The Midway Ice Castles are closing Sunday, barely a month after they opened, due to warm temperatures.
“It’s been a warm winter, which has made it difficult to sustain the ice,” said Ice Castles CEO Ryan Davis. “We will assess the temperatures this week and if it becomes cool enough to provide guests with the same high-quality experience they expect and deserve, we may reopen next weekend. Unfortunately, this has been a very warm winter. We’ll adjust our plans as the weather allows.”
The popular Wasatch mountain ice exhibit is the second warm-winter casualty in two days. On Thursday, the state announced that its annual Fish Lake Perch Tournament, set for Feb. 24, was cancelled due to thin ice and warming temperatures. About 2,000 ice fishers were expected at the central Utah lake, which sits at 8,848 feet.
Castle organizers were opening for extended hours this weekend to give visitors one last chance to explore the display of sculpted, glowing ice structures. They’ll stay open until midnight both Friday and Saturday nights. As of early Friday afternoon, only late-night tickets were available on the company’s website.
Earlier in the abbreviated season, the Midway Ice Castles were opening for reduced hours due to warm daytime temperatures, according to posts on the company’s Facebook page.
This winter is the second warmest since scientists in Salt Lake City began recording temperatures in 1874, according to the National Weather Service. Only 1953 had a higher average temperature.
This is Ice Castles’ seventh season in Midway. The attraction closed Feb. 9 in 2017 and Feb. 15 in 2016, per notices on social media. The Utah-based company has five other locations this year across the United States and Canada. Other locations include Dillon, Colorado; Stillwater, Minnesota; Lincoln, New Hampshire; Edmonton, Alberta; and Winnipeg, Manitoba.
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