Kayaking Lake Superior and the Apostle Islands

Kayaking the Apostle Islands
Sea Kayaking is one of the best ways to get out among the Apostle Islands in Lake Superior. There are several area outfitters who can put you onto some world class kayaking between May and September.

If you’ve never been to the Inland Sea Caves north of Bayfield, (also known as “the ice Caves” when the area freezes in winter) one of the best ways to get up close is via kayak. There are several caves in which, on a calm day, you can paddle right through the caves to daylight on the other side!

Old Rittenhouse Inn offers a special kayaking package together with our partners at Living Adventures. This package takes all the work out of your vacation planning with just a few clicks. If you prefer, you can always call us at 715-779-5111 to discuss arrangements.

Our family loves to kayak, and though our summers keep us very busy here at the Inn, we always make a point to get out at least once a year and enjoy a paddle on the big lake.
Kayaking in the Apostle Islands and Bayfield

Distances can be misleading…
I can remember one of our first kayaking experiences where we rented a 3-seater, with Wendy in front, me in back, and our daughter Kyra in between us. We paddled out from Big Bay Town Park Beach on Madeline Island, and headed for “the point.” it was a relatively short distance, but the wind was blowing in our faces and the paddle was somewhat difficult. Our daughter, then about 4 years old,  began to complain: she wanted to go play on the beach. We told her we’d soon turn around and head back.

We reached the point not long after, had a brief rest and headed back towards the beach. With the wind at our backs the going was much easier. So much so, in fact, that when we reached the approximate location of the beach (we were several hundred yards from shore) I thought, and said, “there’s no way we can be back already, let’s go a little further.”

Enjoying the great weather and easy paddling, we continued on, past some brownstone cliffs I wasn’t sure if I remembered, and finally came upon some sandy beaches with houses and cabins on them. At this point, I realized that we had over shot our landing… by a long way!

It was sunset when we finally returned to the beach. Thankfully Ed Kale from Apostle Islands Kayaks had waited for us. Ed drove us back to LaPointe, and we all had dinner together before catching the ferry home. My daughter was quite unhappy with the whole experience because she never got to play and swim at the beach! So if you are not very experienced, make sure to pay attention to the advice of your outfitter.

For more information about experiencing kayaking on Lake Superior, call our helpful reservations crew at 715-779-5111 or reserve online here.

Kayaking at the Sea Caves in the Apostle Islands and Bayfield