Park Service temporarily closing Superior ice caves Tuesday evening

Checking out caves
Visitors check out one of the many ice caves at the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore, Feb. 4, 2013 near Cornucopia, Wis.
Derek Montgomery | For MPR News 2013

The ice caves along Wisconsin's Apostle Islands National Lakeshore will close temporarily late Tuesday afternoon due to weather conditions, the National Park Service said Monday.

Park service rangers reopened the caves to visitors on Saturday. Despite slippery conditions and a new fee, 11,200 people took in the caves over the weekend.

However, due to a winter weather advisory and impending storm, the park service is closing access to the caves at 6 p.m. Tuesday.

"Ice conditions will be checked as soon as possible following the storm. If conditions permit, the ice caves will be reopened," the park service said in a Monday Facebook post.

The earliest the ice caves would be reopened is sometime on Thursday, the agency added.

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