Near the western end of Lake Superior lies a forested archipelago of twenty-two islands called the Apostles. The name probably stems from the desire of 17th century Jesuit missionaries to honor the Apostles by naming a beautiful place after them, rather then from an actual count of islands. The islands have been carved for over a million years by glacial ice, wind, and waves; producing dramatic shorelines featuring sandstone cliffs, sea caves, and miles of pristine sand beaches. The Apostle Islands are at the continental northwestern limit of the hemlock/white pine/northern hardwood forest and the southern limit of the circumpolar boreal forest.

Centuries of wave action, freezing, and thawing have sculpted shorelines throughout Apostle Islands National Lakeshore. Some of the Great Lakes' most spectacular scenery occurs where these forces interact with sandstone of the Devils Island Formation to create extensive sea caves. Nature has carved delicate arches, vaulted chambers, and honeycombed passageways into cliffs on the north shore of Devils Island, Swallow Point on Sand Island, and along the mainland near the Lakeshore's western boundary.

Entering the old growth forests of the Apostles, one can glimpse what once spread across the northern part of the state. Shadowy, thick forests, soft with duff underfoot. The sweet smell of decaying leaves and cedar. Snapping twigs with every footstep. Tall stumps like totem poles. Fallen trees so abundant, you can create your own path by following overlapping logs. Some logs so decayed, they are mere mounds. Laying down here you realize how everything is interconnected: death and life, darkness and light, ancient and young, quiet and song.