Over the years, nature's elements have carved out several magnificent caves along the shores of Lake Superior.

Winter sea splash and runoff glaze those fissures into icy caverns attracting people from all over the region to experience their beauty.

Julie Pearce brings us to the heart of this true winter wonderland.

For only the second time in four winters, the ice conditions have been adequate enough for hikers to access the caves.

Neil Howk with the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore says it's a window of opportunity that has attracted about 2500 people from all over the region in the last couple of weekends.

"A little cold around the far corner down there, but more than worth it."

"It's one of the most spectacular scenes on Lake Superior, really anywhere in the country."

The mile-and-a-half trek across the ice brings to life thoughts of sugar plum fairies and Jack Frost.

Towering cliffs, deep crevices, sparkling ice, and magnificent colors are all a part of the magic.

"Amber-colored, very large icicles, huge, hanging from the cliffs, stalagmites, very amber, a lot of them come through the red rock."

"Right now we've got a lot of little nooks and crannies and small cages that the ice has kinda formed in."

"It's just an interesting place to poke around and look into some of the smaller openings we've got here along the cliffs."

"It's an interesting place."

"We'll go and take a look out the other side."

Last week, about 90 Bayfield middle schoolers had the opportunity to explore the caves for themselves.

"The kids were so jazzed, they were running from one cave to another and one kid said it reminded her of the first day at the zoo: she couldn't get to the next cave fast enough to find out what was inside."

One of those eighth graders was inspired enough to put his experience into a poem.

"Light shimmering off the lake in radiant beams, dark cavernous tunnels, and brightly lit crevasses, black ice-like tiled floors, like looking through glass."

"And the poem goes on to read: 'some places were like portals to another world, but I believe it was the heart of the world. Although this is known as Devil's Island sandstone, it only takes one trip to realize it's heavenly.'"

"We get to see the stalactites and stalagmites, only it's ice columns; we get to see curtains of ice, and in other places where it looks like organ pipes, or just clear walls of like glass, and you can look through it and see the moss growing on the rocks below the ice layer."

Some preferred to just stand back and take it all in.

"Gorgeous!"

"I think God is a great artist!"

"That forms a very dramatic canyon here."

"It's a pretty site, you appreciate nature after this."

While beautiful, they are both temporary and transient.

They'll only be around for a few more weeks before they return to the lake that formed them.

In the Bayfield ice caves, Julie Pearce, the Northlands NewsCenter.

It's a dramatic place to visit, but walking on the ice can be a little dangerous.

The National Park Service recommends wearing sturdy boots and using a walking stick for added stability.

You can contact the park service in Bayfield at 715-779-3398