Best time to visit Apostle Islands National Lakeshore
May, June and September have the mildest temperatures at Apostle Islands National Lakeshore, though they are among the wetter months. July is busiest, with about 63,000 visitors. April is the quietest, with highs near 49°F.
- Quiet
- Moderate
- Busy
- Very busy
- Few or no visits (may be closed)
- Best months
Month by month
- Station
- Bayfield 6 N, WI USC00470603
- Lat / lon
- 46.88, -90.82
- Elevation
- 820 ft
- From park center
- 11.7 mi
- Normals
- 1991–2020
- Visits
- 2023–2025
| Field | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | Maybest | Junbest | Jul | Aug | Sepbest | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High, °F | 22° | 26° | 37° | 49° | 63° | 71° | 77° | 76° | 68° | 54° | 40° | 28° | 51° |
| Low, °F | 7° | 8° | 18° | 30° | 41° | 49° | 56° | 56° | 48° | 38° | 26° | 15° | 33° |
| Precipitation, in | 1.7 | 1.1 | 1.6 | 3.1 | 3.5 | 3.3 | 4.1 | 3.6 | 3.7 | 3.1 | 2.4 | 1.9 | 33.3 |
| Snow, in | 29.5 | 15.8 | 14.6 | 5.1 | 0.8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 | 13.3 | 26.2 | 106.3 |
| Daylight, h:mm | 8:54 | 10:13 | 11:45 | 13:31 | 15:01 | 15:52 | 15:32 | 14:13 | 12:30 | 10:47 | 9:17 | 8:32 | |
| Visitors, thousands | 3 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 15 | 37 | 63 | 62 | 36 | 18 | 3 | 3 | 254 |
| Crowds | Quiet | Quiet | Quiet | Quiet | Quiet | Busy | Very busy | Very busy | Busy | Quiet | Quiet | Quiet | |
| Weather | Cold | Cold | Cold | Cool | Mild, wet | Mild, wet | Mild, wet | Mild, wet | Mild, wet | Cool | Cold | Cold |
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip., in | Snow, in | Daylight | Visitors | Crowds | Weather |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 22° | 7° | 1.7 | 29.5 | 8:54 | 3,200 | Quiet | Cold |
| February | 26° | 8° | 1.1 | 15.8 | 10:13 | 3,600 | Quiet | Cold |
| March | 37° | 18° | 1.6 | 14.6 | 11:45 | 4,200 | Quiet | Cold |
| April | 49° | 30° | 3.1 | 5.1 | 13:31 | 5,400 | Quiet | Cool |
| Maybest | 63° | 41° | 3.5 | 0.8 | 15:01 | 15,000 | Quiet | Mild, wet |
| Junebest | 71° | 49° | 3.3 | 0 | 15:52 | 37,000 | Busy | Mild, wet |
| July | 77° | 56° | 4.1 | 0 | 15:32 | 63,000 | Very busy | Mild, wet |
| August | 76° | 56° | 3.6 | 0 | 14:13 | 62,000 | Very busy | Mild, wet |
| Septemberbest | 68° | 48° | 3.7 | 0 | 12:30 | 36,000 | Busy | Mild, wet |
| October | 54° | 38° | 3.1 | 1.0 | 10:47 | 18,000 | Quiet | Cool |
| November | 40° | 26° | 2.4 | 13.3 | 9:17 | 3,300 | Quiet | Cold |
| December | 28° | 15° | 1.9 | 26.2 | 8:32 | 2,500 | Quiet | Cold |
| Year | 51° | 33° | 33.3 | 106.3 | 254,000 | |||
Year: average high and low, total precipitation and snowfall, total visitors. T = trace (under 0.05 in). – = not measured at this station. Updated .
- Hottest July, average high 77°F
- Coldest nights January, average low 7°F
- Source NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information; National Park Service
- Visitors a year about 254,000 (2023–2025 average)
- State Wisconsin
Closures, reservations and alerts: Apostle Islands National Lakeshore on nps.gov
Nearby
- Grand Portage National MonumentBest: May, Jun and Sep · Minnesota
- Saint Croix National Scenic RiverwayBest: May, Sep and Oct · Minnesota and Wisconsin
- Isle Royale National ParkBest: May, Jun and Sep · Michigan
- Voyageurs National ParkBest: May, Jun and Sep · Minnesota