Lack of ice delays opening of caves

Conditions are less than ideal

Bayfield — The temperatures have been well below freezing this winter, but the ice caves at Apostle Islands haven’t yet appeared.

On years they open, the ice caves usually appear in the early part of the year, but it requires a perfect mix of conditions early in the winter, said Julie VanStappen, the chief of planning and resource management for the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore.

“It’s a combination of temperature and wind,” she said. “It needs to be really cold and calm conditions, (and) we haven’t had a lot of calm. It’s been very windy, with some mild temperatures.”

Usually the park looks for a buildup of 10 to 20 inches of ice on top of the water, depending on the quality of the ice. Then park officials allow people to venture out to the islands to take in the natural beauty of the caves formed by the frozen water in the cliffs. Unfortunately, this year there is little ice due to the choppy waters.

The last time the ice caves were open was in early 2015, for a short spell in late February and early March. The best season in recent years was 2014, when VanStappen said the caves were open to the public for months due to ideal temperatures and calm waters.

VanStappen is optimistic the caves will open at some point this year, especially since National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration officials have predicted weather patterns related to La Niña wind systems will influence the winter, meaning cooler, wetter conditions that will lead to normal ice buildup.

But until the waters calm and the ice can take hold, the ice caves are still an uncertainty for 2017. VanStappen hopes visitors will have the chance to catch a glimpse of nature’s beauty.

The ice caves “change, but they’re always spectacular,” she said. “It’s really a neat thing.”

For more information and updates on the ice caves, visit the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore Facebook page or call (715) 779-3397 and use extension 3 to find ice conditions.