6/20/2026
Apostle Islands National Lakeshore protects one of the most beautiful stretches of Lake Superior: 21 forested islands and 12 miles of mainland shoreline near Bayfield, Wisconsin.
The park is best known for its red sandstone cliffs, wave-carved sea caves, sandy beaches, historic lighthouses, and remarkably clear—but very cold—Lake Superior water.
What makes the park unusual is that, like Voyageurs National Park that we visited earlier, most of it is reached by water. Bayfield served as the main gateway, where we picked up our narrated cruise after a stop at the National Park Visitors Center.
Visitor Center
The Bayfield Visitor Center offered exhibits, an excellent park film, maps, and orientation — a nice backdrop for our cruise of the islands.
The visitor center is just one of Bayfield’s collection of beautiful red and reddish-brown buildings. Many were constructed from locally quarried Lake Superior brownstone, giving the town a warm, historic character. With hillside streets, colorful gardens, and lake views, this architecture makes Bayfield feel very elegant for a town in northern Wisconsin!
Boat Cruise
The boat cruise from Bayfield was the easiest way to grasp the park’s scale.
The signature sights are the sea caves, where Lake Superior has carved arches, chambers, and passageways into layered sandstone.
We passed several islands, lighthouses, shipwreck sites, and sandstone formations and felt lucky after learning that the ‘lake is the boss’ and that we had a nice, sunny, uneventful day!
The park has more individual lighthouse sites than any other National Park Service unit. They once guided ships carrying lumber, iron ore, grain, and other cargo through the often-dangerous waters of western Lake Superior.
Exploring the islands by boat gave us a wonderful sense of both their rugged beauty and their remarkable isolation.
Madeline Island
Madeline Island is the largest of the 22 Apostle Islands and the only one that is NOT part of the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore. It sits just off Bayfield—only about 2.5 miles across the water—but it feels like another world.
We took an afternoon ferry ride to do a bit of exploring… unfortunately, this was one of the few days of our travels when the weather did not cooperate… so our time on the island was limited.
Madeline has a different feel from the other Apostles; the other islands are mostly wilderness, but Madeline has roads, homes, cafés, galleries, shops, and about 400+people who live there year-round. People move there for quiet, nature, and community. But it’s not exactly an easy place to live — winters are serious, and transportation depends on Lake Superior. When conditions allow, there can be an ice road; otherwise, winter access can be challenging!
It was not winter while we were there, but the weather was still challenging… almost a continual rain. We were limited to time at a restaurant and visiting a few shops…. one of which took care of our fudge addiction!!!
A Park Ranger Bonus!!!
Our final Apostle Islands adventure wasn’t a boat ride or a hike — it was dinner at the home of Fred Schlicting and his wife, Tam Hoffman. We met Fred and Tam 10 years ago on an OAT “Crossroads of the Adriatic” trip — the same trip where we met Brenda and Maryann. Maryann and Brenda have kept up with them through the years, so they set up a time to get together. Fred/Tam also invited their friend Yvette, and what followed was a fascinating evening filled with wonderful food, laughter, stories, and friendship — all right on the shores of beautiful Lake Superior.
Fred (a former school principal and superintendent) and Tam (an EMT) are both Park Rangers in the Apostle Islands. Fred gives tours and helps with other duties at the lighthouse on Raspberry Island. He absolutely loves his role portraying a lighthouse keeper from the early 1900s. His dedication even earned him a feature in a March 2023 issue of National Geographic Magazine.
Tam, with her years as an EMT and rescue responder, shared incredible stories of her life-saving efforts. Visitors don’t always understand the power of Lake Superior (and apparently some don’t believe the advice applies to them!) Unfortunately, that means Tam sometimes finds herself recovering bodies instead of saving lives. The lake may be beautiful, but it demands respect.
Their neighbor Yvette was another inspiration. At 86, she had just purchased a teardrop camper and was heading out the next day for a solo camping adventure in the forest! This woman can do anything — including building a house! She learned to zip-line at age 80, knows practically everything about the area, and does almost everything herself. I think she may have more energy than most people half her age — I’m still searching for the right words to describe her! I will just go with inspirational at this point!
An after-dinner walk along their ‘front yard’, Lake Superior…….
What a memorable way to end our Apostle Islands visit: surrounded by remarkable people, great conversation, and the kind of friendships that make travel so special.
