The Apostle Islands are located in Northern Wisconsin, about 4 hours from the Twin Cities in Minnesota. We drove over for a long weekend and found so many fun things to do in the Apostle Islands!
We stayed for 5 days to have some extra down time, but a 3 day weekend would be plenty to see most of what the area has to offer!
Where to stay in the Apostle Islands
Bayfield is the gateway to the Apostle Islands. Here you’ll find bed and breakfasts, a few hotels, Airbnbs, and lots of camping options. We chose to camp for 2 nights and stay in an Airbnb for the other two nights.
Camp
Most campsites can be reserved in advance, but we planned our trip very last minute so we opted for a first-come-first-serve campground. If you find yourself in the same boat, I would recommend Point Detour (where we stayed!) or Dalrymple Campground which is right outside Bayfield.
Next time we want to camp on on the the islands, and campsites can be reserved 30 days in advance on the national park website here!
We stayed at Point Detour Campground which is about 20 minutes outside of Bayfield, right on the shore of Lake Superior. The views from the campground are incredible – we stayed on site #4 and it’s the best spot in the whole campground! We had awesome views and water access. Note that there’s no electric or water here, and sites are first-come-first-serve!
Stay in a treehouse
We love quirky Airbnbs, so we had to check out the Boulderridge Treehouse! Located about 5 minutes outside Bayfield, this treehouse was built by hand by the owners of the property. The fireplace is even made with rocks from Lake Superior! Great for a couple or family.
Things to do in the Apostle Islands
Grab coffee at Wonderstate Coffee
Wonderstate Coffee has awesome coffee and breakfast. Because it’s so great, there’s usually a decent wait on the weekends, but it’s worth it! Plus the atmosphere and decor is adorable.
Kayak the sea caves
The main attraction to the Apostle Islands are the sea caves. You can take a tour, but we brought our own kayaks. A boat tour is also an option if kayaking isn’t your thing! We got in at Meyers beach and paddled for about 20 minutes across the bay until we reached the sea caves. We then spent another few hours exploring the shoreline and caves before heading back!
Note that there is a fee to enter the park, and you are required to check in with the park ranger if you are kayaking out into the lake. The winds can change in an instant, creating large waves, so make sure you are comfortable in a kayak, wear a life jacket, and have appropriate clothing along for the weather!
We were super lucky with weather while exploring the sea caves, but the wind changed, and it ended up taking us about 40 minutes to paddle back in wavy water – it wasn’t easy!
Sip on craft cocktails at Copper Crow Distillery
Copper Crow Distillery is the first Native-owned Distillery in the United States! This was one of our favorite stops in the apostle islands. Quality drinks, an awesome atmosphere (both inside and outside!) and we even chatted with the owner for a while – he gave us so many great ideas of things to do in the area!
Related post: Best Apostle Island Restaurants
Hike Frog Bay Tribal National Park
One of the recommendations from the owner at the Copper Crow Distillery was to hike Frog Bay Tribal National Park. There’s only a few trails here, so we took Ravine trail which is only a mile to the beach. There’s trails weren’t busy which was a nice break from everywhere else in the area. We enjoyed the signs with native words for common sightings in the park, and loved the beaches!
Eat at Fat Radish
Our favorite restaurant in the Apostle Islands is the Fat Radish. This restaurant only has local, sustainable dishes with a cocktail bar and tiki bar patio! We dined on a Friday night, so opted for the all you can eat Friday fish fry. We’ve eaten at tons of fish frys in Wisconsin and this one is by far our favorite! The highest quality we’ve had. If you can only eat at one place, eat here!
Rent mopeds on Madeline Island
Ditch your car and take the ferry to Madeline Island for the day! We rented mopeds from Motion to Go which is located close to the pier on the island. It was my first time ever driving a moped and after a quick lesson, I practiced a bit, and was off! Madeline island is much larger than you think, so mopeds are a must if you don’t have a car! You can also rent bikes from here if that’s more your thing.
Hike Big Bay State Park
Big Bay State Park is located on Madeline Island and offers gorgeous views. We drove our mopeds here and took the Point Trail to the Point where we jumped off the rocks into Lake Superior! A must do and so so refreshing!
Try local beer
We always have to try the local brews when traveling, so we stopped by South Shore Brewery in nearby Chequamegon Bay and Adventure Club Brewing outside of Bayfield. Both have great beer! Adventure Club Brewing has a large outdoor space and is connected to the Howl Clothing and Adventure store which was our fav store in the area!
Stop by Erickson Orchards
The Apostle Islands is known for its fruit harvest including blueberries and raspberries in the summer. It wasn’t really harvest season when we visited over Labor Day, but did find some great peaches from a farm along the road!
Erickson Orchards offers berry picking when in season, but also has a general store on site with their famous apple cider donuts! So delicious!
Shop downtown Bayfield
I know there’s lots to do in the Apostle Islands, but make some time in your itinerary to shop around downtown Bayfield. It’s loaded with cute shops with art, clothes, souvenirs, boating equipment, books, and more! Our favorite shops were Howl Clothing and Adventure and Apostle Island Booksellers!
Drink wine at The Wineries on Betzold Road
If you like fruit wine, you’re in luck! The Apostle Islands is known for its fruit harvest, so the Wineries on Betzold Road offer lots of it. There is only one winery here, and it’s made up of Bayfield Winery and Seven Ponds Winery (we were a little confused at first haha!). We tried a sampler in the vines while listening to live music!
Related post: Best Apostle Island Restaurants
Hope you enjoyed our favorite things to do in the Apostle Islands! This trip is an amazing Midwest gem.
Amazing clicks of pictures! we have done with the same place and its look like a heaven on the earth and we enjoyed our trip. Before visiting this place, we consulted with Boundary Waters Catalog about the place and bought some tools from them. We got some information from some blogs and our trip was amazing.
So helpful thank you for sharing