Meyers Beach — Attraction in Town of Bayfield

We came here for a short visit a few years ago. This time we came back to hike the full Lakeshore Trail (10+ miles) starting at the parking area of Meyers Beach. We did an overnight drive from the Twin Cities and boondocked right in the parking area, because we wanted to have an early start with the hike, and it was perfect to see the northern stars here! We woke up to a beautiful sunrise and the opening view of the lake.

There is a $5 day fee to park there. There are two non-gendered, one-person-use bathrooms in the area, and the only light source is from the single window each provide. There are couple picnic tables, running water, and resources about the islands and surrounding areas. There's park rangers there to answer any questions you have as well (during open hours).

We started hiking at 5am and stopped several times to bask in the views of the caves and horizons of other islands. It's definitely quiet and less crowded. The Lakeshore Trail takes you to the Lakeshore camping sites, and is a medium to hard difficulty in hiking, depending on your hiking endurance. It is not kid or accessible-friendly. There are some fallen trees and natural damages around the trail due to early storms. Also note that there are not a lot of barriers around the trails, so do hike with caution and be conscious of your surrounding and environment at all times. With some stops here and there, we got to the campground in about 4 hours. We hung around the beach area for a quick skinny dipping in the cool, clear water, rest, and refuel; and then made our way back to the starting point. By this time, people are trickling in for kayaking tours. It was nice to see kayakers below the trail and caves. We got back in about 3 hours this time since we didn't make a lot of stops as we did going there.

Once back, we took the boardwalk down to the beach (Meyers Beach) and hung out with other folks for lunch and watch kayakers launch their tour from here. This is now one of our top list to be when visiting...

Took the sea caves overlook trail with my 2 greyhounds. This is primarily a forest trail until you get close to the sea caves. The trail consists mainly of 2 plank boardwalks and steps. So waterproofed hiking boots are a must as sometimes you have to step off the trail to let people pass. The forest is lush and in mid-June blue bead lillies and bunchberry are in bloom. Bug repellent is definitely required, and the dampness of the forest raises the humidity. The first mile is easy, but then you need to descend into 6 to 7 steep gullies and this raises the ease of the hike to moderate. Muddy creeks generally meet you at the bottom before you climb back out. Here steps are uneven and eroded with exposed tree roots becoming a hazard. If you are unsure of foot you will definitely need walking poles (or consider giving the trail a miss). Note to multi-dog owners, having 2 leashed large dogs increased the difficulty significantly on this section. On the plus side these gullies are not deep (15-25 feet elevation change). The main sea cave is impressive from above, with gapping holes in the roof that allow you to look down into it. There is a nice bench to sit on to contemplate Lake Superior. Starting out before 6 am on a weekday we saw no-one until we were half way back so a good time to go to avoid crowds. The last group I encountered had just seen a black bear on the trail quite close to the car park. Although I personally did not see it as we finished the hike, I thought I better let the ranger know there was a bear close by. When I mentioned the bear was gone when we walked through, he made my day by replying "bummer". His first thought was that we had missed out on the pleasure of seeing a wild bear. Apparently bears are sighted fairly regularly in the vicinity but run when...

Parking at trailhead to the sea caves is $5 for vehicles under 20 feet. The sign says the hike to the sea caves is extremely challenging, and for some it might be, for those who are particularly athletic it might just be a walk in the park though. The hike starts nice and easy with a boardwalk a little bit of ups and downs but it's not too bad. Once you go .7 miles you'll cross an access path or something and there will be a sign saying 1.1 miles left, this is where it starts to get interesting the boardwalk is gone and you've got 10 steep ravines to decent and hike back up. The "stairs" are made for tall people, I'm 6'2" and found them challenging. The first 2 are spaced out a bit, but the next 8 are in rapid succession. You know you're close when you can start to see the lake through the trees, just a couple more ravines and you're to the first caves. It is well worth it as the views are amazing. At a comfortable pace it took about 50 minutes to get there so plan...