Apostle Islands, Wisconsin

I have to admit that I had never heard of the Apostle Islands before until picturesque photos started popping up on my Facebook. This really piqued my interest and once I shared the photos with my husband, it was a wrap! we unanimously decided that this was going to be our next trip.

The Apostle Islands is an archipelago comprised of 22 islands found on Lake Superior (the largest fresh water lake in the world) in northern Wisconsin. Many of the islands have campgrounds which are seasonally occupied but the largest of the islands which is called Madeline, is the one that is inhabited all year round. The islands are well known for their reddish tinted high cliffs and naturally formed arches that look so pretty! aside from the natural beauty, there are also tonnes of activities to be found in the area especially if you enjoy being surrounded by nature.

To get to the Apostle Islands, we made our way to Bayfield which is a small city that acts as a gateway to the islands. We decided to start with Madeline Island which is like a small town unto itself and to get to it we had to cross over by ferry. Ferries run every 15 minutes as they transport people back and forth at a cost of $16 per person, if you choose to take your car with you that will cost you extra. Yes, you can get on the ferry with your car, bike or by foot.

Madeline island is quaint and you can easily check it out within a day. Depending on your interest, you can choose to: rent a scooter or bike and ride around the island, go for a swim at the public beach or explore the walking trails around and camp out for the night. We walked around for a bit just to get a feel of the island, it was scorching hot so we took it easy with some cold drinks and ice cream to cool off. By the way, the original Native American tribe that occupied and continues to occupy this territory is the Ojibwe so in many places you will see signs written in English Ojibwe.  

We spent half a day at Madeline Island before heading back to our hotel to rest up. On the second day of our trip, the plan was to take a kayaking tour on Lake Superior to check out the famous red cliffs and caves of the Apostle Islands. We made our way to the designated meeting area where we met our guide and the rest of the group that was going to be on the tour. The guide had warned us that the water was going to be a bit choppy because of the strong winds and this made me so nervous but we were assured that it was still safe to go ahead with the tour. 

Kayaking on Lake Superior was quite the experience and we got to see some really pretty sites, at times I was scared when the water got rough but thank goodness my husband has more experience than I on the water, so I was in good hands. 

That's it folks! we had a good adventure and I am so glad that I got out of my comfort zone to do this. I am terrified of water and I am not a swimmer so kayaking on such a huge lake was intimidating and scary for me but I did it. We are back home now and I am already planning for the next adventure so watch this space for what's next.