Ice Castles is a Winter Wonderland Ready to Be Explored

Utah is known for some amazing winter activities for the whole family. Here’s an activity that doesn’t require strapping on skis. But it does involve dressing warm for the cold weather. Ice Castles in Midway, Utah, is a wonderful winter wonderland meant for exploring. There really is nothing else like it in Utah, and it’s got something for every age.

UPDATE: Tickets for the 2023 season go on sale Monday, November 28 at 9 a.m. Don’t wait too long to snag your tickets and select your ideal date/time.

My wife and I were there opening night of the 2022 season. We took lots of photos, raced down an ice slide (I’ll tell you later who won) and enjoyed the wonder that is ice castles.

If you’re looking for a fun winter activity in Utah, consider grabbing your tickets to Ice Castles and making the trek up the canyon on Soldier Hollow in Midway. Plus, when you book your tickets online, use promo code CARLTONAUTS and you’ll save 15%.

The Ice Castles are open during the afternoon and into the night. We really enjoyed the way the castles looked at night. So much color! But I’ve seen some great daytime photos of the ice castles on Instagram.

Preparing for your visit to Ice Castles Utah

Winter in Utah is cold. That’s why Soldier Hollow Nordic Center in Midway, Utah, is a great spot for the frozen ice castles. When we pulled into the parking lot, it was 25 degrees outside. So yes… it’s cold. We knew it was gonna be cold, especially since our entry window was between 8:30-9 p.m. And despite wearing snow pants, winter coats, scarves, gloves and a hat, we had neglected to bring snow boots.

Here’s a list of the items you should bring with you to the Ice Castles.

• Winter boots and warm socks
• Snow pants (for warmth, and to keep your pants dry as you slide down the ice slides)
• Gloves
• Winter coat (and layers underneath)
• Scarf (optional)
• Winter hat or ear muffs
• Cell phone (mainly for a camera)
• Camera (I brought two – my DSLR and a point and shoot with a flash)
• No need to bring a tripod – unless you want to (I didn’t)

Purchase your tickets online in advance of your visit – it’s cheaper than buying them onsite. You can select the 30-minute window for when you plan to arrive. Once you do arrive, you can stay as long as you like – or until it closes. So don’t think you only have 30 minutes for your visit. We spent 1.5 hours there and felt that was just about the right amount of time.

Save 15% on your online ticket purchase when you use promo code CARLTONAUTS.

Ice Castles are roughly an hour from Salt Lake City, 1.5 hours from Ogden and 30 minutes from Provo.

Be Ready for the Photo Opps

Hopefully you brought a camera with you. Many people were using their cell phones as their cameras. That works. But if you know me, you know I prefer using a DSLR (my Canon 6D) to capture the highest quality photo possible. But from what I was seeing on everyone’s cell phone screen as they shot photos, they work.

As you can tell from the photos I shared in this post, you can find a great photo almost anywhere. One popular spot – meaning there’s often a line – is in the ice throne. It didn’t take long to get through the line, and people were courteous enough to take the photos of the people in front of them in line. I used my point-and-shoot camera with the flash on for the photo of us in the throne. It helped illuminate us for the photo.

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Beyond the ice throne, you can pose in the ice caverns, near the spectacular fountain or even in an igloo of sorts. But even just standing for a silhouette photo in front of one of the lights in the wall and get a great result.

Have fun. Be creative. Be courteous and willing to take photos of others who need a favor.

Slip Down one of the Ice Slides

The ice slides are one of the highlights of the Ice Castles. That’s often where the lines are forming and people are congregating. There are three ice slides within the castle.

The shortest slide requires the person to crawl through a small cave. I made it up, no problem. I saw other adults crawling through the tunnel to enjoy the short slide. However, kids were the most popular patrons of this specific slide. They enjoyed sliding down in multiple ways – head first and on your back was probably the most popular.

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You’re offered a small plastic sheet to use for your ride down the longest slide. It was also the longest line in the entire castle. I understand why… but it goes quick. The run lasts maybe 3-5 seconds. It’s fast and so much fun. I think if my kids were there, they would’ve enjoyed riding this one several times. We only made it down the slide once. But totally worth it. Oh, and I won the race against my wife! 😉

The other slide wasn’t open during our visit. Apparently there was something uneven near the top and too many people were falling. So they’ve closed it until they can get repairs made.

Take a Sleigh Ride

Despite all the activities inside the Ice Castles, you can venture out on a little adventure. From inside the castle you can access the sleigh ride. We didn’t take a ride, because there was a sign indicating it was closed. The sleigh ride is an additional $14 per person.

I’m working to gather some additional information about the sleigh ride option. Once I do, I will update this portion of the article.

Warm up with Hot Chocolate or a Snack

Despite being bundled up for the cold, our feet were still a little chilly. A hot chocolate sounded really warming. Well, inside the castle they have the Sweet Eats food truck selling warm drinks and a few other treats. Their menu includes churros, Oreo churros, cookies (chocolate chip or pink sugar cookies), a pretzel braid with cheese, coffee, hot chocolate, apple cider or a French vanilla cappuccino.

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The line at the truck was shorter than the line for the large ice slide… but it also didn’t move as quickly. But that didn’t stop people from grabbing a hot chocolate.

One favor I would ask of people getting food – please use the garbage cans. Also, be careful to not spill the hot chocolate on the white ground. It stands out like a sore thumb and creates an eye sore.

The Details:

Address: Soldier Hollow Nordic Center, 2002 Olympic Drive, Midway, Utah 84049

Cost: Monday-Thursday, $18 for ages 12+; $12 for ages 4-11. Friday-Saturday (and on Holidays), $23 for ages 12+; $16 for ages 4-11. Children under four are free. Use promo code CARLTONAUTS to save 15% on your tickets. Tickets are cheaper to purchase online as opposed to in-person.

How Long to Spend: Plan on 1-2 hours for your visit.

Parking: There is adequate parking at the Soldier Hollow Nordic Center. There is no parking fee.

Hours: Monday-Thursday, 4-9 p.m. Friday, 4-10:30 p.m. Saturday, 12-10:30 p.m. Closed on Sunday.

Website: https://icecastles.com/utah

Disclosure: We received two complimentary admission tickets to Ice Castles Utah for the purpose of review. All opinions are my own.

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