Sea Caves Articles

Discover the Park – Places

Roots, rocks, and ravines… the rigors of hiking the Lakeshore Trail

Roots, rocks, and ravines… the rigors of hiking the Lakeshore Trail

The most popular trail at Apostle Islands National Lakeshore is the Lakeshore Trail. Starting at the Meyers Beach parking area off of Hwy 13, the Lakeshore Trail extends 6 miles through forests and along red sandstone cliffs high above Lake Superior and terminates at a reservable backcountry campsite.Lakeshore Trail map - NPSMost visitors walk the trail to enjoy views of the mainland sea caves. A crevasse with a spectacular natural bridge and the first glimpses of the sea caves is 1.8 miles from the trailhead. Traversing this section of the trail can be a challenging walk. Hikers must...

Snowshoeing to the mainland ice caves for some spectacular views

Snowshoeing to the mainland ice caves for some spectacular views

It's been ten long years since the mainland ice caves in the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore have been open for exploration from the lake surface. Conditions since then simply have not been safe enough for the National Park Service to permit access.What's the next best thing? Hiking the Lakeshore Trail that takes you from Meyers Beach to some spectacular views above the caves. Friends board member Neil Howk did just that on a sunny January day. Click on the photo gallery to see the spectacular photos that go along with Neil's poetic description of his adventure.[foogallery...

What’s new and what’s unchanged about the Meyers Beach paddling experience

What’s new and what’s unchanged about the Meyers Beach paddling experience

We are now in the heart of the summer paddling season in the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore. July and August typically provide the warmest, calmest conditions for kayakers but in every season, safety must remain your top priority when you're on Lake Superior. Friends of the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore board member Neil Howk takes us along for the maiden voyage of his new kayak to share what's new and what's not, about the paddling experience at Meyers Beach and the mainland sea caves.My son and daughter-in-law surprised me with a kayak for my birthday. I decided to do its...

Wave Watch buoys reveal dramatic water temperature swings in the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore

Wave Watch buoys reveal dramatic water temperature swings in the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore

These may be the longest days of summer, but you'll definitely want to know current wave and water temperature conditions before you jump in for a swim or head out in your kayaak. Due to a relatively cool spring, the largest freshwater lake in the world is about 5 degrees behind normal averages in warming at the surface. The difference between an invigorating swim and potentially life-threatening hypothermia is literally a matter of degrees and timing. And our Wave Watch buoys verify just how quickly conditions can change. Lake Superior's deep-water temperture is 39 degrees year-round but at...

Love Our Lakeshore: Wave Watch water safety program deployment planned for spring 2025

Love Our Lakeshore: Wave Watch water safety program deployment planned for spring 2025

During this challenging time of change for our nation and for our national parks, Friends of the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore wants to shine a bright light – a lighthouse beacon if you will – on this very special place and on the people dedicated to protecting the national lakeshore for future generations. That's the goal of our series entitled “Love our Lakeshore." (You can tell us why you Love Our Lakeshore by filling out our simple form at this link.) In this report we update plans to deploy Wave Watch buoys in the spring of 2025 to improve your safety on the water. We also take a...

National Park Foundation supports Friends Access for All campaign, highlights larger mission in new video

National Park Foundation supports Friends Access for All campaign, highlights larger mission in new video

The National Park Foundation and partner L.L. Bean today released a video showcasing their role in supporting Access for All, the Friends of the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore campaign designed to fund construction of an accessible ramp at Meyers Beach - gateway to the mainland sea caves - as well as other accessibility projects. The new ramp and wider staircase, scheduled for construction next summer, will replace an old, narrow staircase that can be challenging to navigate, especially for people with mobility issues and for people carrying kayaks to and from the beach.The video, shot...

Love Our Lakeshore: Wave Watch water safety program deployment planned for spring 2025

Apostle Islands Wave Watch buoys pulled for the 2024 season – With your help, they’ll be back in 2025

What a wonderful summer on the water it was, for thousands of Apostle Islands National Lakeshore visitors. They sailed. They paddled. They cruised from island to island. They fished. And they safely explored the 720 square miles of Lake Superior within park boundaries, many with help from the Wave Watch buoys. These yellow, solar-powered buoys provided real-time information about wave conditions and surface water temperature, 24 hours a day all summer long.On September 17th, a team including the National Park Service, the University of Wisconsin Coastal Resilience and Suitability Lab and...

Beauty from above: A winter hike on the Lakeshore trail

Beauty from above: A winter hike on the Lakeshore trail

It has been a winter of extremes: the warmest December on record in many parts of the northland, historically low ice coverage on Lake Superior, and then the plummeting temperatures of mid-January. There were windless days on end with the lake barely rippled and then a storm bringing gusts up to 53 miles an hour at Devils Island churning the lake into waves of 12 to 15 feet.There is beauty in extremes, the kind of beauty that can turn a hike into a journey through a landscape of enchantment. Recently, our Executive Director Jeff Rennicke ventured into that enchanted landscape and sent back...

“Why I support the Meyers Beach accessible ramp may surprise you.” Public comment period ends May 12th

“Why I support the Meyers Beach accessible ramp may surprise you.” Public comment period ends May 12th

An unseen patch of late-winter black ice changed my life in an instant. My feet took flight as I went airborne. I landed on my side with a bone-shattering thud, a shout and a groan. In that instant, I became something I never expected. I became physically disabled. During many months of recovery, I experienced varying degrees of mobility challenges. I learned to use a wheelchair. A walker. Then a cane. I also felt what it’s like to require help from others for even the most-basic tasks. This accident taught me a valuable lesson: We are all an instant away… whether by accident, by illness or...

Holiday weekend delivers typically atypical island adventures

Holiday weekend delivers typically atypical island adventures

We have all heard the term “multi use park’’ but only the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore could deliver the wide range of experiences park visitors experienced over the long holiday weekend. We may try to plan our visits across the water but in the Apostle Islands, it’s the wind and waves that determine time and destiny. Some call it “wayfaring.” If you were a sailor, Friday’s 25-30 knot winds out of the southwest tested skill levels and rewarded those who chose the lee side of an island to change sails. Likewise, a quiet bay was a welcome anchorage.Sailor Erica Peterson works the...