BAYFIELD, Wis. (Wheeler News Service) — Officials near Bayfield expect about five-thousand people to make the drive there this weekend, to see the majestic ice caves along Lake Superior.
Cheryl O’Bryan, who owns the Village Inn in Cornucopia, said her phone started ringing off the hook on Wednesday. That was when the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore said it would open the two-mile ice walkway from Meyers Beach for the first time this winter.
Until now, the ice has not been safe enough to hold pedestrian traffic. Last year, the entire region was caught off-guard when the ice-caves opened for the first time in five years — and 138-thousand people took the pilgrimage after hearing about the ice-caves on social media. National Lakeshore officials brought in Border Patrol security to help deal with the rush of visitors This time, they’ll be more organized.
A small fee has been imposed to cover the costs of accommodating and protecting the crowds. Also, there’s a new transit option. The Bay Area Rural Transit will run buses to-and-from the Village Inn at Cornucopia to the Meyers Beach entrance.
Even if the crowds are only a quarter of last year’s, O’Bryan said her hotel would be able to keep its employees working through the winter.
