Live Out Your Frozen Fantasies: The White Mountains Ice Castles Are Back

The White Mountains Ice Castles reopen January 20, 2024. / Courtesy of Ice Castles

Anyone who says fairy tales don’t exist probably hasn’t visited the Ice Castles in the White Mountains. Arrive at twilight, and you’ll find an otherworldly scene: Lit from above and below with rainbow LEDs, mounds of icicles glow from within, towering 20 to 30 feet high against the grayish-blue sky. Water leaps out of fountains formed from snow; ice slides and crawl tunnels reverberate with the delighted squeals of children young and old.

Perhaps not surprisingly, though, it is cold. Really, really cold. You’re gonna need a warmer snowsuit. (And possibly a sled, if you have kids who don’t like to walk through snow.)

Photo by AJ Mellor

But anyway, back to the fun part. Returning again for the 11th year this winter—and opening earlier than expected on January 20—the 25-million-pound masterpiece takes artisans the better part of three months to complete, starting with a blueprint of the design. From there, it’s time to make the icicles. “We grow and harvest thousands per day,” says Ice Castles founder Brent Christensen. “Then they’re placed in formation. We spray water on them and they grow, and then we go back the next day and place more icicles on top, and repeat.” They expand by a couple feet or so a day, until the structure that eventually becomes the Ice Castles begins to take shape.

Surrounding the main attraction are plenty of other fun activities to get your blood pumping while you’re out in the cold. There are sleigh rides on property, in addition to snow tubing, ethereally lit forest walks, and an “ice bar” with festive cocktails. And “there might be a couple of gnomes,” hints Christensen.

Photo by AJ Mellor

Given the two-hour drive from Boston, you’ll probably want a place to rest your head for the night before heading back home. Currently in the midst of a massive expansion, RiverWalk Resort is ideal if you plan to hit the slopes at nearby Loon Mountain, and offers some adventures of its own—namely, an on-site ice-skating rink during the winter months. For something a little quainter, the Woodstock Inn and Brewery offers a variety of cozy accommodations—with the bonus of an on-site brewery to wet your whistle. You could also make a weekend of it with a stay at the majestic Omni Mount Washington Resort at Bretton Woods, which is a 40-minute drive from the Ice Castles but a winter destination in its own right—think alpine and cross-country skiing as well as zipline canopy tours. There’s also a decadent spa to warm you up after a day spent walking in a winter wonderland—hopefully with a really good pair of boots.

24 Clark Farm Rd., North Woodstock, New Hampshire, icecastles.com/new-hampshire

Photo by AJ Mellor

Photo by AJ Mellor