Our July 2016 visit to Lake Superior continued with a cruise at Apostle Islands National Lakeshore. The Apostle Islands consists of twenty-two islands, of which twenty-one are part of the lakeshore. The lakeshore also includes twelve miles of the mainland shoreline on the northwest coast of Bayfield Peninsula.
The official concessionaire of the lakeshore is Apostle Islands Cruise Service. The Grand Tour normally goes north all the way to Devils Island, but our tour was abbreviated due to high winds on the lake. By staying in the wind shadow of the Bayfield Peninsula, we missed seeing the Devils Island Lighthouse, but had a comfortable ride on a very pleasant sunny day. The cruise departed from the City Dock in downtown Bayfield, Wisconsin at 10 AM. The cruise followed the North Channel between Basswood and Madeline Islands, then skirted the eastern shore of Hermit Island before heading north between Oak and Stockton Islands. After viewing the sandbar at Manitou Island, we continued north to our turnaround point between Rocky and South Twin Islands. Passing through the channel between Rocky and Otter Islands, we headed to the Raspberry Island Lighthouse on the west shore of the island before heading southeast past Frog Bay and following the west coast of Basswood Island down the West Channel back to Bayfield.
In 2016, the 3 ¼ hour Grand Tour cruise was priced at $39.95 per adult plus sales tax. The 2017 adult price has increased to $41.95 with children aged 6 to 12 charged $23.95 and children under 6 charged $1.00.
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| Topographic map with GPS route |
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| Bayfield City Dock with Basswood and Madeline Islands on the horizon |
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| A beautiful day to be sailing in the sheltered waters between the islands |
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| Leaving Bayfield |
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| Basswood Island |
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| Old quarry on Hermit Island |
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| Sandstone cliffs |
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| The lake continues to undercut the rock |
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| A large slab of rock has been undercut |
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| The beginning of a small sea cave |
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| An unnamed "sea stack" at the north end of Hermit Island |
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| A closer view |
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| Fish Camp on Manitou Island |
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| Fish Camp dock |
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| Private boats at South Twin Island |
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| Sandbar on South Twin Island |
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Benson Fish Camp on Rocky Island
(National Register of Historic Places) |
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| The Grand Tour was so popular that a second boat had to be put into service |
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| First glimpse of the Raspberry Island Lighthouse |
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| Raspberry Island Lighthouse |
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| Raspberry Island Lighthouse, Fog Signal Building, and boat house |
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| Several sailboats on the lake with Oak, Stockton, and Hermit Islands on the horizon |
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| Floating Rock at the north end of Basswood Island |
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| Bald eagle on Basswood Island |
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| Sailing vessel in West Channel |
Entry to Apostle Islands National Lakeshore is free. However, camping, docking, interpretive programs, and most parking areas require a user fee. There is no daytime parking fee at the visitor center. Free on-street parallel parking is available on many streets in Bayfield while on the cruise. Expect to walk several blocks during peak summer season.
The lakeshore website is
https://www.nps.gov/apis.
The Apostle Islands Cruise Service concessionaire website is
http://www.apostleisland.com/.
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