There are places on Lake Superior that are beautiful from a distance. Devil’s Island is not one of them.
To really understand why this remote Apostle Island has become one of the most sought-after paddling destinations in Wisconsin, you need to get close…to the arches, the tunnels, the sculpted sandstone walls, and the cold, restless water that made all of it possible.
That is the draw behind a video feature from PBS North, which follows the team from Apostle Islands Kayaking Express as they help visitors reach one of the most dramatic corners of Apostle Islands National Lakeshore.
A Kayak Playground Carved Into Sandstone
The video calls Devil’s Island a “kayak playground,” and that description fits.
Around the island’s north and east sides, paddlers move past narrow slots, portholes, arches, and sea caves carved into layered sandstone. The formations are intricate enough to feel almost architectural, as if someone designed them for exploration.
In reality, they were shaped by ancient geology and the steady force of Lake Superior.
The National Park Service explains that the Apostle Islands sea caves formed where wave action attacks and undercuts the base of sandstone cliffs. Over time, those undercut areas can join behind the cliff face, leaving behind pillars and arches…the exact kinds of features that make Devil’s Island so visually striking from a kayak.
How Apostle Islands Kayaking Express Makes Devil’s Island Accessible
Devil’s Island sits far offshore in Lake Superior, which is why many visitors see it only from a cruise boat. Apostle Islands Kayaking Express offers a different kind of experience: a boat-supported kayak tour that takes guests directly to the island before launching them into tandem kayaks.
According to Apostle Islands Kayaking Express, its Devils Island Sea Caves tour begins in Bayfield, Wisconsin, then uses a custom boat to transport paddlers to the island. From there, guests launch into kayaks near the sea caves and paddle through sandstone arches and chambers with guides leading the route. The company describes the Devil’s Island tour as a five-hour experience with about two hours of paddling, with all equipment included and the support boat nearby.
That boat support matters. Devil’s Island is not a casual paddle from shore. It is an exposed Lake Superior destination where distance, wind, waves, cold water, and changing weather all need to be taken seriously.
Exploring Apostle Islands National Lakeshore
The larger setting is Apostle Islands National Lakeshore, one of the signature protected landscapes on Lake Superior.
The National Lakeshore includes 21 islands and a mainland shoreline along northern Wisconsin’s Bayfield Peninsula. It is known for sandstone sea caves, historic lighthouses, beaches, campsites, and some of the most memorable boating and paddling scenery on Lake Superior.
The park is also spread out in a way that helps explain one of the feelings captured in the PBS North video: solitude. Even when the Apostle Islands are busy, the islands, channels, shorelines, and open water can make the place feel surprisingly uncrowded once you are out in the archipelago.
The Real Geology Behind Devil’s Island
One of the most important claims in the video is geological: Devil’s Island has unusually dramatic sandstone formations because it is exposed to the power of Lake Superior.
That claim is well supported by the National Park Service’s explanation of the Apostle Islands sea caves. The NPS says the Devils Island Formation is made of thin, porous sandstone layers that are more vulnerable to erosion. When Lake Superior waves strike and undercut the base of those cliffs, caves, arches, and supporting pillars can form.
The video also references “10,000 years” of glacial history. That is broadly connected to the most recent glacial shaping of the Apostle Islands landscape, but it is important to separate the age of the sandstone from the more recent glacial activity.
The sandstone itself is much older than 10,000 years. According to the National Park Service, the sandstones of the Apostle Islands and Bayfield Peninsula were deposited during the late Precambrian era, from nearly one billion years ago to about 660 million years ago. The Devils Island Formation formed in sand-flat environments that were intermittently covered by shallow ponded water, resulting in thinner layers especially suited to sea cave formation.
The glacial part of the story is much more recent. The NPS notes that Pleistocene ice pulses sculpted the islands, and that the Apostle Islands were most recently glaciated by the Vanders Ice Lobe about 12,000 years ago. As the ice retreated, changing lake levels and rebounding land helped expose the islands and reshape the shoreline.
