The Eben Ice Caves form in winter inside Rock River Canyon Wilderness, on the Munising Ranger District of Hiawatha National Forest. The Forest Service puts the wilderness at 5,200 acres. Silver Creek and Rock River cut 150-foot sandstone canyons through it. 1

What to see

The Forest Service says the "caves" are not a hollow in the rock. Water seeps through sandstone overhangs and freezes, so icicles grow down until they reach the ground and then grow outward. The ice changes through the season. 1 The Forest Service also writes that the ice can be unstable and that large chunks can fall without warning. A nearby creek may not be frozen. 1

In Forest Service records the site is labeled Rock River Canyon Wilderness Ice Caves. Eben Ice Caves is the name people use, after Eben Junction. 2 The Forest Service places the site in Alger County, about 15 miles west of Munising. 2

The walk is a winter route of roughly two miles round trip. The Forest Service has not designated a National Forest System trail to the ice curtains. Visitors follow a packed-snow path that forms each winter. The Forest Service describes that path as steep, wet and slippery in places, and says some of it crosses land that is slow to freeze. 12

Best seasons

This is a winter place. The curtains need a frozen season to stand. The Forest Service asks people to turn around if the ground is not completely frozen, so they do not tear up wet soils and wetlands. 1 Midwinter is when people come. This page does not name an open week or a melt date.

How to get there

The Forest Service says visitors typically park at established lots on private land before walking into the wilderness. 2 The Munising Ranger District is the office to ask about current access. Do not treat a mapping pin as a trailhead.

Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, east of here, is the other ice place we write about: ice curtains on the lakeshore cliffs. 3

Tips

  • Wear ice cleats or another traction aid. The Forest Service says injuries have come from slips, and that poor footing also tears up plants and soil. 1
  • Stay off ice that looks ready to drop. The Forest Service is plain about falling chunks. 1
  • We do not have an Eben listing in the shop. The U.P. ornaments we print are Tahquamenon Falls and Pictured Rocks.

Safety

Falling ice, unfrozen creeks and a steep winter path are the hazards the Forest Service names. Motorized vehicles and mechanized transport are kept out of the wilderness. 1 This page does not report today's ice. Check the Hiawatha wilderness page and the Munising Ranger District before you go. 1