Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore Visitor Information.

**For our Sleeping Bear trip reports scroll down to the bottom of this page or click here.

For many years Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore was lightly visited gem in Northwest Lower Michigan. We were always surprised at the number of Michiganders who lived within a few hours of the park, but had never visited. This all changed in 2011 when Good Morning America viewers voted Sleeping Bear Dunes "The Most Beautiful Place in America." The secret that we had known for several years was now out. We had a visit planned for what ended up being 2 weeks after this story came out and we already noticed a significant change in the number of visitors. This is a good thing, as this incredible place should be shared and seen by everyone.

Sleeping Bear Dunes protects 35 miles of undeveloped Lake Michigan shoreline. All of which is beautiful sugar sand beach. With 9 different beach access points you can easily find a nice strip of sand to call your own for the day. There are 3 different places in the park where the dunes that rise up from the beach are over 400 feet tall. The park is best explored by hiking some the 13 marked trails that total over 60 miles. Many of the most popular overlooks can also be accessed from the scenic drive.

Offshore you find North and South Manitou Islands which can be reached by ferry boats from Leland, Michigan. South Manitou is a little more developed with some roads, 3 campgrounds, a lighthouse and several historic buildings and farms. North Manitou Island offers backpackers and kayakers a unique wilderness experience. With the exception of the small village at the dock where the park rangers reside this island is undeveloped.

Start out by stopping at the visitor center in Empire, Michigan where you can purchase the required visitor pass. Passes are $10 per vehicle for 7 days or $20 for the year. The visitor center also has hiking maps, informational displays and a short slide show that is worth watching. If you have kids remember to ask for the Jr Ranger activity book.

Our Top Picks - What to do in Sleeping Bear Dunes (All are kid friendly activities)
If you are looking for things to do when visiting Traverse City, Sleeping Bear Dunes is just an easy 30 minute drive away!

1. The Empire Bluff Trail - This 1.5 mile round trip hike is one of the best short hikes in the lower peninsula and a must see when visiting Sleeping Bear.

Leaving the parking area the trail is a fairly wide gravel path that leads through a rolling Beech Maple forest. At about the 1/2 mile mark there is a bench and a cut in the trees where you get your first view of the dunes and South Bar Lake. Take a quick photo and continue on as the views only get better from here.

After another 1/4 mile of going down a hill and back up you come out of the woods on a boardwalk along the Empire Dune Bluff. Here you are about 400 feet above Lake Michigan are treated to one of the best views in the State. To the North the shore bends away in a perfect sand arch that ends with the Sleeping Bear Dune. South Manitou Island can also be seen peaking over the horizon. At the end of the boardwalk are a few benches where you can rest and soak in the view before heading back to your car. See our Hiking Michigan page for more photos from this hike >>

Trailhead Directions - 1.5 miles South of Empire on M22 turn right on Wilco road. Continue 0.5 miles to the parking area on the left.
GPS: (44.799165,-86.058719) Map >>

2. The Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive - This 7.4 mile single lane drive gives you easy access the some of best overlooks in the park. Including Glen Lake, Lake Michigan and the Sleeping Bear Dune. A free guide is available at the contact station.

Pick a clear day and make sure not to miss the stops at: #3 Dune Overlook and #9&10 at the Lake Michigan and Sleeping Bear Dune Overlook. The North Bar Lake Overlook and picnic area at #11 is also worth pulling off for.

We have always enjoyed packing our cooler in the car and stopping for lunch at picnic mountain. Then after lunch you can walk to the Dune Overlook and also the start of the Cottonwood Trail. This trail is a sandy 1.5 loop takes you through an interesting area including perched dunes and wildflowers. At the half way point you are treated to a great view of Glen Lake near the top of the popular Dune Climb. The soft sand and climbs make this hike a little strenuous at times so make sure to take plenty of water.

For the Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive virtual tour click here >>

Directions - Head North out of Empire on M22. After 2.1 miles turn left on M109 watch for signs point to the entrance on the left in 1.3 miles. (44.85283, -86.0364) Map>>

3. The Dune Climb - Another 2 miles up the road from the Pierce Stocking Drive is the entrance to the famous Sleeping Bear Dune Climb. Just a few steps from where you park the car a huge 600 foot wide wall of sand rises up at a steep 45 degree angle for about 140 feet. After this the slope starts to level off, as you continue climbing until you top out at about 250 feet above the parking lot. The entire climb is less than a 1/4 mile, but the soft sand and steep grade make it difficult.

