Paul & Tara Visit the National Parks: Apostle Islands National Lakeshore

Visited: Aug 2018

Nearby town: Bayfield, WI

The beautiful Apostle Islands are located in Lake Superior, just off Wisconsin's northern coast. There are 21 islands, the largest of which is Madeline Island. Madeline is the only island with commercial development and private ownership of land. The other 20 islands are protected by the National Park Service as Apostle Islands National Lakeshore, established in 1970.

We stayed on the Wisconsin mainland in the town of Bayfield. This is where you can take a ferry to Madeline Island (in the winter the lake freezes over and you can take the "ice road" to the island). Bayfield is also the spot to embark on guided tours of the Apostle Islands. Apostle Island Cruises is the NPS-authorized concessioner and it offers a variety of cruises and/or kayaking to explore the islands. We stayed in Old Rittenhouse Inn in Bayfield, a cozy and picturesque bed & breakfast.

We took the Morning Grand Tour through the Apostle Island Cruises, it was a great trip. This 1/2 day tour cruises along almost all the islands (including Devils Island), and provides great scenery. It does not dock at any of the islands. We got great views of the town as we left the port at Bayfield.

You'll pass by Basswood, Hermit, and Oak Islands. Enjoy the scenery.

Glaciers used to cover this area during the Last Ice Age. As the glaciers melted, the waves of the newly-formed Lake Superior caused the erosion you see on the red sandstone of these islands. The earliest known inhabitants of the islands were the Anishinaabe peoples in around 950 AD. French fur explorers, led by Etienne Brule, first spotted these islands around 1630. Jesuit priests later named the island group after the Twelve Apostles (because it was made primarily up of 12 larger islands).

The highlight of the tour is Devils Island. The boat slowly goes around the whole island. There is a lighthouse, and the craggy coastline is full of sea caves (you can take a specific tour that explores some of these caves by kayak) and incredible natural arches. It reminded me of Arches National Park...if it got flooded. 😀 It was very unique and memorable.

For more info, here is link to NPS site: https://www.nps.gov/apis/index.htm

BONUS: head over to nearby Duluth and explore the spectacular North Shore of Lake Superior along the Minnesota coastline. We stopped at Split Rock Lighthouse, Gooseberry Falls, and the Palisades cliffs.