What it’s like to kayak the most dangerous Great Lake Paddlers in Wisconsin’s Apostle Islands National Lakeshore live by one simple mantra: “The lake is boss.” The steely waters of Lake Superior surround the Apostle Islands, located off the Wisconsin shoreline. ByStephanie Pearson Email With a reputation for fickle weather, ravaging storms, and an average water temperature of 42 degrees Fahrenheit, Lake Superior is fierce and unforgiving. It’s no wonder that experienced sailors and kayakers consider it the Mount Everest of freshwater boating. At 31,700 square miles, Lake Superior is the largest lake in the world by surface area, holding three quadrillion gallons of fresh water—enough to cover North and South America a foot deep. Its shoreline is shaped like a wolf’s head and sprawls 2,726 miles across Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, and Ontario.