At the top there is another one of the great views this area is know for. To the east you see the Caribbean blue waters of Glen Lake and to the north Sleeping Bear Bay on Lake Michigan. Stop, rest and take in the view for a while, you have earned it. If climbing the dune makes you feel like you are starting to get old, running back down will make you feel like a kid again. Even if it is just for a few steps you have to try it!

Before we had kids we stayed away from this busy area in the park, but now it seems like we are stopping at least twice each time we visit because this is one of our girl's favorites. We usually make one climb and then relax on the picnic tables at the base and watch them go up and down.

If you still did not get your fill of walking in sand, at the top of the Dune Climb you will find the start of the Dunes Trail. A strenuous 3.5 mile hike through the dunes to Lake Michigan and back. To find this trail look for the line of blue tipped wooden posts.

Directions - Go North out of Empire on M22. After 2.1 miles turn left on M109. The entrance is on the left in 3.5 miles. (44.88206, -86.0415) Map >>



4. Paddling the Lower Platte River and Platte River Point - Tucked way down in the South end of the park there is a special place where the Platte River empties into Lake Michigan. The best way to get here is by kayak or canoe starting just below the bridge where M-22 cross the river.

On the West side of the bridge there is a canoe livery and on the East side a public launch with a nice picnic area and restrooms. The float from here to Lake Michigan is about 2 hours. The water is crystal clear and never more than a few feet deep except where the river flows through Loon Lake. You reach this sandy bottom lake about a 1/2 hour into the trip. If you stay along the shore to the right it stays shallow and this is a good place for the kids to jump out for a swim on a warm day.

Continuing a little further downstream you reach the Fish Weir at about the half way point of the trip. In the summer the gate in the middle will be open and you can pass under. In the fall when the salmon are running the DNR uses the weir to harvest the fish and their eggs are used at their hatcheries. From here the second half of the trip is a nice easy float to Lake Michigan. With about 1 mile left in the trip you reach El Dorado Landing. This is a popular put-in for tubers and there is also a pit toilet if you need to make a pit stop.

As you near the end of the trip you will see sand dunes on your left and on the right is Lake Township Park. If you rented your canoe or kayak you will have to take out here. If you brought your own boat you can continue on as the river bends to the right and out into the blue waters of Lake Michigan. If there are waves on the lake be careful because the currents at the mouth can get a little pushy. We like to spend the rest of the day here relaxing on the Platte Point Beach while the kids do laps floating in their tubes out to Lake Michigan. Lake Township Park has big grassy picnic area with restrooms and a changing area. There is a small fee to park your car in the township lot.

Riverside Canoe Trips rents canoes, kayaks, tubes and provides a shuttle service from the M22 bridge. We have our own kayaks and I usually drop off the family at the M22 launch, then drive down to the end of the road to drop off the car and ride my bike the 2.5 miles back.

Directions - The launch site is 10 miles south of Empire at the M22 bridge over the Platte River. (44.71234, -86.1195) Map>>

5. The Platte River Campground - Just down the road from the Platte River launch site mentioned above is the Platte River Campground. To really experience Sleeping Bear Dunes you should spend more than a day here. Staying at the Platte River Campground is a great way to do this. This modern campground is one of our favorite place to camp in all of Michigan. The 179 sites are separated into 4 different loops, with a restroom and shower building centrally located in every loop.. All site are decent size and have good amount of space in between them. Each has a paved parking pad and is equipped with a picnic table, fire pit and tent pad. Only about half of the sites have electric hookups.

This campground is open year around and is typically full from June through August. About half of the sites can be reserved in advance at Recreation.gov.The rest are first come first come first serve. It is not uncommon to see a line people waiting outside the ranger station to get sites that are penning up starting at 6 am. To see a map of the Platte River Campground click here. There are also several pictures of the from our visits in the trip reports below.

Directions - Take M22 10 miles south of Empire. Turn Right on Lake Michigan Rd just before the bridge over the Platte River. The campground entrance is 0.25 miles on the right. (44.71518, -86.12101) Map>>

6. Boondocks in Glen Arbor - After a busy day at the dunes kick back and relax on the deck at Boondocks with cold drink and a sandwich or burger. If you have had enough sun there is a large open air gazebo with tables and a bar. On weekends in the summer there is usually live music outside. The food is a little on the expensive side, but has always been very good. The extra couple dollars that you pay for your burger is worth it for the atmosphere.

Directions - Boondocks is on the corner of M22 and M109 in Glen Arbor. (44.897729, -85.990471) Map>>