‘The lake is the boss’

Playground for kayakers, sailors and adventurers, the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore is among the last truly remote places in the Midwest.
Related story: Superior’s divine isles

‘The lake is the boss’

Playground for kayakers, sailors and adventurers, the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore is among the last truly remote places in the Midwest.

Related story: Superior’s divine isles

Stockton's Julian Bay beach at sunrise.
Ruth Venegas and Zeek Ramos joined a sea cave tour with Lost Creek Adventures on their visit from Chicago.
Sea caves are found along the park's mainland section and several islands.
Sea caves are found along the park's mainland section and several islands.
The Stockton tombolo is a mile-long ecologically diverse sandbar connecting Presque Isle to the rest of Stockton Island. Nestled between two beaches are sand dunes, a bog and fern-carpeted forest.
The tombolo is a mile-long ecologically diverse sandbar connecting Presque Isle to the rest of Stockton Island. Nestled between two beaches are sand dunes, a bog and fern-carpeted forrest.
The interior of Stockton Island is densely forested.
Julian Bay beach on the east side of Stockton's tombolo is home to the legendary "singing sands."
Stockton's Julian Bay beach at sunrise.
Ian Pringle and Lucy the dog play on the beach at Stockton Island's Presque Isle Bay. Pringle's family are members of the Owatonna Scuba Diving Club and have been visiting the Apostles for decades.
Julian Bay beach's sand and relatively warm water make it a popular swimming spot on Stockton Island.
A kayak tour makes their way back to Bayfield. Several outfitters offer trips ranging from half a day to several hours.
Lost Creek Adventures guide Wyatt Strombom hauled ashore Ruth Venegas and Zeek Ramos after a tour of the mainland sea caves.
Fog slowly burns off the docks at Stockton's Presque Isle Bay.
Daily shuttle service, along with private water taxis and charters, make the 15-mile journey from Bayfield to Stockton Island in about an hour.