Outdoor enthusiasts will love the Sleeping Bear Dunes area, which offers many opportunities for hiking, swimming, and enjoying the lush forests and sandy beaches. 

The area offers a wide variety of activities. To help you get started with planning, here are nine of my favorite options, listed in an order that you may want to consider.

Visit the Philip A. Hart Visitor Center

Visit the Visitor Center for more information and guidance on exploring the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. The first thing I like to do when visiting any national park is to stop by the visitor center. This helps me orient myself to the park and determine if there are other activities to explore that I may have missed in my research. Typically, there is a short movie, about 20 minutes long, that provides background information about the area. Often, the film has a history component. These videos make a great starting point for understanding the park, or in this case, the national shoreline.

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Second, the visitor center is where you can obtain a free stamp for your National Parks Passport and purchase stickers to add to it. The National Parks have several versions of passports, large and small. I chose Passport to Your National Parks, Collector’s Edition, a larger, spiral-bound book. I don’t carry it if I’m flying, but I purchase blank circular stickers to stamp and add to my book once I return home. 

Finally, this is also a good opportunity to request a map of any significant landmarks in the area. I got a map of the Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive here. 

Piper’s Pro Planning: The Philipp A. Hart Visitor Center is the visitor center for Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. You’ll find it at 9922 Front Street in Empire. Plan to spend about 45 minutes there, watching the movie, getting your stamp, and answering any questions. 

Explore Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive

Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive offers a 7.4-mile loop with stunning views of Lake Michigan, the Glen Lakes, and the dunes, which can be appreciated from the comfort of your vehicle. The twelve stops along the way allow for a leisurely pace. 

While the Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive is open year-round, it is only open to vehicles during the warmer months. The loop is only accessible for hiking the rest of the year. 

Piper’s Pro Planning: Although this is a short drive, don’t underestimate the time it will take, considering stops and the 20 mph speed limit.

Hike the Empire Bluff Trail

One of the most popular hikes is the Empire Bluff Trail, a 1.7-mile round-trip hike through forested land. You’ll follow the trail to a high bluff and several Lake Michigan overlooks. While the terrain is hilly and dotted with wildflowers, the view will make the trek worthwhile.

​When hiking this trail, note the end of the trail, and do NOT go down the bluff. As with many of these areas, once you go down, getting up without a rescue team may be impossible.

Piper’s Pro Planning: Stop at the trailhead for a QR code that leads to a trail map. You’ll also find a vault toilet at the trailhead. 

When I visited, I saw two of the six birds sitting near the shore with my camera’s long lens. A few feet back from the water is the perfect place to set up, relax, and wait.

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Bike the Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail

As the only bike trail at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, the Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail is approximately 20 miles between Bohemian Road and Empire. While we found this trail to have a short section gravel-packed as it passed through the Port Oneida Rural Historic District, the rest is paved. 

Piper’s Pro Planning: While the park service allows e-bikes, ride at an appropriate speed for everyone’s safety. 

Discover the Maritime Museum

You’ll find the National Lakeshore’s Maritime Museum in the former Sleeping Bear Point U.S. Life-Saving Service Station. The station provided protection as sailors traveled through the Manitou Passage on Lake Michigan.

We visited the Maritime Museum, where we learned about the history of the U.S. Life-Saving Service, Great Lakes shipping, and the U.S. Coast Guard. Then, we headed next door to explore the boathouse to see life-saving equipment used in the early twentieth century.
 The museum’s exhibits showcase artifacts from ships and boats, alongside books, plans, images, and navigation equipment.

Piper’s Pro Planning: This museum is open seasonally, from Memorial Day to Labor Day. Pets are not allowed.

Birdwatch for the Great Lakes Piping Plover

Charadrius melodus is an endangered shorebird commonly known as the piping plover. Three areas within the United States have small populations of piping plovers: the Great Plains, the Atlantic Coast, and the Great Lakes. While males and females summer separately, during the breeding season in winter, they remain together on the Gulf Coast. In 1986, piping plovers were added to the Federal Endangered Species list. At one time, the Great Lakes had nearly 800 pairs of piping plovers, but by 1990, that number had dropped to just 13.

The Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore is home to the largest number of piping plovers in the Great Lakes, with between 75 and 80 nesting pairs throughout the region. 

Great Lakes piping plovers are shorebirds, so they build their nests along the Lake Michigan shoreline, where the environment effectively camouflages their nests. Volunteers, the DNR, and National Park Rangers collaborate to protect the species. One way they do this is by surrounding the nests with chicken wire, which shields the birds from predators and accidental damage. One of the remarkable aspects of these birds is their ability to blend seamlessly into their environment on the shoreline. While it protects them from predators, it makes them an accidental target for those walking the sandy beach.

Try the Dune Climb

Returning up the Dune Climb could take 3-4 hours. After this experience, you’ll want an ice cream cone. 

At the base of the Dune Climb, the Dune Center Book offers a broader selection of shirts, hats, postcards, books, videos, and nature games. It is near the Glen Haven General Store and several other small shops. 

Relax at Glen Lake

Situated in the southwestern part of Leelanau County, Glen Lake is one of the area’s inland lakes. It is adjacent to Sleeping Bear Dunes and approximately one mile from Lake Michigan. 

This is the perfect spot for nature lovers. The crystal clear water allows vacationers and locals alike to enjoy swimming, boating, and fishing here.

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Spend the Day on South Manitou Island

North and South Manitou Islands are also part of the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. 

While you could camp on South Manitou Island, you won’t find any services here—no restaurants, stores, or hotels. It is remote. You need to carry everything you need. You will find a modern bathroom and water pump at the dock. 

The Manitou Island Transit offers two distinct tractor-pulled wagon tours. The wagons feature padded seats but have a hayride-like quality. The first tour includes the farm and schoolhouse, while the other explores the cedars and shipwreck. We stopped along the way to get out and explore a bit. The guide provided historical insights as we toured.

You’ll need an extra day to take both wagon tours, which last between two and two and a half hours. The day trips only allow four and a half hours on the island. You’ll arrive on the island around 11:30 a.m., and the tours begin at noon.

For more information on national parks, refer to this article, “55 Best National Park Books to Fuel Your Adventurous Spirit.”

Piper’s Pro Planning: You will need a National Park pass to visit the attractions. The cost of a National Parks pass varies depending on the pass you select. You won’t need one to drive the state and county roads that pass through the park.

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