Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore is a

U.S. The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 contiguous ...

national lakeshore in the northwestern

Lower Peninsula The Lower Peninsula of Michigan – also known as Lower Michigan – is the larger, southern and less elevated of the two major landmasses that make up the U.S. state of Michigan; the other being the Upper Peninsula, which is separated by the S ...

Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...

. Located within Benzie and Leelanau counties, the park extends along a stretch of

Lake Michigan Lake Michigan ( ) is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is the second-largest of the Great Lakes by volume () and depth () after Lake Superior and the third-largest by surface area (), after Lake Superior and Lake Huron. To the ...

's eastern coastline, as well as

North North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating Direction (geometry), direction or geography. Etymology T ...

and South Manitou islands, preserving a total of . The park is known for its outstanding natural features, including dune formations, forests, beaches, and ancient glacial phenomena. The lakeshore also contains many cultural features, including the 1871

South Manitou Island Lighthouse South Manitou Island Lighthouse is located on South Manitou Island in Lake Michigan, west of Leland, Michigan. It is in Leelanau County in western Northern Michigan. History This is the third lighthouse built on the island. Construction of ...

, three former

stations Station may refer to: Agriculture * Station (Australian agriculture), a large Australian landholding used for livestock production * Station (New Zealand agriculture), a large New Zealand farm used for grazing by sheep and cattle ** Cattle stat ...

of the

Coast Guard A coast guard or coastguard is a Maritime Security Regimes, maritime security organization of a particular country. The term embraces wide range of responsibilities in different countries, from being a heavily armed military force with cust ...

(formerly the Life-Saving Service), and an extensive rural historic farm district. The park is administered by the

National Park Service The National Park Service (NPS) is an List of federal agencies in the United States, agency of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government, within the US Department of the Interior. The service manages all List ...

, and was established on October 21, 1970. In 2011, the area won the title of "The Most Beautiful Place in America" from

Good Morning America ''Good Morning America'', often abbreviated as ''GMA'', is an American breakfast television, morning television program that is broadcast on American Broadcasting Company, ABC. It debuted on November 3, 1975, and first expanded to weekends wit ...

. In 2014, a section of the park was named the Sleeping Bear Dunes Wilderness by the

United States Congress The United States Congress is the legislature, legislative branch of the federal government of the United States. It is a Bicameralism, bicameral legislature, including a Lower house, lower body, the United States House of Representatives, ...

Geography

The Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore protects of the shoreline of

. Much of this area is located on the

Leelanau Peninsula The Leelanau Peninsula ( ) is a peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan that extends about from the western side of the Lower Peninsula of Michigan into Lake Michigan, forming Grand Traverse Bay. It is often referred to as the "little finger" of ...

, a large peninsula in the northwest of Michigan's

. The park is located about west of

Traverse City Traverse City ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is the county seat of Grand Traverse County, although it partly extends into Leelanau County. The city's population was 15,678 at the 2020 census, while the four-county Traverse C ...

, the largest city in

Northern Michigan Northern Michigan (also known as Northern Lower Michigan and colloquially within Michigan as "Up North") is a region of the U.S. state of Michigan. The region, which is distinct from the more northerly Upper Peninsula of Michigan, Upper Peninsul ...

. The southern end of the park is located within northwestern

Benzie County Benzie County ( ) is a county in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 census, the population was 17,970. The county seat is Beulah. The county was initially set off in 1863 and organized in 1869.

, and includes the shoreline of Platte Bay and the mouth of the

Platte River The Platte River () is a major American river, in the state of Nebraska. It is about long; measured to its farthest source via its tributary, the North Platte River, it flows for over . The Platte River is a tributary of the Missouri River, w ...

. This area of the park is much flatter than the northern sections, within southwestern

Leelanau County Leelanau may refer to a number of articles relating to the region of the northwestern Lower Peninsula of Michigan: Geography Settlements * Leelanau County, Michigan * Leelanau Township, Michigan * Lake Leelanau, Michigan Landforms * La ...

