Local Guide

Sleeping Bear Dunes from Traverse City

Thirty minutes from the Commons. Voted the most beautiful place in America. Here's how to make the most of it.

What Sleeping Bear Actually Is

Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore is a 71,000-acre National Park Service site along the northwest coast of the Lower Peninsula, named for a Ojibwe legend about a mother bear waiting on the shore for her cubs. The name conjures beach dunes, which is accurate but incomplete — the lakeshore includes towering perched dunes that rise 400 feet above Lake Michigan, dense forests, inland lakes, rivers, shoreline bluffs, and the Manitou Islands visible offshore.

Good Morning America ran a viewer poll in 2011 that declared it the most beautiful place in America. It's a list that doesn't mean much, but in this case it's hard to argue with. The scale of the dunes above open water is something that photographs can't fully convey. The first time you stand at the top of the Empire Bluffs trail and see the lake stretching to the horizon below you, the designation makes sense.

The Top Stops

The Dune Climb on M-109 is the most visited spot in the park and the one most people picture when they think of Sleeping Bear. A sand dune rises steeply from a parking area and you climb it — no trail, no switchbacks, just sand. Getting to the top takes twenty minutes of hard work; the descent is faster and involves more falling than most people expect. From the top you can see Glen Lake behind you. Continuing over the ridge to the lake is a 3.5-mile round trip that adds several hours and requires carrying water, since the descent to the water is steep and punishing on the way back. Know what you're signing up for.

The Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive is a 7.4-mile one-way loop through the park with interpretive stops at the major overlooks. It's the right choice if you want to see the dunes and the lake without a strenuous hike — several stops along the route have short walks to overlooks that deliver the full view. The drive closes in winter but is open spring through fall. The Empire Bluffs Trail is two miles round trip from the Empire trailhead and ends at a cliff-edge view of Lake Michigan that rivals anything in the park — less crowded than the Dune Climb, more dramatic payoff per mile of effort. North Bar Lake is a small inland lake separated from Lake Michigan by a narrow strip of land, with a beach that's warmer than the big lake and excellent for swimming.

Half Day vs Full Day

A half day (leaving TC around 9am, back by early afternoon) is enough for one or two stops: the Dune Climb and a quick walk, or the Pierce Stocking Drive, or the Empire Bluffs trail with lunch in Empire afterward. You'll feel like you saw the park without rushing.

A full day opens up the backcountry trails, the Manitou Island ferry, and the ability to drive the full perimeter of the park through Glen Arbor and along M-22. Combine with a stop in Leland for smoked fish or Glen Arbor for lunch — the Leelanau Peninsula loop pairs naturally with a Sleeping Bear day.

When to Go

Summer is beautiful and crowded — parking at the Dune Climb fills by 10am on summer weekends, and the Pierce Stocking Drive can back up at peak times. Go early or go late. Shoulder season (late May, September, October) is the practical answer: the trails are open, the lake is accessible, and you won't fight for parking. Fall is particularly good — the dune colors are warm, the deciduous forest is turning, and the lake is still swimmable into September for the tolerant.

Midweek beats weekends significantly in summer. If you're staying at The Observatory and have a flexible schedule, Tuesday or Wednesday morning at Sleeping Bear is a qualitatively different experience than Saturday at noon in July.

Practical Details

Entry requires a National Parks pass: $25 per vehicle for a 7-day pass, or free with an America the Beautiful annual pass ($80, available at the entrance station or online). The annual pass pays for itself if you visit more than three or four national park sites in a year and is worth carrying in your wallet. Bring water regardless of how short your hike looks — sand and sun are dehydrating and there's no water available inside most of the park.

After the park, Empire has Joe's Friendly Tavern for a burger and a beer — it's been there since 1945 and hasn't changed much, which is the point. The Empire Bluffs trailhead is in town if you haven't done it yet. Glen Arbor has Cherry Republic (cherry everything, worth it) and Art's Tavern for a slightly more serious meal. Both towns are about ten minutes from the park's main attractions.