Will The Apostle Islands Ice Caves Open For The 2014-2015 Winter Season? An Update On Conditions As Of January 19

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 1/19 6:30 PM---

Officials at the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore posted the photo below to their Facebook page, showing extreme wind damage to the ice from over the weekend. While this doesn't completely rule out the chances of ice reforming for visitors to make the trek out the the caves, a lot of calm and very cold weather would need to set in for a significant amount of time.

---ORIGINAL CONTENT---

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.