After an 11-year absence, the Ice Caves along the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore in Bayfield County returned, if only for a day or two before a sizable winter storm broke up the ice, leaving us to wait until next time.
What happens is, from the waters of “Gitchee Gumee,” nature carves out some amazing things along these shores. At various locales off the mainland coast in Bayfield County, a series of Ice Caves form from the frigid air and waters to create spectacular beauty; Highway 13 is your ticket for heading out to explore them when they come back.
Bayfield County is the state’s northernmost and second-largest by land. Wide swaths of the county are in the Chequamegon National Forest and several islands are part of the Apostle Island National Lakeshore. Rugged topography inland contrasts with picturesque shores along Lake Superior. The islands near the shores are home to large deposits of sandstone that over thousands of years experienced sculpting by natural forces into cliffs that often tower over Lake Superior. We call them “Sea Caves” in warmer weather; when winter arrives – often with a vengeance – we call them “Ice Caves.”
Ice Caves don’t form every winter; they depend on proper weather. Given the right conditions, a few form to explore:
The Red Cliff Ice Caves are located just off Highway 13 north of Bayfield. They are hoping they’ll be open soon… the latest updates are available here. You can reach the Red Cliff Ice Caves most easily from the parking lot at Legendary Waters Resort and Casino just off Highway 13. The lot offers 1,000 spaces; accessing the caves themselves requires a 1.5 mile walk. Once you get there, eight good caves await for exploring and photos you’ll be proud to post and share. There is no fee for parking or to check out the caves.
The Meyers Beach Ice Caves are more widely celebrated, offering 18 caves and even more spectacular views across a wider area.
- There is a $5/person admission fee and the walk is significantly longer.
- It requires covering about 4-5 miles from the main parking lot, which can fill up quickly and can mean walking a longer way to reach the access point.
- You can purchase passes HERE.
- You can catch the shuttle in Cornucopia, west from Meyers Beach along Highway 13.
Meyers is located further west at the end of Meyers Road, 18 miles west of Bayfield and 4 miles east of Cornucopia along Highway 13. If you want to program your GPS, use 90500 Meyers Road. It uses a Bayfield, WI mailing address with a zip of 54814.
