Will The Apostle Islands Ice Caves Open For The 2014-2015 Winter Season? An Update On Conditions As Of February 24

If you missed out on the Apostle Islands Ice Caves last winter and were hoping to get an up-close look this year, Mother Nature may have a thing or two to say about it.

Earlier in the season, we reported that officials with the National Park Service were optimistic about the conditions being favorable for an opening during the winter of 2014-2015.  While they haven't given up hope, current conditions on Lake Superior aren't helping out with matters.

---UPDATE 2/24 12:00 PM---

Officials with the park service were hopeful that the bitterly cold temperatures we've had over the last few days would bring good news to Ice Cave enthusiasts.  In fact, satellite images of Great Lakes show that up to 90% of the surface is covered with ice.  By itself, that would bode well for an anticipated opening of the popular tourist attraction.  However, extremely windy conditions on today (Tuesday, February 24) have broken up some of the ice creating potentially unsafe conditions.

The latest from the park service is that they will assess conditions sometime Wednesday (February 25) and release an update then.  When they do, we will report their findings on our website.

You can also get up-to-the-minute reports on ice conditions by calling the Ice Line at 715-779-3397.

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In most years - if the caves open they do so in late January or early February.  It should be noted that it's not impossible for weather conditions to improve.

We also reported that park officials have decided to charge a user fee in the future.  This fee would go towards providing the resources necessary to accommodate the large crowds that visit the attraction.