Superior ice caves reopening Thursday morning

Icicles descend
Icicles descend as visitors walk by one of the many ice caves of the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore on Feb. 4, 2013.
Derek Montgomery / For MPR News

The ice caves along Wisconsin's Apostle Islands National Lakeshore will reopen 7 a.m. Thursday morning, the National Park Service said late Wednesday.

Park service rangers had reopened the caves to visitors on Saturday only to close them temporarily Tuesday evening due to weather conditions.

Nearly 2,000 hikers visited the sea caves Feb. 17.
Nearly 2,000 hikers visited the Apostle Island sea caves on Feb. 17, 2014 - and that was a slow day.
Dan Kraker / MPR News

Conditions will be very cold Thursday morning with wind chills of minus 30 degrees, rangers said, urging visitors to wear sturdy, waterproof boots with ice cleats.

"Fresh snow covers most of the bare ice, but there are still slippery conditions, slushy areas, and areas where the footing is rough and unsteady," park officials said in a Facebook post.

Despite slippery conditions and a new fee, 11,200 people took in the caves last weekend.

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