Superior ice caves could reopen soon

The ice caves along Wisconsin's Apostle Islands National Lakeshore could open to the public this weekend.

The National Park Service reported Monday that rangers will check ice conditions near the Bayfield, Wis., caves and make the call by mid-week.

"If there is no severe weather in the next few days, we are optimistic about opening the ice caves at the end of the week," the National Park Service said in a Facebook posting.

Recent satellite images show that about 90 percent of Lake Superior is ice covered, though some ice is thin, the park service said.

The ice caves drew more than 138,000 tourists last year as the deep freeze made the caves accessible to pedestrians for the first time in nearly five years. In 2009, 12,700 visitors trekked to view the ice formations.

The crush of visitors in 2014 led the park system to plan a $5 per visitor fee this year if the caves became accessible.