Another National Park Arch Collapses, This One at Apostle Islands National Lakeshore

Time has erased another arch in the National Park System. "Hole in the Wall" arch at Apostle Islands National Lakeshore disappeared sometime during the winter. The top photo was taken in 2004, the bottom photo this month. NPS photos.

Another national park arch has collapsed. Not one of the famous ones at Arches National Park, but rather one of the icons at Apostle Islands National Lakeshore.

Hole-in-the-Wall arch, long a prominent landmark on the northeast corner of Oak Island, collapsed sometime during the winter of 2009-2010, according to park officials.

A close examination of the “bridge” from below revealed that it was an isolated rock precariously seated between two joint cracks. The arch's collapse "serves as a dramatic reminder of how the forces of nature constantly shape the Apostle Islands," the park noted in a release.

Along that line of thinking, officials strongly suggest that "visitors should use caution when hiking or boating near eroding shorelines."