The Apostle Islands ice caves – which opened to the public Feb. 16 for the first time in 11 years, then closed the next day – are likely closed for the season.
The National Park Service issued an update to the ice caves’ status on the agency’s website, stating that “the stretch of sub-zero temperatures and calm winds that formed stable ice is unlikely to return before spring.”
The ice caves closed Feb. 17 due to a winter storm, combined with safety concerns of large crowds and traffic. Thousands of people flocked to the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore Feb. 16 to take the miles-long hike on frozen Lake Superior and into the ice caves – which quickly led to full parking lots and long lines for shuttle service, Bayfield County Tourism said on Facebook.
In a Feb. 18 Facebook post, the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore account shared webcam images showing how the ice changed within 16 hours when the winter storm moved through. The shelf of ice near Meyers Beach, where ice caves visitors walked to reach the caves, was completely broken up by 8 a.m. Feb. 18.
“The power of Lake Superior is humbling,” the post said. “We extend our gratitude to the community, partners, and visitors who celebrated and supported this fleeting natural wonder.”
The ice caves are a natural phenomenon near Meyers Beach at the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore, a federally protected, 12-mile shoreline of Lake Superior that includes 21 islands, at the northern tip of Wisconsin’s Bayfield Peninsula.
A visit to the caves requires a hike across frozen Lake Superior, and rangers must determine that ice conditions meet minimum safety thresholds to open the ice caves to visitors. They hadn’t found those thresholds to be met since 2015.
Due to large crowds, many people who tried to visit the ice caves weren’t able to get out on the ice Feb. 16. On Facebook, the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore announced that guests who paid the $5 National Park Service ice caves fee but were unable to go will have their purchase honored at a future date.
Several social media comments expressed concerns about how long it will be before the ice caves open again – if it will be another decade.
Contact Kelli Arseneau at (920) 213-3721 or karseneau@gannett.com. Follow her on X at @ArseneauKelli.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Apostle Islands ice caves likely closed for season already
Reporting by Kelli Arseneau, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
