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Upper Peninsula · Downhill & Nordic

Skiing the UP — where the snow actually is

Ten lift-served hills and the deepest natural snow in the Midwest, plus a Nordic network that grooms daily from Ironwood to Munising. Pick an area and get live snow depth, new snowfall, the wind chill you'll actually feel on the lift, and any winter storm warnings in force right now.

❄️ Live snow depth & snowfall ⛷️ 10 downhill areas 🎿 7 groomed Nordic systems
Ski Area
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Snow Right Now

Conditions on the hill

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Pulling modelled snow depth and recent snowfall for this area from Open-Meteo.
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Snowfall total
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Snowfall total
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Forecast snowfall
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Today's high & low
On The Mountain

What it's doing out there right now

Live weather from Open-Meteo · Winter alerts from the National Weather Service.
Snowfall Forecast

What's coming in the next four days

Modelled snowfall for the selected area. In lake-effect season these totals swing hard with wind direction — a band that sets up over Ironwood can miss Marquette entirely.

Downhill

Every lift-served hill in the Upper Peninsula

Ten areas with chairs and a published snow report. Vertical drop in the UP is modest by western standards — but the snow totals are not, and the western hills sit right under the Lake Superior snowbelt.

Nordic

Groomed cross-country trail systems

The UP's Nordic grooming is genuinely world-class — ABR and Valley Spur draw skiers from across the Midwest. Nearly all of these are groomed for both skate and classic.

Why The West Gets More

Lake-effect snow, and how to read it

The single most useful thing to understand about UP skiing is that snowfall is wildly uneven across the peninsula, and it is uneven for a reason you can predict.

❄️ How the bands form
Cold arctic air crosses the open, relatively warm water of Lake Superior, picks up moisture and heat, then dumps it as snow when it hits land and is forced up over higher terrain. The longer the air travels over open water, the more it carries.
🧭 Why the west wins
Gogebic and Ontonagon counties sit downwind of the widest stretch of Lake Superior and hold the highest ground in Michigan. Ironwood, Bessemer and Wakefield can measure a storm in feet while the eastern UP measures the same system in inches.
🌊 The ice-cover catch
Lake-effect needs open water. In a hard winter the lake ices over and the machine shuts off — late-season snow then depends on synoptic storms instead. Check the Lake Superior panel on the main dashboard for current water temperature.
Know Before You Go

Passes, timing and the drive

🎟️ Trail passes
Private Nordic centers such as ABR charge a daily trail fee. Valley Spur asks for a pass or donation that funds grooming. State pathways and state park trails need a Michigan Recreation Passport on the vehicle rather than a per-skier fee. Club systems such as Swedetown and Wolverine Nordic run on memberships and donations.
🗓️ When to come
Most downhill areas open late November to mid-December and run through late March. Mount Bohemia makes no snow at all — it opens when nature delivers and often skis into mid-April. January and February are the reliable months everywhere.
🚗 Getting there
The same lake-effect that fills the hills closes the roads. Check live road conditions before a western-UP drive, and remember Gogebic, Iron, Dickinson and Menominee counties are on Central Time — an hour behind the rest of the peninsula.
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Michigan DNR — Skiing
State pathways, park trails & the Recreation Passport
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DNR Snow & Trail Reports
Statewide grooming and snow depth reports
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NWS Marquette
Lake-effect discussion & winter storm warnings
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UP Travel — Winter
Regional winter guide and lodging
Where these numbers come from: snow depth, snowfall totals and temperatures are modelled values from Open-Meteo for the coordinates of each area — useful for judging whether there is snow on the ground, but not a substitute for a resort's own groomed-run report. Winter alerts come from the National Weather Service. Always check the official conditions page before you drive.
Where To Stay

Slopeside and snowbelt lodging

Western-UP ski weekends book out early, especially around holidays and any big snow event.

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Cabins & Chalets
Search VRBO for your town and dates
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UP Travel Lodging
Hotels, motels and resorts across the peninsula
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State Park Cabins
Rustic cabins and yurts, including the Porkies
Frequently Asked

UP skiing questions

When does ski season start in the Upper Peninsula?
Most UP downhill areas open between late November and mid-December and run through late March. Mount Bohemia is the outlier — it makes no snow at all, so it opens only when nature delivers, typically in December, and it often skis into mid-April. Groomed Nordic systems need a settled base and generally start grooming in December.
Which UP ski area gets the most snow?
The western snowbelt — Gogebic, Ontonagon and Keweenaw counties. Mount Bohemia on the Keweenaw averages roughly 270 inches a season and has recorded seasons over 300 inches, the deepest natural snowfall in the Midwest. Ironwood, Bessemer and Wakefield are close behind. See the lake-effect explainer for why.
Where can I cross-country ski in the UP?
The largest groomed systems are ABR Trails in Ironwood (about 60 km groomed daily), Valley Spur near Munising (about 45 km in the Hiawatha National Forest), Swedetown Trails in Calumet (about 35 km, 5 km lit for night skiing) and Blueberry Ridge Pathway near Marquette (about 21 km with a 2.7 km lit loop). All are groomed for both skate and classic. The full list is in the Nordic section.
Do I need a trail pass to cross-country ski in the UP?
It depends who grooms it. Private centers such as ABR charge a daily trail fee. Valley Spur asks for a trail pass or donation that pays for grooming. State pathways and state park trails require a Michigan Recreation Passport on your vehicle rather than a per-skier fee. Club-groomed systems such as Swedetown and Wolverine Nordic run on memberships and donations — pay them, they are why the trails are groomed.
What is lake-effect snow and why does the western UP get so much?
Cold arctic air crosses the open, relatively warm water of Lake Superior, picks up moisture and heat, and dumps it as snow when it hits land and rises over higher terrain. The western UP sits downwind of the widest stretch of the lake and holds the highest ground in Michigan, so it collects the heaviest bands. It also means the machine can switch off: lake-effect needs open water, so a hard freeze on Superior cuts it back.