ice caves Articles

Tracking ever-changing ice conditions in the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore

Tracking ever-changing ice conditions in the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore

At times it may seem like winter, with its short days and long dark nights, the bitter cold, and the snow and ice it brings, will never end. But spend even a week or two exploring the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore, and you'll discover it's simply not true. Winter, like the ice on Lake Superior, is ephemeral - freezing, melting, and changing by the hour. And watching the changes in the ice can become a compelling spectator sport.Consider the rare one day ice cave viewing season. Thousands of people trekked across 2 miles of ice to explore the mainland ice caves on February 16th. At the...

Fleeting beauty: Apostle Islands Ice Caves opened for one spectacular day

Fleeting beauty: Apostle Islands Ice Caves opened for one spectacular day

More rare than Yosemite’s annual Firefall, less predictable than the synchronized fireflies of Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the Ice Caves of the Apostle Islands are a truly ephemeral phenomena. Temperatures must plummet and stay down for weeks to freeze this corner of Lake Superior tight as a drum. Winds must be light to keep that ice from cracking and lay it down thick enough for people to walk more than two miles each way over deep, space-black water. In Alaska’s Katmia National Park, the brown bears return for the salmon run like clockwork every year. In the Apostle Islands...

ALERT: Apostle Islands National Lakeshore ice caves expected to open Monday, February 16th, 2026

ALERT: Apostle Islands National Lakeshore ice caves expected to open Monday, February 16th, 2026

For the first time in more than a decade, the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore is expected to open the ice caves near Meyers Beach to public viewing on Monday, February 16, 2026. The ice caves will remain open only as long as the National  Park Service deems conditions safe. View information you can use to plan your trip on the National Park Service website.The Park Service says, "The ice caves remain closed until Feb. 16. The Meyers Beach parking lot is currently closed to vehicle traffic and parking. Wisconsin DOT has prohibited parking on Hwy 13. Beginning Feb 16, visitor access is via...

Frozen assets: how Lake Superior’s late-winter ice is shaping up in 2025

Frozen assets: how Lake Superior’s late-winter ice is shaping up in 2025

Lake Superior is making ice at a faster pace this winter than last. For the first time in several years, it's thick enough to force the Madeline Island Ferry Line to shut down service for the season. However, it's nowhere near normal levels and nowhere near enough ice to even think about the mainland ice caves.The big picture NOAA's Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory says 17.5% of Lake Superior is ice covered as of February 12th.  As represented by the black and dark blue areas on the map below, ice hugs the south shore, covers some of the water between the interior Apostle...

Thin ice: How historically low ice coverage affects Apostle Islands, Great Lakes

Thin ice: How historically low ice coverage affects Apostle Islands, Great Lakes

It's open water - not ice - as far as the eye can see. Not only in the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore but across all of the Great Lakes. As of New Year's Day, less than 1% of Lake Superior was ice-covered - a tiny percentage but still the largest percentage of any Great Lake. Combined, ice covered roughly one-third of one percent of the surface area of all of the lakes as of the first of the year; that's the lowest level in 50 years and the percentage is growing very slowly. As you can see on the map from the US National Ice Center, ice on Lake Superior is now mostly confined to the bays...