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Northern Lower Michigan · Downhill & Nordic

Skiing Up North — live snow, hill by hill

Michigan's biggest resorts and its deepest Nordic grooming sit within an hour of each other here. 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 resorts 🎿 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. Lake-effect off Lake Michigan is narrow and wind-direction dependent — a band that buries Gaylord can leave the Bay shore dry.

Downhill

Every lift-served resort Up North

Northern Lower Michigan holds the biggest ski resorts in the state. Vertical is modest, but the lift networks, snowmaking coverage and slopeside infrastructure are the most developed in the Midwest.

Nordic

Groomed cross-country trail systems

The Grayling–Frederic–Higgins Lake corridor is the densest concentration of serious Nordic grooming in Michigan, and the VASA near Traverse City is the best-known trail in the state. Nearly all of these are set for both skate and classic.

Why Gaylord Gets More

The Lake Michigan snowbelt, and how to read it

Snowfall Up North is uneven in a way that is completely predictable once you know what drives it — and it explains where the grooming is.

❄️ How the bands form
Cold air crosses the open water of Lake Michigan, picks up moisture and heat, then drops it as snow when it hits land. Northwest flow is the classic setup that lights up the whole western shore from Manistee to Charlevoix.
⛰️ Why elevation decides it
The Gaylord plateau sits several hundred feet above Grand Traverse Bay. Lake-effect air forced up over that high ground cools further and snows harder — which is why Gaylord, Frederic and Grayling hold a base weeks longer than shoreline towns.
🌊 The ice-cover catch
Lake-effect needs open water. A hard freeze on Lake Michigan shuts the machine off and late-season snow then depends on passing storm systems. Check the water panel on the main dashboard for current lake conditions.
Know Before You Go

Passes, timing and the drive

🎟️ Trail passes
Private Nordic centers such as Forbush Corner and Cross Country Ski Headquarters charge a daily trail fee. Resort Nordic centers sell their own. State park and state forest pathways need a Michigan Recreation Passport on the vehicle. The VASA is free to ski — donations fund TART's grooming.
🗓️ When to come
Nearly every downhill area here makes snow, so openings depend on a sustained cold snap more than natural snowfall — usually mid-to-late December through mid-to-late March. Nordic grooming needs real snow and starts later.
🚗 Getting there
I-75 and US-131 both climb into the snowbelt, and lake-effect can close them fast. Check live road conditions before heading north, and give yourself extra time on a storm weekend.
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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 Gaylord
Lake-effect discussion & winter storm warnings
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UP Skiing
Bigger snow across the Bridge — the 906 ski dashboard
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

Ski weekends Up North book out early, especially around the holidays and any big snow event.

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Cottages & Chalets
Search VRBO for your town and dates
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Pure Michigan Lodging
Hotels and resorts across northern Michigan
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State Park Cabins
Rustic cabins and lodges, including Hartwick Pines
Frequently Asked

Northern Michigan skiing questions

When does ski season start in northern Michigan?
Most resorts open in mid-to-late December once snowmaking temperatures hold, and run through mid-to-late March. Nearly every downhill area Up North makes snow, so opening dates depend more on a sustained cold snap than on natural snowfall. Groomed Nordic trails need real snow and typically start grooming in late December.
Which northern Michigan resort has the biggest vertical drop?
Caberfae Peaks near Cadillac has the largest lift-served vertical in the Lower Peninsula at 485 feet. The Highlands at Harbor Springs lists 525 feet and holds the state's longest run — the 1.25-mile North Peak Pass. Boyne Mountain has 500 feet across 60 trails and 12 lifts, the largest lift network in the region.
Where can I cross-country ski in northern Michigan?
The best-known systems are the VASA Pathway near Traverse City (3 km, 5 km, 10 km and 25 km loops groomed by TART Trails), Forbush Corner near Frederic (about 37 km), Hanson Hills in Grayling (more than 35 km groomed daily) and Cross Country Ski Headquarters near Higgins Lake (more than 11 miles groomed each morning). The full list is in the Nordic section.
Do I need a trail pass to cross-country ski up north?
It depends who grooms it. Private centers such as Forbush Corner and Cross Country Ski Headquarters charge a daily trail fee. Resort Nordic centers at Crystal Mountain and Shanty Creek sell their own passes. State park and state forest pathways such as Hartwick Pines require a Michigan Recreation Passport on your vehicle rather than a per-skier fee. The VASA is free to ski, with donations funding TART's grooming.
Why does Gaylord get so much more snow than Traverse City?
Both sit in the Lake Michigan snowbelt, but Gaylord sits on high ground several hundred feet above Grand Traverse Bay. Lake-effect air forced up over that plateau cools further and drops more snow. That elevation is why Gaylord, Frederic and Grayling hold a base weeks longer than the shoreline towns — and why so much of the region's Nordic grooming is concentrated there.