Paradise of Ice

January 2nd, 2019 | Park City Community

Each year, the Ice Castles in Midway grow like a fairy tale out of the snow-covered ground and bring to life an enchanted village. Since 2011, thousands of families stroll through this enormous work of art, creating an experience that will be talked about long after the ice melts. For all who enter through the icicle archways, they find the time spent at Ice Castles is a source of joy and wonder.

Founder, Brent Christensen, crafted his first icy creation in the front yard of his home for his children. After moving from sunny California to snowy Utah, Christensen did what any father of six stir-crazy kids with cabin fever would do. He built an ice cave in his yard to get his kids out of the house. His icy invention wasn’t just a hit with his own children. Kids from all over the neighborhood, and eventually from all across town, got wind of his creation, bundled up, and headed outside to play at Christensen’s wintry wonderland. The kids affectionately called this winter playground an “ice castle” and the name stuck.

This year, ice artisans have spent nearly 4,000 hours growing and harvesting more than 10,000 icicles to build the Midway Ice Castles.Each of the icicles is hand-placed and sprayed with water. This painstaking process is repeated over and over until the castles reach around 30 feet tall. The result is spellbinding. Children and adults alike are swept away by the beauty and majesty of this short-lived world of imagination. We encourage you not to wait to buy your tickets because it sells out quickly and nobody knows for sure when Mother Nature will decide to warm things up.  We have a few bits of advice we would like to offer to make sure your visit to the Ice Castles is the best family outing you have this winter. 

Buy your tickets online – When you buy a ticket, you buy an arrival time. Once you are inside Ice Castles you can stay as long as you’d like! Click here to be taken to buy tickets.

Wear warm, non-slick footwear – The walking surface inside Ice Castles is made of crushed ice. Walking in boots is definitely best, especially if you can swing double-socks.

Bring a sled for your little ones – Given that the path is crushed ice, strollers never work. However, a small sled to pull children on makes the trip a whole lot more exciting for them and a lot less of a workout for you.

Don’t forget your camera – Or, in this day and age, should we say don’t forget your smartphone. There are photo-ops at every turn, and you’ll want a zillion to post online about your visit.

We at Chin-MacQuoid-Fleming-Harris hope you will join us at this year’s Ice Castle in Midway. We promise it will be an adventure that you and your children will recall with marvel and enchantment all through 2019.

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