Apostle Islands Sea Caves

Sea Caves can be found at the following locations and are listed in ascending order by size and quantity of sea caves.  All the caves being ranked here are large enough to fit an 18′ tandem kayak;  Devil’s Island, Meyers Beach, Sand Island, Romans Point, Madeline Island, Red Cliff, Stockton Island, Outer Island, Ironwood Island, Cat Island, Bear Island, and Chequamegon Bay.  You can expect other paddlers at Meyers Beach. The other sea cave locations you will have mostly to yourself.  You will need waves of 1.5 foot or less to enter the sea caves.

Devil’s Island: The hardest to access and is really only accessible by boat if you want to get out there and back in a day, but it has the best caves.  Devil’s Island is the most exposed to wind and waves of all the sea cave locations.

Sand Island: Much closer than Devil’s and can be accessed by kayak in one day. Sand Island has more caves than Roman’s point but not as many as Meyers.  Sand Island is a bit shorter but much more intricate stretch of caves.  There is the added bonus that they are on an island and the 2 mile open water crossing keeps the crowds down.  You rarely see motor boats at these caves.  The crossing to these caves are dangerous, you are exposed from every direction, even a South wind can create waves and white caps by the time you are half way through the open water crossing to Swallow Point.

Meyers Beach: Sometimes you have to wait in line to get in to a cave, but they are still an awesome experience.  The caves are amazing at Meyers.  Must be more than 50 lbs to paddle at Meyers.

Romans Point:  In Herbster, Wi and is accessible from the Bark Bay State Natural Area boat ramp.  It has a few decent caves but without as many crowds.  It is a bit more sheltered from the wind and has several public launch locations.  The private property owners have ladders leading down the cliff, which makes this the sea cave location with the most extraction points.  Must be more than 50 lbs to paddle at Romans Point.

Madeline Island:  There are about 1/4 as many caves at Madeline as those before it on this list but they are fun caves to paddle and if you look closely you can find one tunnel cave and one underwater cave.  The caves won’t be as amazing as Devil’s, Meyers and Sand but it is very protected from a West wind, so a good option for sea cave paddling on a West wind day, which is primarily what we get through the summer months.  This location will have more crowds than Romans but a bit fewer than Meyers.

Red Cliff:  There are about 1/2 as many caves as Madeline Island but the accessibility and protection from the wind are better than anywhere else in the Apostle Islands.  You will experience about the same amount of crowds as Madeline and you almost never see boats going into the caves.  The caves are accessible from the Red Cliff Ojibwe Reservation in Red Cliff, Wi and you can put in right at the boat ramp at the casino.  There is food and restrooms at the casino and lodging.

Kayak Tours

Something for everyone

•  Tours are appropriate for beginners and inexperienced paddlers.  

•  If you do not have kayak experience we highly suggest that you go on a tour with a guide.  

•  It takes kayaking skills, you must be in good shape and you must be able to swim to kayak without a guide in the Apostle Islands.  

•  Tours are appropriate for beginners and inexperienced paddlers as we only launch in safe paddling conditions and guides are equipped to tow if necessary.

Woof Woof

We are pet friendly

•  We are the only outfitter in the Apostle Islands that shadows our Meyers Beach tours with a support vessel. 

•  If any member of your group does not want to kayak or is too young, they can follow the group in our Support Vessel and Coast Guard certified  boat captain. 

•  We even allow well-trained dogs to ride in the boat.  The AINL rules for outfitters do not allow dogs in kayaks at Meyers,  Sand Island Or Devils Islands.  However, we can take dogs on all boat tours and have several options for kayak tours that are outside the AINL boundary where we do allow well trained and friendly dogs in kayaks on the kayak tour. 

•  If you are thinking of bringing your dog on a tour we ask that it not be the first time they have been on the water. 

•  If you are bringing a dog in a kayak on a tour we ask that they have previous experience in a canoe or kayak.

Kayak Rentals

Lake Superior is the most dangerous lake

•  Lake Superior is a sleeping dragon.  You hear lake and think to yourself “I’ve kayaked on lakes before”.  It is far more dangerous to kayak on Lake Superior than most oceanic shorelines in the United States. 

•  The real danger is the water temperatures but the location of the lake lies right in the jet stream, so winds can be brutal as well. 

•  If you are thinking of renting a kayak we highly encourage you to call us and we will spend as much time as you want answering whatever questions you have. 

•  If you haven’t kayaked on Lake Superior and you don’t have any questions, you should probably reconsider renting a kayak in the Apostle Islands.

Discounts

Military and Group Discounts

•  We offer group  discounts starting at 6 people 10% off, and the discounts increase as the group size grows. 

•  We also offer group discounts to active and retired military and their immediate family members.

•  Give us a call and we will discuss what type of discount we can offer and we’ll also tell where to find places off the beaten path that you can be one of the highlights of your visit to the Apostle Islands.