Ice caves in northern Wisconsin are dazzling winter phenomena

Mother Nature has become a Chihuly-like sculptress in sea caves along Lake Superior in northern Wisconsin. Icicles hang by the thousands in caves at Apostle Islands National Lakeshore. In warmer weather, the caves would be accessible only by water, but during this consistently cold winter, they are accessible by frozen lakeshore. (Brian Peterson / Associated Press)

Feb. 17, 2014 9:20 AM PT

Thousands of visitors are making the trek to the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore in northern Wisconsin to see a display of ice sculptures created by the arctic siege gripping the upper Midwest.
MORE: Rare frozen path on Lake Superior opens dazzling ice caves to hikers

Icicles assume fantastic shapes inside a cave at Apostle Islands National Lakeshore in northern Wisconsin. (Brian Peterson / Associated Press)

Bundled-up visitors are flocking to the caves at Apostle Islands National Lakeshore in northern Wisconsin, which have been transformed into ice sculptures in the arctic freeze. (Brian Peterson / AP)

Icicles form in the frigid interior of a cave at Apostle Islands National Lakeshore in northern Wisconsin. (Brian Peterson / AP)

In this Feb. 2 photograph, crowds hike to the caves at Apostle Islands National Lakeshore. (Brian Peterson / Associated Press)

Visitors snap photos inside an ice cave at Apostle Islands National Lakeshore in northern Wisconsin. (Brian Peterson / Associated Press)

A visitor attempts to capture the wonder of a frozen cave at Apostle Islands National Lakeshore in northern Wisconsin. (Brian Peterson / Associated Press)