. The Leelanau County sections of the park include the dune climb, Empire Bluff, Pyramid Point, and Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive. Much of the park within Leelanau County is located adjacent to

Glen Lake Glen Lake is a lake located in Northern Michigan. Located in the southwestern Leelanau Peninsula, the lake is directly adjacent to Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, and is, at its closest, about from Lake Michigan. The lake consists of two ...

, Michigan's 18th largest lake. Administered by the park are

North Manitou Island North Manitou Island ( ) is located in Lake Michigan, approximately west-northwest of Leland, Michigan. It is nearly eight miles long and more than four miles (6 km) wide, with of shoreline. It has a land area of 57.876 km2 (22.346 ...

and

South Manitou Island South Manitou Island ( ) is located in Lake Michigan, approximately west of Leland, Michigan. It is part of Leelanau County and the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. The uninhabited island is in land area and can be accessed by a fer ...

. These islands are accessible by

ferry A ferry is a boat or ship that transports passengers, and occasionally vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A small passenger ferry with multiple stops, like those in Venice, Italy, is sometimes referred to as a water taxi or water bus ...

access from Leland. Within the park run scenic highways

M-22 M-22 are a British-German DJ and producer duo consisting of Matt James and Frank Sanders. On March 22, the duo met, through a joint production, which is the reason for their stage name. History On March 22, 2015, the duo met during a joint ...

and M-109. The M-22

shield A shield is a piece of personal armour held in the hand, which may or may not be strapped to the wrist or forearm. Shields are used to intercept specific attacks, whether from close-ranged weaponry like spears or long ranged projectiles suc ...

has become such a popular cultural symbol to visitors of the area that a company based out of Traverse City began selling merchandise with the symbol in 2004.

Local communities

The nearest communities to the national lakeshore are

Empire An empire is a political unit made up of several territories, military outpost (military), outposts, and peoples, "usually created by conquest, and divided between a hegemony, dominant center and subordinate peripheries". The center of the ...

and Glen Arbor. Empire is home to the Philip A. Hart Visitor Center, which serves as the park's headquarters.

Municipalities within protected area

The following municipalities contained land administered by the National Park Service: Benzie County * Benzonia Township * Lake Township * Platte Township Leelanau County * Centerville Township * Cleveland Township * Empire Township * Glen Arbor Township * Kasson Township * Leland Township

History

Prehistory

The landscape within the park was formed during the

Wisconsin glaciation The Wisconsin glaciation, also called the Wisconsin glacial episode, was the most recent glacial period of the North American ice sheet complex, peaking more than 20,000 years ago. This advance included the Cordilleran Ice Sheet, which nucleated ...

during the Last Glacial Period, approximately 10,000-14,000 years ago. The dunes themselves are not a true dune, but a perched dune, a thin layer of wind-blown sand perched upon a large deposit of glacial debris. Over time, the dunes have slowly migrated eastward.

Recent history

In 1962, Senator

Philip Hart Philip Aloysius Hart (December 10, 1912December 26, 1976) was an American lawyer and politician. A Democrat, he served as a United States Senator from Michigan from 1959 until his death from cancer in Washington, D.C. in 1976. He was known as ...

first introduced a bill to create Sleeping Bear Dunes National Park. The park finally was authorized on October 21, 1970. The park's creation was controversial because it involved the transfer of private property to public ownership. The federal government's stance at the time was that the Great Lakes were the "third coast" and had to be preserved much like

Cape Hatteras National Seashore Cape Hatteras National Seashore is a United States national seashore which preserves the portion of the Outer Banks of North Carolina from Bodie Island to Ocracoke Island, stretching over , and is managed by the National Park Service. Includ ...

Point Reyes National Seashore Point Reyes National Seashore is a park preserve located on the Point Reyes, Point Reyes Peninsula in Marin County, California. As a national seashore, it is maintained by the US United States National Park Service, National Park Service as an ...

. The residents living in what is now Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore believed themselves stewards of the land and did not want it to be overrun by tourists. The government eventually won out, in part by supporting the local schools to offset the lost property tax revenue and by including

in the national lakeshore area. In 2014, of the park were formally designated as the Sleeping Bear Dunes Wilderness by the

Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore Conservation and Recreation Act The Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore Conservation and Recreation Act () is a law that designated as wilderness about 32,500 acres of the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore in the state of Michigan. The newly designated lands and inland ...

