65 out here! But I do remember when I growing up, I was fine until it hit the 20s. I’m going to pin this as an idea for a future trip!
Ha Ha. That is funny. I think I am good until it gets below 20. I have been in Park City at 0 degrees and that was cold! I could handle 32!
I have never heard of an ice castle…this looks amazing!!
It was pretty cool!
The ice castle looks awesome! My 3 yo would lose her mind…she’s obsessed with Frozen.
Oh yes she would love it! She would have to dress like Elsa!
This looks like such a fun activity for the kids!
For sure! We my kids had a lot of fun!
My daughter would love this
It was really fun for my kids!
This looks awesome! I’d love to check it out.
This looks like such an awesome thing to do with family. I’ll have to do this with my kids one day and I’ll make sure to bring a sled
The sled would be fun for the littles!
I am soooo not a fan of the cold, but this place looks fantastic! What a spectacular place to visit if you can tolerate the frigid temperatures.
I know right!
This is something I have always wanted to see i think it is so pretty. I would love to got there someday.
Oh yes! If you live close to one you should!
This would be a fun and enchanting experience!
It is really cool!
Normally, I’m not one to go from my cold wintery state to another one, but this ice castle looks amazing! Definitely need to make a trip to Utah.
I know right. There are a few other locations as well if one is closer to you!
I have always wanted to visit an ice castle. Living in south GA there are none near us of course. We were very excited to go ice caving in Iceland in February. Maybe we will make it to Utah one winter!
That would be awesome! It is a really neat experience!
Wow! The Midway Ice Castle is so impressive! This sounds like a perfect family winter activity to do in Utah! Thanks for sharing!
It is really cool and beautiful!
My kids would lose their minds if we could go there! That sounds so much fun.