Apostle Islands Meyers Beach ice caves open Feb. 16, closed Feb. 17

The Apostle Islands National Lakeshore ice caves at Meyers Beach opened to the public at 8:30 a.m. Monday, Feb. 16, then were closed beginning Tuesday, Feb. 17, because of an approaching winter storm, with the National Park Service writing that the caves "will likely be closed for several days." The formations, on a federally protected 12-mile shoreline that includes 21 islands at the northern tip of Wisconsin’s Bayfield Peninsula, had not been accessible to the public since 2015.

Thousands of visitors converged on the lakeshore during the one-day opening, multiple reports said, and Bayfield County Tourism posted around 10 a.m. Feb. 16 that parking lots were full and shuttle lines were long. The Bayfield Chamber and Visitors Bureau shared photos of the ice formations, and TMJ4 noted that when the caves were last open in 2015, Executive Director Carol Fahrenkrog said "10,000 people visited on a single Saturday."

Logistics and local access changed this season: the Meyers Beach parking lot is closed to vehicle traffic, so visitors must use county-run shuttles to the trailhead, the City of Bayfield’s material said. Detroitnews reported shuttles cost $10 round-trip, run every 25 to 30 minutes, and the last shuttle bringing people to the Meyers Beach drop-off leaves at 3 p.m., with all visitors advised to be back to take the final shuttle by 5:30 p.m. Entry to the caves is $5 per person for ages 16 and older, free for children under 16, and payment must be made online.

Safety remained central to the Park Service’s decision-making. Because visiting the ice caves requires a trek across miles of ice, the NPS Facebook post reminded the public that conditions must meet minimum safety thresholds and "Access to the caves can close with little notice, the post warned." The park posts daily updates by 7:30 a.m. on the National Park Service site and on the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore Facebook page, and the Ice Line phone at 715-779-3398, extension 3 provides recorded conditions.

Climate and seasonality framed this week’s rapid opening and closure. Backpacker and other coverage noted the caves had been closed for more than a decade to most visitors and that warming trends have made openings less frequent; the winter of 2024 was Wisconsin’s hottest on record, and even 2019’s polar vortex left slushy, unconsolidated ice that prevented safe crossings despite heavy ice cover. The caves sit about 18 miles from Bayfield and roughly 70 miles from Ironwood, Michigan, underscoring how access depends on regional ice and weather conditions.

The abrupt surge of visitors and the NPS closure underscore operational pressure on Bayfield-area transportation and public-safety planning this season. Park officials and local tourism leaders are managing shuttle capacity and urging patience as they monitor ice conditions; the NPS has indicated the caves will remain closed at least for several days while staff assess safety and weather impacts.