. This was the first wilderness protection bill to be passed by the

in five years. In 2022, a man from Frankfort illegally diverted the mouth of the Platte River, allowing the river to meet Lake Michigan at a more direct angle. Charges were filed against the man in 2023.

Etymology

The park is named after an

Ojibwe The Ojibwe (; Ojibwe writing systems#Ojibwe syllabics, syll.: ᐅᒋᐺ; plural: ''Ojibweg'' ᐅᒋᐺᒃ) are an Anishinaabe people whose homeland (''Ojibwewaki'' ᐅᒋᐺᐘᑭ) covers much of the Great Lakes region and the Great Plains, n ...

legend of the sleeping bear. According to the legend, an enormous forest fire on the western shore of

drove a mother bear and her two cubs into the lake for shelter, determined to reach the opposite shore. After many miles of swimming, the two cubs lagged. When the mother bear reached the shore, she waited on the top of a high bluff. The exhausted cubs drowned in the lake, but the mother bear stayed and waited, hoping that her cubs would finally appear. Impressed by the mother bear's determination and faith, the

Great Spirit The Great Spirit is an omnipresent supreme life force, generally conceptualized as a supreme being or god, in the traditional religious beliefs of many, but not all, indigenous cultures in Canada and the United States. Interpretations of it v ...

created two islands (

and South Manitou islands) to commemorate the cubs, and the winds buried the sleeping bear under the sands of the dunes where she waits to this day. The "bear" was a small tree-covered knoll at the top edge of the bluff that appeared like a sleeping bear from the water. Wind and erosion have caused the "bear" to be greatly reduced in size over the years.

Recreation

Dune climb

The main dune climb is located across from

. Visitors who travel by car will be required to buy a day pass or annual pass from the National Park Service. The dune climb is also accessible by foot or by bike. Water stations are located along the base of the main dune, along with a restroom and gift shop. Hikers can hike all the way to

Camping

Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore is one of Michigan's most popular destinations for camping vacations, possibly the most popular. This popularity may be due to the fact it was named the "Most Beautiful Place in America" by Good Morning America in 2011. There are a few campgrounds in the national lakeshore and they are grouped into D.H. Day Campground, Platte River Campground, a few camping areas on the Manitou Islands within, and some other sites for backcountry or group camping. These include: * ''D.H. Day Campground'' – located between Glen Arbor and Glen Haven, D.H. Day Campground offers a moderate level of privacy and a beach on Lake Michigan. Campsites are rustic, wooded, and more far apart than campsites at most campgrounds. Nearby points of interest include Empire Bluffs, the "dune climb", and North Bar Lake. Campsites 1–31 allow the use of a generator, the remaining sites forbid generator use. * ''Platte River Campground'' – located in Benzie County and offers a variety of campsites. Some campsites are modern (with electrical hookups), some are "hike-in," and others are more rustic. Nearby points of interest include Platte River Point, the Platte River, and Big Platte Lake. The north section of Sleeping Bear Dunes National Park is a short drive from Platte River Campground. Kayaking is a popular activity at the campground, especially the kayak trail leading from the campground to Platte River Point Additionally, a number of campgrounds exist on the Manitou Islands. These include three main campgrounds on South Manitou Island, including the Weather Station Campground located on the south side of the island, the Bay Campground on the west shore of the island and the Popple Campground on the north shore. Furthermore, in addition to federal campgrounds within the national lakeshore itself, there are many other camping areas nearby, which cater to the large number of tourists visiting Sleeping Bear Dunes each year. There are at least 20 distinct camping areas in the region immediately surrounding Sleeping Bear Dunes.

Hiking

Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore offers a number of hiking trails. These include but are not limited to the Alligator Hill Trail, Empire Bluff Trail, Kettles Trail, Pyramid Point Trail, and Treat Farm Trail. Empire Bluff Trail is one of the most popular hiking destinations in the park. Hikers will need to get a parking pass from the visitor center in Empire to park in the lot at the trailheads.

