You can get to the island by boat, airplane, or by taking the Ferry from Bayfield, WI. Madeline Island Ferry Line provides transportation between the picturesque towns of Bayfield and La Pointe. The 25-minute voyage provides spectacular views of Lake Superior and several of the 22 Apostle Islands. You can bring your car, bicycle, or just walk on for a fee, check the link for prices and the schedule. https://madferry.com/ferry-schedule The Village of La Pointe is located at the end of the ferry dock. There are shops, restaurants, churches, museums, lodging, real estate, hiking trails, grocery stores, small public beach area, coffee, bike, moped, guided kayak tours, and many other points of interest within walking distance. Madeline Island Ferry Line provides twice daily walking tours during the summer peak season.
We visited the island in June for a summer family vacation. Getting there was an easy 4.5 hour drive north. We stopped at Tobie’s in Hinkley, MN for breakfast, including huge cinnamon and caramel rolls. Then off we went to continue our journey to Bayfield, WI. Once we arrived in Bayfield we easily found the Madeline Island Ferry. This was the first time we had taken a ferry. It was pretty cool. As we pulled off the ferry we found our Airbnb, Cedar Log Cabin, our home away from home for our time on the island. This log cabin was great, with all the amenities we needed and could have wanted, plus a ping pong table! We decided to stay in for the night and have a ping pong tournament. It was a fun night of lots of laughter and Cory pulled out the win!
The forecast for our time on the island was calling for mostly rain. While we did get quite a bit of rain, there were breaks and we were able to explore. We did this in style and rented mopeds to move around the island. We recommend Motion 2 Go for your rental needs. They rent mopeds and bikes. We had some balance issues at first but caught on pretty quickly. Some of us loved it! Feeling a little hungry we grabbed a quick bite at Grandpa Tony’s. The pizzas, French Dip sandwich, Chicken Tenders, and ice cream were very good, then we hit up a few of the shops and galleries. Elyse and Olivia decided they should jump in Lake Superior for a refreshing dip so we headed to Joni’s beach.
The water temperature was 47 degrees! Was that refreshing or crazy? The rest of the day was filled with naps, reading, a puzzle, a campfire, card playing, a delicious home cooked dinner, and of course, more ping pong.🏓
The sun surprised us on Tuesday and the forecast called for a dry day so we decided to go hiking and explore a little more of the island. We drove to the north side of the island to Big Bay State Park. A short walk to our first stop, which offered amazing views of the lake and cliffs. We explored the park a bit more and then drove around the whole island taking in the scenery and enjoyed looking at all the diffferent styles of cabins/houses.
Next stops were Tom’s Burned Down Cafe for drinks and then The Beach Club for a quick lunch, serving simple bar foods and a very nice view of the lake. After a little more shopping we headed back to the cabin for some rest and games. We decided not to cook dinner at home on our last night on the island. We picked The Pub for a little more upscale dining experience. It was a really nice place with delicious food and great drinks. A couple of us had fresh fish from Lake Superior, a few opted for pasta, and one went with the classic steak dinner. Everyone was very happy with their choice! Luckily we just made it back to our log cabin before the thunderstorm hit. It rained hard all night.
More than one third of the Island consists of parks and wilderness preserves and will, therefore, never be developed. The Island is a nature-lovers’ paradise making it an ideal location for any type of outdoor fun. Madeline Island has miles of sandy beaches, hiking trails, a cute little downtown in La Pointe with lots of trails and roads to bike. You can also explore Big Bay State Park by canoe or kayak to see the sea caves. So if you love the outdoors we would recommend a visit to Madeline Island. We had a wonderful time here and sharpened our “island time” skills.
Additional things to do on Madeline Island:
Sandy Beaches
Hiking and Biking
Camping
Kayaking and Canoeing
Madeline Island School of the Arts
Madeline Island Chamber Music
Local Shopping and Restaurants
Madeline Island Museum
Madeline Island Heritage Center
Plus, Guided tours https://www.madelineisland.com/eat-drink-stay-awhile/on-the-water/
Rent bikes or mopeds at Motion To Go. https://vacations.madelineisland.com/list/member/motion-to-go-171
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