Wonderful Winter Trip to Harbor Springs Michigan

Recently we headed up north for a wonderful winter trip to Harbor Springs, Michigan with friends. This year we went a little later in the year than we have in the past, and it was the best snow we have ever had. We went in mid February this year. This is our fourth trip with four other couples, and it is always a really great time with lots of winter activities, delicious food and drinks, games, and most importantly, laughs. It is a long weekend that we look forward to each year.

Where to stay:

Because we have a group of 10, it is always easier for us to rent a house with VRBO. This year, we found this PERFECT HOUSE! This historic home was steps from downtown. We could walk to all the shops, bars, and restaurants. The home was recently renovated and had 5 bedrooms and 3 and 1/2 baths. It easily accommodated 5 couples. The kitchen was large and well appointed. There was a large table for our game playing: (we always play this game), and a spacious living room. It definitely had everything we needed, with the convenience of being in town.

If you would rather stay in a hotel, two nearby options are The Highlands at Harbor Springs or the Best Western.

Things to do in Harbor Springs:

Harbor Springs, Michigan is a winter lover’s playground. You can ski and snowboard, snowmobile, snowshoe, and tube. If winter isn’t your favorite, there is still plenty of fun to be had. Harbor Springs is a beautiful little village to explore with cute boutiques and vibrant bars and restaurants. There is also a casino nearby if you would like to try your luck. There is something for everyone in Harbor Springs.

Ski

There are several ski resorts near Harbor Springs. Nubs Nob and the Highlands at Harbor Springs are within 15 minutes from the town, and Boyne Mountain and Shanty Creek Ski Resort are within an hour.

Runs

We headed to Nub’s Nob Ski Resort. Located less than 15 minutes from our VRBO house in downtown Harbor Springs, we were excited to hit the slopes. Three peaks make up Nub’s Nob ski resort. The North Peak, the South Peak, and Pintail Peak. There are 53 ski runs, with a good mix of difficulties. 9 double black diamonds , 8 black diamonds, 21 blue squares, 15 green circles, and 2 terrain parks. There are also Nordic trails for those who are cross country skiers.

Tickets

Nub’s Nob is extremely beginner and family friendly. They offer a free lift ticket for kids 8 years and under with an adult lift ticket, and a free beginner area with a chair lift and conveyor any day they are open. They also offer free skiing for seniors over 70. This would be a great place for a multi-generational family ski trip!

Lift tickets for a full day for adults cost $98 on holidays and Saturdays, $85 on Fridays and Sundays, and $72 Monday-Thursday. You can receive a $15 discount if you ski two consecutive days (excluding holidays). Kids 9-12 and 13-19 have reduced rates.

Ticket prices for night skiing, which is from 4:30-close are also reduced. Our night skiing lift tickets on Thursday night were $50 each. It was great because it was not busy at all- there was not a wait to get on any of the lifts. However, several of the lifts were closed, including all the Pintail Peak runs. I was sad I couldn’t check out the whole ski area, but there was still plenty of good skiing fun to be had! All ticket prices can be found here.

Rentals and Lessons

Nub’s Nob offers ski rentals for adults for $50 for a full ski/snowboard package for a full day. This includes Nordica skis or a Burton snowboard, boots, and poles. All rental prices can be found here.

Ski lessons for a 90 minute private lesson are $90. You can add additional skiiers to the lesson for $50 up to 4 people. They also offer a 3 hour lesson and a 1 hour lesson (ages 5 and under only). All ski lesson options can be found here.

Apres Ski

Possibly one of the best and most fun aspects of skiing is the apres ski. The Nub Pub fit the bill perfectly. With a great view of the mountain at night to watch skiiers schuss down the mountain and a fire roaring in the stone fireplace, the Nub Pub provided a cozy place to warm up and rest with some beverages.

Snowmobile

Renting the Snowmobiles

Snowmobiling is the main event of our trip! For the past 3 trips, we have rented from County Wide Powersports and snowmobiled in the Harbor Springs area. You can visit towns such as Cross Village, Pellston, Alanson, even go as far north as Mackinaw City to see the famed Mackinac Bridge! We snowmobile the whole day from about 9am to 5pm. The cost for a double rider snowmobile is $319.

We were excited to find that this year County Wide Sports had just purchased a brand new fleet of Polaris snowmobiles and brand new helmets about 2 weeks before our trip. These babies had it all! The addition of GPS, so we could always see where the other couples were at, was huge! It also helped us know where we were on the trails instead of having to pull our map out to check, preventing a lot of wrong turns I’m sure! There were also had hand warmers for the person riding in back. Those hand warmers were no joke- they actually got a little too hot for me! The helmets were so nice: they had vents in them so I had no problem with mine fogging up.

Where to go

Before heading out, the snowmobile renter will give you a quick demonstration of how to use the snowmobiles. They will also give you a trail map, and make recommendations on where to go based on the snow conditions. You can look at a trail map for counties all over Michigan on the Michigan DNR website. We were in Emmet County, so we used this map. The trails are numbered, so when you are snowmobiling you follow the signs for the trail you are going on.

