From Christmas Eve to December 27, Erie Pennsylvania received over 60 inches of snow smashing just about every state snow record and taking a massive lead towards winning the Golden Snowglobe and being named this winters snowiest city in America. This record-breaking snowstorm lead to the airport being closed for more than two days stranding those who were visiting for the holidays. While everyone was struggling to leave Erie, we were just crazy enough to try and get to Erie.

Flying to the Snowiest City in America

Mallory in front of Presque Isle Lighthouse with all of the snow

We had planned on staying in sunny Florida for the entire holiday season, but about a week before Christmas, Mallory found out she wouldn’t have to work over the New Year holiday giving us about a 5-day window where we could visit the place we grew up, Erie, PA. Now keep in mind this was a week before Erie became the snowiest city in America, so while we were hoping we would see some snow, the amount Erie got was ridiculous even by Erie’s standards. Our trip was delayed due to the airport opening late on the 27th, but when we got to Erie on the 28th we were blown away by just how much snow there was, and we lived there for more than 18 years!

Why would we visit the snowiest city in America?

I was crazy enough to take a drone up during one of the snow storms while we were visiting family

The reason we decided to fly into Erie was to surprise Mallory’s mom and dad as this was the first Christmas that Mallory spent away from her family. The reactions we received upon surprising them we about what we expected, “Are you crazy?! Why would you leave Florida to come up here?!” Besides seeing family, the change of scenery provided some much needed creative inspiration in my content pipeline for early 2018.

What is there to do in the snowiest city in America?

Mallory sliding down the tubing slope at Mount Pleasant of Edinboro

When you get as much snow as Erie did those three days, it’s very hard to get around. Luckily we came in after the worst of the storm, so we were able to navigate around the city relatively easily. Most of our time was spent visiting with friends and family members, but if you are comfortable driving in the snow, there is plenty to do.

We spotted this bright red cardinal on our way out of Presque Isle State Park

We spent some time walking around Presque Isle State Park – known for its beaches in the summer; it is also a great place to go in the winter to look for wildlife or in our case, try to get some Instagram content.

Less than an hour northeast is Peak ‘n Peek ski resort. A beautiful place for golf and weddings (we got married here) in the summer is a great place to learn how to ski and is never too crowded. Even though we didn’t make it up there this trip, we still were able to go tubing at Mount Pleasant of Edinboro, which offers a full night of tubing for only $10 on Thursdays and Fridays!

10 Photos of Erie, PA: Snowiest City in America

Here are ten more photos that show just how snowy Erie was after the record-breaking Christmas snowfall.

It was a workout to make our way through the fresh snow at Presque Isle State Park in Erie

With all of the trees in Erie Pennsylvania covered in snow, the snowiest city in America sure did look like a winter wonderland

Presque Isle Lighthouse taken December 30, 2017, after a snowstorm that brought over 60 inches of snow in 3 days

Our dog Grace absolutely LOVED the snow! We had a hard time keeping her out of it!

Lake Erie was just starting to freeze when we visited making for an otherworldly looking landscape

Even with all the snow we were able to find some solid ground that was snow free

Mallory has some fun making some snow-explosions

Presque Isle Bay looked frozen but was covered with a lot of snow

We found a green balloon to add some much-needed color to these photos!

We were lucky enough to catch some rare blue sky too! At the Erie Yacht Club

What do you think were we crazy to visit the snowiest city in America after they received a record amount of snow? Make sure you check out our amazing time at the Bolt Farm Treehouse because I have a vlog of our trip coming very soon! Also be sure to follow us on Facebook and Instagram and share this blog post with someone who loves snow!