Winter Activities in Traverse City, MI

Snow makes everything better in northern Michigan. In fact, winter wouldn’t be right without a proper helping of nature’s powder. As soon as those fluffy curtains of snow start drifting down, we step into our Nordic skis or snowshoes and head out on a trail. And once it really starts to accumulate, downhill skiing and snowboarding become popular.

Downhill enthusiasts love the gentle glacier-carved terrain of northwestern Michigan. Skiing in the Traverse City area is some of the best you’ll find in this part of the country! Our premiere full-service winter destination Crystal Mountain Resort is located in Benzie County. And within Traverse City, the smaller ski areas include Mt. Holiday and Hickory Hills.

If skiing isn’t for you, there’s always snow tubing. Snow tubing has all the thrilling speed of a toboggan run or a sledding hill -- except that you get to sit on a soft inner tube and ride down a groomed hill, with a towline at the bottom to take you back to the top. TimberLee Hills, just north of Traverse City, is Michigan’s largest tubing hill, and there are also good runs at Mt. Holiday.

Hearty bike enthusiasts will also find winter sporting options on a fat bike. These specially-adapted mountain bikes with large tires are capable of cycling on snow and sand. Just get on the bike, ride and have fun -- even if you are new to the sport.