These Midwestern Sea Caves in Wisconsin Are Simply Astounding

Mysteriously beautiful and unexpected, Meyers Beach Sea Caves have officially been declared one of The Gemmies in the United States by our team of local travel experts. The 2025 Gemmies are a collection of destinations that are a true representation of their state. To experience these gems is to know the heartbeat of their American locations and we think they are all worthy of a visit.

You'll find Apostle Islands National Lakeshore lining the outline of the Bayfield Peninsula in far northern Wisconsin, stretching its smattering of islands out into the open waters of Lake Superior. While the park is best known for its eponymous islands, it also has much to offer the mainland visitor who cares to explore its nooks and crannies - particularly on peninsula's northwestern shore. There, you'll find a two-mile stretch of sandstone cliffs near Meyers Beach in the village of Cornucopia. And carved into these cliffs is a series of sea caves.

What? Sea caves... in the Midwest?!

Indeed, and these astounding sea caves in Wisconsin are a dramatic natural wonder you'll definitely want to add to your bucket list.

The best way to explore the caves during the warmer months is on the water. Guide services out of Cornucopia and Bayfield offer kayak tours of the cave, and on calm days, you can get up close and personal with these incredible cliffs, even navigating into and out of some of the grottoes.

The shoreline and sea caves are an incredible sight any time of the year, but they're particularly stunning in fall and winter, even though they're slightly less accessible. Outside of kayaking season, you can reach vistas of the caves via the Apostle Islands Lakeshore Trail, an out-and-back hike that begins at a trailhead northeast of Cornucopia. The trail is rated moderately challenging for its occasional rough spots and many stairs.

In the winter, you'll definitely want Yaktrax or another kind of traction device as you navigate this footpath. AllTrails Plus is a good resource for trail conditions, especially in the reviews of people who have recently hiked it. Be warned, though, the road to the trail head and the trail, itself, may occasionally be closed in the winter months or due to other conditions. Check the Apostle Islands page on the National Park Service website for updates on road and trail closures.

Another, very rare, option for visiting the sea caves during particularly cold winters is walking out onto the ice of frozen Lake Superior and exploring these caves. When they've been coated with the lake's frozen waves, the sea caves become magical ice caves, and are truly something to behold. If this unusual phenomenon does happen, be sure to check the local ice conditions before you go, because they can change quickly on the Big Lake. And, again, you'll want to wear traction devices and carry appropriate safety gear if you venture out onto the ice.

Have you visited these astounding Midwestern sea caves in Wisconsin? What are some other amazing natural wonders in the Midwest that we should know about? Be sure to tell us!