So the most accurate summary is this: Devil’s Island’s sandstone is hundreds of millions of years old, while glaciers and post-glacial lake processes helped shape the modern island landscape that paddlers see today.
Is Lake Superior Really the World’s Largest Freshwater Lake?
The video also describes Lake Superior as the world’s largest freshwater lake. That statement is generally correct when referring to freshwater lakes by surface area.
NOAA describes Lake Superior as the second-largest lake in the world by surface area overall, and the largest and deepest of the five Great Lakes. NOAA also lists its maximum depth at about 1,333 feet.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency lists Lake Superior’s water area at 31,700 square miles, with an average depth of 483 feet, a maximum depth of 1,332 feet, and a volume of 2,900 cubic miles.
That scale is part of what makes Devil’s Island so unforgettable. It is also part of what makes the trip serious.
Why Lake Superior Conditions Matter for Kayakers
Lake Superior is not just a scenic backdrop in this story. It is the force that created the caves, and it is the force every paddler has to respect.
The National Park Service is direct about kayaking safety in the Apostle Islands. Its guidance warns that kayakers have had fatal accidents at the sea caves, and that small open boats, canoes, open-cockpit kayaks, sit-on-top kayaks, and paddleboards are not recommended near the caves. The NPS also warns that waves from wind and boats can hit the rocks and bounce back, creating “confused waters.”
The same NPS kayaking guidance recommends monitoring marine weather, avoiding the sea caves in rough conditions, wearing personal flotation devices, wet suits or dry suits, and spray skirts, and not paddling the caves alone. It also notes that Lake Superior is known for cold temperatures, rough seas, fog, and sudden squalls.
That context is essential for anyone watching the video and imagining a Devil’s Island paddle. The scenery is inviting, but this is still big-water paddling on a cold inland sea. Or, if you’re looking to circumnavigate Lake Superior by kayak like Constance Simes!
Wave Watch and Safer Trip Planning
This is where Wave Watch from Friends of the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore becomes especially useful.
Friends of the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore is the nonprofit partner supporting the park, and its Wave Watch project gives paddlers, sailors, anglers, boaters, and park visitors better access to real-time lake condition information. The project uses a network of wave and weather buoys in and around the Apostle Islands to help people better understand what is happening on the water before they go out.
For kayakers, that kind of information can be critical. Lake Superior can look manageable from shore while conditions farther out are building. Wind direction, wave height, and changing weather all matter, especially near exposed islands and sea caves where waves can rebound off rock walls and create unstable paddling conditions.
Wave Watch does not remove the risk from Lake Superior. Nothing does. But it can help boaters and paddlers make more informed decisions, especially when paired with National Weather Service marine forecasts, local outfitter guidance, and conservative judgment.
Making It Up North on Lake Superior
The video is part of PBS North’s regional storytelling work, and it fits naturally into the station’s focus on people building lives, businesses, and creative work in northern places.
In this case, the workplace happens to be one of the most beautiful offices imaginable: a boat deck on Lake Superior, a line of kayaks, and the sandstone walls of Devil’s Island rising out of blue water.
It is also a reminder that tourism on Lake Superior often depends on a mix of natural beauty, local knowledge, specialized equipment, and people who know how quickly the lake can change.
Beauty, Risk, and the Power of Lake Superior
The result is part travel inspiration, part behind-the-scenes look at a specialized Lake Superior operation, and part reminder that the Apostle Islands are not just scenic. They are geologically alive.
Waves are still working on the caves. Wind is still shaping the day. Cold water is still the boss.
That combination is exactly why Devil’s Island has such a hold on paddlers. It is remote, sculpted, exposed, and unforgettable. The same forces that make it dangerous are the forces that made it beautiful.
Before planning a trip, watch the PBS North video, learn more from Apostle Islands Kayaking Express, review visitor and safety information from Apostle Islands National Lakeshore, and check current lake-condition resources like Wave Watch from Friends of the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore.
