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

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

Feb 25, 2026 |

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...

On the fringes of history: the storm that sank the Edmund Fitzgerald almost claimed another boat here in the Apostle Islands

On the fringes of history: the storm that sank the Edmund Fitzgerald almost claimed another boat here in the Apostle Islands

Nov 10, 2025 | ,

Editor’s Note: As the Edmund Fitzgerald was hurtling towards its fate on November 10, 1975, a crew of commercial fishermen aboard the Jean Maur B here in the Apostle Islands had their own battle with the famous storm, and miles to go before they could hope for safety. Here, in his own words, is the story from crewman and historian Bob Nelson.On November 10, 1975, the mighty SS EDMUND FITZGERALD descended and imploded into the bottom of Lake Superior, near Whitefish Point, Michigan. All 29 seamen perished on that fateful day. My real-life commercial fishing experience on Lake Superior that...

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

Feb 13, 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...

Getting paid in sunsets when you volunteer in the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore

Getting paid in sunsets when you volunteer in the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore

Sep 3, 2024 |

When you visit the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore and Friends board member Neil Howk is your guide, you're in for a treat. As a retired park ranger specializing in telling the stories of the islands, Neil has a special way of immersing park visitors in the rich history and natural beauty in the park. This summer, Neil volunteered at the Raspberry Island light. During the coming weeks, we'll share some of Neil's experiences, observations and interactions with park visitors. The position is unpaid but Neil says it offers its own rewards.The sky was overcast and threatening rain as I...

Wave Watch buoys are live! Watch the deployment video and learn how the buoys can help you stay safe on the water

Wave Watch buoys are live! Watch the deployment video and learn how the buoys can help you stay safe on the water

Jun 4, 2024 | , , ,

With light winds, sunshine and mild temperatures, deployment day was nearly perfect. On the morning of May 29th, a team loaded a National Park Service boat with buoys, anchor lines, hardware and high-visibility flags, then set out from Roy's Point for the north end of Long Island - the entrance to Chequamegon Bay. There, they deployed the first solar-powered spotter buoy for the 2024 season, as part of the Wave Watch boater safety project. Watch the video and read on for details.  Click to read video transcript (Adobe Acrobat PDF reader required)The Wave Watch buoy deployed at Long...

Celebrate the northern lights by giving back to the night sky

Celebrate the northern lights by giving back to the night sky

May 13, 2024 | , ,

They were beautiful, one of the greatest aurora displays in decades with the sun sending at least five immense CME’s (coronal mass ejections) streaming towards the earth, creating a G5 Auroral Storm that made the northern lights visible to a wider swath of the world than we have seen in decades.Northern lights over the Apostle Islands - Jeff Rennicke photosThe sky danced. Not just over the Apostle Islands but as far south as Florida and Texas here in the U.S. and around the world. They shone over the battlefield in Ukraine. The sky glowed pink in Tyrol, Austria. Airline passengers looked out...

Know before you go: Get your free Wave Watch QR code cling for the upcoming boating season

Know before you go: Get your free Wave Watch QR code cling for the upcoming boating season

Apr 29, 2024 | , , , , ,

One scan of this new Wave Watch QR Code and you’ll be safer on the water this boating season. Friends of the Apostle Islands has partnered with researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and the National Park Service to create Wave Watch, a series of strategically placed weather buoys offering boaters free, real-time wave data for five popular boating locations in the Apostle Islands starting in June of 2024. See the real-time data page here.Grab a FREE 4x4 inch sticker or cling for your boat window or water bottle or anywhere on your vessel. Scan the QR Code with your phone and...

Beauty from above: A winter hike on the Lakeshore trail

Beauty from above: A winter hike on the Lakeshore trail

Jan 17, 2024 | , ,

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...

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

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

Jan 10, 2024 | , ,

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...

Abnormally dry conditions in the Apostle Islands prompt cautions about fire and potential bear encounters

Abnormally dry conditions in the Apostle Islands prompt cautions about fire and potential bear encounters

Jun 20, 2023 |

As drought-like conditions continue in much of northern Wisconsin, users of the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore are urged to be very careful with fire and to be vigilent about potential interactions with hungry black bears. As of June 21st, the Wisconsin DNR says the fire danger in Bayfield, Douglas and Ashland Counties is high, meaning "wildfires ignite easily, spread rapidly and can be challenging to control." The number of northern Wisconsin counties classified as "high danger" increased dramatically from June 20th. As the DNR graphic below also shows, the fire danger in the blue...

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