March Is A Great Time To See These Huge Ice Shelves In Northwest Wisconsin
I got a little bit of cabin fever yesterday, so I decided to take a little drive. I had been home, sick with COVID for a week. I finally was feeling better and could get out of the house so I just left without a plan in place. I found myself driving towards Wisconsin Point, and I thought that would be a good spot to visit, to see what the frozen shoreline would look like. It didn't disappoint.
I really like Wisconsin Point. For those unfamiliar, Wisconsin Point is the peninsula that comes out from the Wisconsin Side. Think of it as Park Point's counterpart, except Park Point, who gets all the praise. The only thing Park Point has that Wisconsin Point doesn't is the fact you don't have to drive by a dump to get there. Seriously, that always makes me shake my head that the landfill is right where you turn to get to arguably the most beautiful spot in Northwest Wisconsin.
Anyway, you take a drive along Wisconsin Point and there are plenty of spots to pull over and check out the shoreline. I drove all the way down to where the lighthouse is to get out and take a look.
Now I want to be perfectly clear. Don't try to walk far out on the ice. It's not stable. But, there is a larger-than-normal beach area that was pretty solid and I was able to walk up to the ice shelves.
I carefully walked up to the edge and took a photo of the drop-down. This was probably about a story high. Crazy!
So what causes these ice shelves to form? I honestly wasn't 100% sure, so I asked our buddy Brandon Weatherz at WDIO. He said it looks amazing, but the actual reason isn't quite as fascinating:
The actual process isn't as exciting as the outcome. It's caused by waves pushing loose ice chunks and water onto the shoreline with subfreezing temps, then it freezes and accumulates.
If you want to get out and see this for yourself, you better hurry! Spring is coming, believe it or not! Just remember to be careful!