Apostle Islands Ice Cave Visitors Will Pay $5 Fee
BAYFIELD, Wis. (AP) -- Visitors to the Apostle Islands ice caves will have to pay a $5 fee this winter.
The National Park Service will charge the fee for visitors ages 16 and older, assuming the caves form again this winter. A $10 season pass will also be available.
Apostle Islands National Lakeshore Superintendent Bob Krumenaker tells Wisconsin Public Radio the fee will pay for increased staffing, portable toilets and medical needs. He says 138,000 people came from all over the world to see the ice caves on Lake Superior last winter.
The park service spent more than $450,000 dealing with the visitors. Staff were brought in from other parks. Rangers had to monitor ice conditions and assist an average of 21 people per day who had problems due to the cold.
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