Eben Ice Caves — Attraction in Rock River Township

A 1.2-mile hike to the ice caves (2.4 miles round trip) that increases with difficulty as you get closer to the caves. You will go across flat farmland, up and down hills and, a steep incline at the end. We visited in mid-December, so there was more limited snowfall, less ice, but a bit muddier.

The path is well marked in the beginning but becomes less obvious along the way. Exercise caution when crossing the footbridge as it has seen better days. It is a well worth trip, and we will highly recommend it. Yak-tracks or Cramp-ons are VERY HIGHLY recommended to avoid slipping on the ice/packed down snow. I do not think we would have made it without them.

Easy parking and port-a-potties are available at the trailhead. This is a free adventure, but there is a donation box available. Always remember to leave this beautiful place better than...

Well I live in mid lower Michigan. It is a 5+ hr drive here. If you only plan on stopping here, don't waste your time. It's a pretty long hike, 35+ mins each way from where you park. If you go when it's busy it's closer to an hour walk. The last 1/4 of the actual trail is pretty treacherous. 10/10 recommend buying some form of ice cleats. Or you will probably fall a few times. I am in decent shape and was pretty sore for a couple days after. But I also took a brisk pace. It's a pretty location. No drones allowed. Don't over dress. Most people walking out had removed many layers. I would not recommend bringing kids under 10, and I saw many people pulling sleds with young kids on them. You can't pull a sled for about 1/3 of the trail. I don't care who you are.

I enjoyed my visit, besides the 5 hr drive and my wife...

Wear appropriate shoes. Our yaktrax were very helpful on the icy terrain and we wouldn't have made it without them! It's not a terribly long hike, but it still took us about an hour and half to get there and back (with our 3 year old along). It was a beautiful walk first through a farm field (thanks again!), then into a winding forest path that eventually leads down to a river and back up to the ice caves. The last bit up to the ice caves is the most slippery and we wouldn't have made it in normal hiking boots! The caves themselves were really awesome and we had SO much fun exploring there! We did have to carry our kiddo back the whole way. If you have kids you may want to bring dry clothes to change into. They have portapots by the parking area. Great experience overall and worth the...