In the morning, we took the 710 trail up to Cross Village. We found this beautiful little park with sweeping views of Lake Michigan. The frozen landscape was just so breathtaking. The only unfortunate part of this trail was that we didn’t find a place to stop to use a restroom, which was not good for us ladies, so beware of that and try to find a place to stop on the way. We decided to hop back on the snowmobiles and head back down trail 710 to trail 721 to Moose Jaw Junction for some lunch.

Moose Jaw Junction is a cozy bar with a roaring fire in the fireplace. The restaurants on the trails really cater to snowmobilers- there are shelves by the door to set your helmets and gloves. I started off with a nice warm drink- a coffee with peppermint schnapps and Bailey’s Irish Cream. We also ordered the Buffalo Chicken Dip. It came with pita bread and it was so delicious! The food here is really good- especially since we had worked up an appetite riding those sleds! After lunch, we decided to head to the Beaches Up North Tavern by taking trail 721 to 710, then over to 717.

We stopped at Beaches Up North Tavern just south of the Pellston Airport for a quick drink and restroom break before heading back to Harbor Springs. Arriving just before 5pm, we definitely got our money’s worth. We snowmobiled around 100 miles!

Where to eat in Harbor Springs

Restaurants in Harbor Springs were hopping- even in the winter! I would highly recommend dinner reservations, especially if you are traveling in a large group.

Pierson’s Grille and Spirits is an apres ski themed restaurant in the heart of downtown Harbor Springs. It is a family friendly restaurant, and has a dog friendly patio that is open in warmer weather. Dress is casual. The menu has a lot of variety- from sushi to burgers to pizza and everything in between. The restaurant describes itself as “upscale pub fare”. There is also an extensive cocktail menu. I had a “Ski Bum” martini, and it was excellent. I also tried the “Grilled Cheese Gille” with it’s combination of cheddar, swiss, and feta cheese with a slice of red onion that definitely wasn’t your typical grilled cheese!

Carry out pizza is a must at least one night of the trip, and Piper’s Pizza did not disappoint! Piper’s has really unique pizza- like the Krab Rangoon and the Greek Pizza. There are lots of different options, as well as more traditional pizzas of course. We tried a few different pizzas- the Greek Pizza, the Super, and the Chicken fajita pizza. My favorite thing though- the stuffed breadsticks! Yum.

The Pier Restaurant offers a little more upscale dining experience. We got lucky and got the captain’s table at the restaurant- it fit our entire group and had the best view of the frozen water. You will definitely want to make a reservation for the Pier, especially if you have hopes of getting the captain’s table. The main entrees consist of mostly steaks and seafood, but there are soups, salads, and sandwiches as well. They offer nightly specials, which I took advantage of. I had the surf and turf, which gave me the best of both worlds. The atmosphere was great at the restaurant, and the round captain’s table made it so easy for our group to enjoy a great dining experience together.

Where to shop

Despite the temperature being about five below zero, the girls decided to explore the village shops. While many were closed for the season, there were still some great stores that were open. American Spoon is a cute little foodie store with a variety of jams, margarita mixes, salsas. Since my mom and dad were being kind enough to watch my kiddos I bought them a cute little gift bag with margarita mix and salsa. Also, don’t miss Dressed Boutique. They had such cute and stylish clothes! I got a cozy, pink, fleece-lined sweatshirt that says “Midwest” on it. Last but not least, since all of us gals are in book club together, we had to hit up the bookstore Between the Covers!

What to pack

One of the toughest parts on going on a cold weather trip is knowing what to pack so that you stay cozy and warm.

First and foremost, for snowmobiling you need quality boots. If your feet get cold or wet, you are going to be miserable! My favorite pair of boots to keep my feet warm are Moon Boots. Do you remember those boots that we wore as kids in the 80’s that enabled us to play outside for hours on end? Well- they are one and the same! I have had my moon boots for years now, and I wear them not only in the snow and snowmobiling, but during freezing cold baseball and football games in the spring and fall and my feet never get cold. You will never be sorry if you purchase a pair of these rock star boots. Staying with the foot theme- get a pair of Smartwool socks!

Next, you need a great pair of mittens. Mittens will keep your hands much warmer than gloves, so definitely go with mittens. I would recommend Gordini Mittens. My hands stay nice and warm in these when I’m out in freezing temperatures. Also, don’t forget a neck gaiter to keep your neck and chin warm!

My current ski jacket is one of the best jackets I’ve ever owned. It is made by Spyder and their products are quality products. A Spyder jacket will last you a long time. This jacket is similar to the one I have. You will also need a great pair of snow pants. Salomon is another great brand for all things winter. I have purchased boots, ski pants, and trail running shoes all made by Salomon and they make things that hold up for a long time. Underneath my jacket and snow pants, I like to wear fleece leggings and a fleece sweatshirt.

Last but not least, get yourself a statement hat. Whenever I wear my big furry hat, I get so many complements. When I wear it skiing, my kids can easily find me on the slopes, too! My hat was made in Poland. It’s so warm and fun and I love it.

Our annual snowmobile trip is definitely the highlight of my winter. It is something I really look forward to, and helps me get through the long Indiana perma-gray. I love playing in the snow, and we just don’t get enough of it here in Indiana. Sharing it with friends makes it even better, and the laughter and fun erases all my winter blues!

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