Updated June 2026 • Verified for the current season by local hosts in Harbor Springs
The Highlands is the four-season resort just up the hill from downtown Harbor Springs — a ski mountain in winter, golf and trails in summer, and a family adventure center year-round. If you’re planning a trip around it, here’s the honest version: what’s actually there, when to go, and how to keep the days easy. We host families about 8 minutes away at The Bird House, so this is written for parents, not brochures.
Driving Times From The Bird House
- The Highlands — about 8 minutes
- Nub’s Nob — about 7 minutes
- Downtown Harbor Springs — about 10 minutes
- Petoskey State Park — about 7 minutes
- Downtown Petoskey — about 15 minutes
- Pond Hill Farm — about 20 minutes
Most first-time visitors underestimate how much the evening drive matters. Short hops are the difference between a calm bedtime and a meltdown.
What The Highlands Actually Is
Don’t picture a single ski hill. The Highlands is a full resort with a few distinct pieces families use:
- The ski mountain — 435 skiable acres, 55 trails, and terrain parks, with runs from gentle beginner greens to expert black diamonds.
- The SnowSports Academy — lessons for kids and adults; the single best move for a smooth first ski day.
- The adventure center — snow tubing, an outdoor skating rink, and winter zip-lining, so non-skiers in the group still have a full day.
- Golf and trails — once the snow melts, the resort’s courses and wooded paths take over for spring through fall.
Want the quick comparison with the area’s other hill? Start with our ranked guide to Northern Michigan ski resorts — it puts The Highlands and Nub’s Nob side by side.
Winter: The Main Draw
Most families come for the snow, and The Highlands earns it. The terrain is genuinely mixed-skill, which is the whole game when you’re traveling as a family — beginners build confidence on the greens while stronger skiers lap the harder runs, and everyone meets for hot chocolate in between.
How most families run a ski day here:
- Morning: kids into a SnowSports Academy lesson early, while energy is high. Parents get a breather and a few runs.
- Midday: lunch in the lodge, then easy family runs together.
- Afternoon: when little legs are done, switch to tubing or the skating rink so the day ends on a high instead of a tantrum.
- Evening: short drive home, warm dinner, early bed.
Two experiences worth planning ahead for: the horse-drawn sleigh rides, and the Aonach Mor moonlight dinner — a sleigh ride up to a mountaintop lodge for a candle-lit meal over the snow. The resort also runs night skiing if your crew still has gas in the tank after dark.
After Skiing: Why Staying Close Wins
Ski days end earlier than people expect. Once kids are cold and tired, the trip lives or dies on how fast you can get to dinner and warm up.
For a family dinner plan that actually works after a ski day, use our where to eat after skiing guide. Skiing both hills on one trip? Pair this with the Nub’s Nob ski guide — they’re 8 minutes apart, and many families do one hill each day.
Still deciding where to base the trip? Start with Harbor Springs vs Petoskey.
If the Weather Shifts
Lake Michigan winter weather turns fast. Plan one backup day in advance and the trip still feels like a win — here’s the local plan: Harbor Springs bad-weather guide.
Spring, Summer & Fall at The Highlands
The lifts stop, but the resort doesn’t. Here’s the compressed version of the other three seasons, because most “all-season” pages drown you in it:
- Summer (golf + trails): the resort’s golf courses and wooded hiking/biking paths open up, and you’re 7 minutes from Petoskey State Park for the beach. Mornings on the trail or the water, afternoons downtown.
- Fall (color): the hills around The Highlands turn, and you’re at the doorstep of the Tunnel of Trees — one of Michigan’s best color drives. Pair it with apple cider and the farm stops nearby.
- Spring: the quiet shoulder season — open trails, fewer crowds, and easy access to town before the summer rush.
Plan With Room To Rest
The Highlands is more fun when you’re not driving 30 minutes back to a hotel after every activity. A nearby home base makes ski mornings, warm dinners, and early bedtimes effortless.
Check Availability at The Bird House →How Families Use the Rest of the Trip
Here’s the thing most visitors discover: you’ll plan the trip around The Highlands, but a lot of it happens off the resort. Families ski or play in the morning, rest in the afternoon, and spend evenings downtown or exploring nearby. To see how the days actually flow:
- Harbor Springs family itinerary — a realistic day-by-day plan.
- How many days should you stay? — 3, 4, 5, or 7 nights, and what each gets you.
- Plan Your Harbor Springs Trip — the first-time-visitor starting point.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is The Highlands good for beginners and young kids?
Yes. The mix of gentle green runs plus the SnowSports Academy makes it one of the easier places to put first-timers on snow. The move that works: a lesson early in the day, then short family runs, then tubing or skating when the little ones are done.
What is there to do besides skiing?
In winter: snow tubing, an outdoor skating rink, winter zip-lining, sleigh rides, and the Aonach Mor moonlight dinner. In the warmer months: golf, hiking and biking trails, and easy access to the lake and downtown Harbor Springs.
How far is The Highlands from Harbor Springs and Nub’s Nob?
About 10 minutes from downtown Harbor Springs and roughly 8 minutes from Nub’s Nob — close enough to ski both hills on the same trip. From The Bird House, The Highlands is about 8 minutes.
Can we ski The Highlands and Nub’s Nob on one trip?
Easily, and many families do — one hill per day keeps it fresh, especially with mixed skill levels. See the Nub’s Nob ski guide for the other half.
When should we visit?
Winter (roughly late November through March) for skiing and snow play; summer for golf, trails, and the beach; fall for color and the Tunnel of Trees. Midweek is always calmer than weekends and holidays.
Where should we stay for a Highlands trip?
Close enough that evenings stay simple. Short drives matter more than you’d think when you’re managing gear, kids, and winter roads. The Bird House sleeps 11, has a hot tub and firepit, and sits about 8 minutes from the resort.
What ski groups say after they stay
Quoted word for word from Vrbo and Airbnb. Nothing edited, nothing written by us.
Beautiful Ski Weekend
“Beautiful, comfortable house minutes from skiing at The Highlands. We were a party of 10 and this house had plenty of space. The kitchen had everything we needed and the beds were exceptionally comfortable. Watching the sunset from the hot tub was the perfect end to each day. I would absolutely stay here again.”
Nancy T. booked two winters running. After her second December stay she wrote: “I will use them exclusively in my future rentals.” A ski group coming back the next season is the review we’d point to if you only read one.
Five bedrooms, sleeps 11, hot tub, plowed drive — 7 minutes to Nub’s Nob, 8 to The Highlands. Ski weekends and holiday weeks book first, every season.
Check Winter Availability →Make The Highlands Trip Feel Easy
The best trips here are simple: active mornings, short drives, warm evenings, and enough room for everyone to spread out after a full day.
Check availability at The Bird House → — private 5-bedroom home, sleeps 11, hot tub and firepit, about 8 minutes from The Highlands.