Historic sites

Glen Haven Village

Glen Haven existed as a

company town A company town is a place where all or most of the stores and housing in the town are owned by the same company that is also the main employer. Company towns are often planned with a suite of amenities such as stores, houses of worship, schoo ...

from 1865 to 1931. Originally a dock for Glen Arbor (1855-date), the site soon became a fuel supply point for ships traveling up and down the lake. Here, Charles McCarty decided to open his own business and built a dock to supply the ships with wood. In 1863, McCarty built the Sleeping Bear House. It was expanded a few years later to accommodate travelers. In 1928, it was remodeled into the inn for summer vacationers. The General Store was established to supply the workers. Like most company towns, the workers were paid in company coupons, redeemable only at the

company store A company store is a retail store selling a limited range of food, clothing and daily necessities to employees of a company. It is typical of a company town in a remote area where virtually everyone is employed by one firm, such as a coal mine. In ...

. The Blacksmith Shop is where tools were repaired. In 1878, David Henry Day arrived in the community. By this time, coal from the

Appalachia Appalachia ( ) is a geographic region located in the Appalachian Mountains#Regions, central and southern sections of the Appalachian Mountains in the east of North America. In the north, its boundaries stretch from the western Catskill Mountai ...

n coal fields was replacing wood on the steamships, and Day was looking for another future in this small community.

Port Oneida Historic Farm District

In 1860, Port Oneida had a population of 87 people. Thomas Kelderhouse had built a dock to sell wood to the passing steamships. He was also able to sell fresh produce and maple sugar in season. A local story says that the name comes from the first ship to stop, the SS ''Oneida'' of New York state. The area covers and includes 16 historic farms. The farming community was gradually abandoned due to hard farming conditions and declining timber sales.

Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive

Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive is a scenic road within the park, known for its "scenic vistas and gentle curves". Located off of M-109 between Empire and Glen Haven, the road runs , providing access to scenic views of Lake Michigan, Glen Lake, and surrounding parkland.

Kayaking

Kayaking Kayaking is the use of a kayak for moving over water. It is distinguished from canoeing by the sitting position of the paddler and the number of blades on the paddle. A kayak is a low-to-the-water, canoe-like boat in which the paddler sits fac ...

is a popular activity in the park's rivers and lakes, especially in the Crystal River and

Climate

Endangered species

The

piping plover The piping plover (''Charadrius melodus'') is a small sand-colored, Passerellidae, sparrow-sized wader, shorebird that nests and feeds along coastal sand and gravel beaches in North America. The adult has yellow-orange-red legs, a black band acro ...

, a federally registered endangered species, nests at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore.

Gallery

File:South Manitou Island Lighthouse (8bd4a5c9-22d7-4208-970b-a72ef4ee1b21).JPG, link=,

File:Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore Sign Empire Michigan.jpg, link=, Sign along

File:Lake Michigan Empire.jpg, The lakeshore during winter File:Panorama of Lake Michigan from Sleeping Bear Dunes.jpg, View from Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive at Sunset File:Sand dunes from Lake Michigan Overlook, Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore.jpg, View from Lake Michigan Overlook, with people climbing up the dunes File:Sunset at Sleeping Bear Dunes.jpg, Sunset over Lake Michigan File:GlenLakeInspirationPoint.jpg, Glen Lake from Inspiration Point File:Dune Overlook in the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore.jpg, Dune Overlook File:Ghoverlook (9085495693).jpg, Sleeping Bear Point and

(background) from Alligator Hill File:Sleeping Bear Bluff in Winter (9085511671).jpg, link=, Sleeping Bear Bluff in Winter

References

External links

National Park Service: Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore

Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore: Final General Management Plan, Wilderness Study Environmental Impact Statement

Traverse City Convention and Visitors Bureau

North Manitou Island

Sleeping Bear Dunes Visitors Bureau

The Sleeping Bear Organization

Aerial Video of Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore
{{authority control Protected areas of Benzie County, Michigan Landmarks in Michigan Protected areas of Leelanau County, Michigan Tourism in Michigan Protected areas established in 1970 Important Bird Areas of Michigan Beaches of Michigan Landforms of Leelanau County, Michigan Landforms of Benzie County, Michigan Dunes of Michigan 1970 establishments in Michigan Traverse City metropolitan area