Ice caves redux?

Ice caves
Ice caves of the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2013 near Cornucopia, Wis.
Derek Montgomery / For MPR News

Officials at the Apostle Islands in northern Wisconsin say conditions look good so far to possibly allow access to the Ice Caves later this winter.

• Photos: Inside the majestic ice caves

Last year the ice coated caves off the South Shore of Lake Superior became a social media phenomenon. Nearly 140,000 visited and many posted pictures online. It was the first time the caves were accessible since 2009, because of a string of warm winters.

Julie Van Stappen, chief of resource management and planning at the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore, says cold temperatures and calm conditions have already allowed some ice to form.

"Who knows whether or not the weather will turn and it will get real warm," she said. "By early to mid January we'll have a much better idea what's going on."

The Park Service is also proposing a five dollar per adult fee to visit the caves. Last year it cost the Apostle Islands about $400,000 to manage the crush of visitors.

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