• There are a number of different activities you can enjoy on Lake Michigan in the winter.ice fishing image by Bruce MacQueen from Fotolia.com
  
  Lake Michigan provides a wide variety of activities throughout the year, ranging from boating to fishing to waterskiing. In the winter, there are specific activities which can be done due to the lake freezing over and the colder temperatures. Certain regions of the lake, ranging from around the state of Michigan to areas of Southern Canada have different winter activities available.
  
  

Ice Fishing

• You can fish year round on Lake Michigan and even in the Winter with ice fishing. This entails cutting a hole in the ice and fishing in the water below by sitting with the line in the water, waiting for the fish to bite. Many people build shacks over the hole in the ice to stay warm and outfit these sheds with televisions and heaters, among other devices. There are a number of different ways to ice fish, by either making your own hole and building your own shack, or by renting a shack.
  
  

Ice Skating

• When Lake Michigan freezes over, ice skating is also a popular winter activity which can be done just offshore in inlets and tributaries to the lake itself. Make sure the ice is thick enough to skate on so people don't fall through. Look for other people already skating on the ice or check with local officials about the thickness of the ice to see if it is safe to ice skate on. While skating on an indoor rink is better for people to train to become professional ice skaters, outdoor ice skating on Lake Michigan is a wonderful afternoon activity on a nice, sunny winter day.
  
  

Winter River Raft Trips

• River rafting can be done in the winter on Lake Michigan as well through specific river rafting companies who work off of different rivers which flow into Lake Michigan. Big Bear Adventures does Sturgeon River Rafting trips on the Sturgeon River. These river trips range from 45 minutes to 4 hours in the winter. The winter trips offer a unique view of the lake from a perspective that most people don't get. These trips will stop along the way, allowing people to cross country ski and enjoy the winter countryside surrounding the lake.