Backpacker Magazine – August 2008

Quick Fix: Apostle Islands

You don't need a boat to see this spectacular national lakeshore. Here's how to explore the best of its bluffs and beaches by foot (and paddle).

by: Elisabeth Kwak-Hefferan

2 Hours
Hike to Instant Solitude

Wisconsin's Apostle Islands National Lakeshore is a world-renowned kayaking destination, but you can savor the islands' sea caves, bluffs, and beaches from the mainland, too. Tour the park's highlights on a five-mile hike on the Lakeshore Trail: From the Meyers Beach kayak launch, west of Bayfield, follow the sandstone path along a cliff and across a 60-foot ravine to the first of several viewpoints, two miles in. Over the next half-mile, gaze back to the mainland from headlands jutting into the lake. The honeycombed network of striated sea caves looks like the canyons of Zion National Park. Go in the early evening when the sunset paints the west-facing rocks red and orange.

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