Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
haps arithmetically overwhelmed French Jesuits, is to many the most precious region in
Wisconsin.Intheinverseofthefiercenor'easterstearingacrossthelake,duringtheperiods
when Lake Superior appears placidly equable, spirits seem to appear to deposit droplets of
mercury atop the surface of a glistening mirror. Extraordinary.
Natural History
GEOLOGY
Theflat-topped,waxylookingislandsappearscrapedintohorizontalsymmetrybyicefloes.
The islands do show a simple “veneer,” as one geologist has noted, of imperious glacial
wash, yet the remainder of their composition, save for diminutive Long Island, is billion-
plus-year-old pre-Cambrian bedrock. As the last glacier retreated almost 10 millennia ago,
allbutoneoftheislandswerecoveredbyenormouslakes,precursorstoLakeSuperior.Su-
perficial wave and wind carving actions molded the islands into their present appearance.
CLIMATE
The islands take the brunt of legendary Superior storms squarely on the chin. To this day,
ships still drop their “hooks” in the leeward, rain-shadow side of any of the islands to es-
cape fierce nor'easters that might suddenly swell up. Thence, you can expect capricious
weatherpatternsand,asonthemainland,alotofsnow—around120inchesaverageinthese
parts. But Gitchee Gumee (a Native American-derived name for Lake Superior) can also
haveapositivespin—thosegale-producingwatersameliorateunpleasantheat.Handsdown
the best summertime sleeping climate for campers anywhere in Wisconsin is found in the
Apostle Islands.
Average high temperatures in summer rarely top 80°F, with nighttime lows in the 50s.
Winter temperatures can plunge into the negative teens (and worse with wind chill), though
the mean temperature is moderated somewhat by the lake. Spring and fall are the toughest
seasons to peg. One day will offer halcyon warmth and azure skies, followed by a pelting
slush the next day with winds in excess of 30 knots and six-foot swells on the lake.
FLORA AND FAUNA
The islands support a remarkable ecological diversity, amazing considering how ravaged
they were by humans for more than a century. Some of the most pristine stands of old-
growth northern mesic and boreal forest and more than a few threatened or endangered
plant species thrive in the unique island microclimate. In all, 16 Wisconsin State Natural
Areas,officiallyoff-limits,areinterspersedthroughtheislands.Theycontainmyriadnorth-
ern forests, bogs, lake dunes, and lagoons.
