A Guide To Beautiful Sleeping Bear Dunes Michigan

The Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore is not only one of the points of pride of Michigan but also one of America’s most incredible areas of outstanding natural beauty.

Indeed, a 2011 nationwide poll by Good Morning America, which received over 100,000 public votes, named it “The Most Beautiful Place in America.” But what is so enchanting about it? How did it get its unusual name, and why should you drop everything and visit it immediately? Let’s find out.

Standing on the northwest coast of Michigan’s Lower Peninsula, Sleeping Bear Dunes is a 35-mile-long (56.3 kilometers) stretch of coastline and includes the North and South Manitou Islands. It became a national lakeshore in 1970, ensuring preservation and public access to its pristine sandy beaches, soaring bluffs, lush forests, and inland lakes.

The area’s name comes from the sleeping bear legend of the Native American Ojibwe (or Chippewa) tribe, who controlled much of Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota in the 18th century. The story goes that a forest fire on the other side of Lake Michigan forced a mother bear and her two cubs to try to swim across the lake. When the mother reached the shore, she waited for her cubs on the top of a high bluff, but they never arrived. In recognition of her efforts, the Great Spirit Manitou created the Manitou Islands to mark the spots where the cubs were lost and a dune to honor their forever-watching mother.

Sleeping Bear Dunes has since become one of Michigan’s most popular tourist destinations for day trips and camping holidays. Any visit should begin at the Philip A. Hart Visitor Center in Empire, to grab a permit and a map and to learn more about all the attractions it has to offer.

Recommended activities within the park include the Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive, which consists of a stunning overlook and a beautiful, tranquil beach at the bottom of a huge dune. Just remember that as fun as the run down is, it’s a long and strenuous climb back up. There’s also the Dune Climb itself, a slightly easier climb offering views of Glen Lake from the top. There’s also a trail from the dune that leads to Lake Michigan, though it takes several hours to get there and back, and hiking up and down the dunes is hard work.

For bike fans, cycling the 22-mile (35.4-kilometer) Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail is a great way to explore the park and see some fantastic sights along the way. For watersports fans, there’s kayaking or canoeing on the Crystal River or Platte River, and for those even more adventurous, get a ferry over to the Manitou Islands for rugged wilderness and wildlife.

If all that isn’t enough, there are also lighthouses, coastal villages, ranger-led tours, museums, and wineries to check out, or you can find a pleasant spot on a beach and enjoy one of the country’s most beautiful areas.

Since you are here, we would like to share our vision for the future of travel - and the direction Culture Trip is moving in.

Culture Trip launched in 2011 with a simple yet passionate mission: to inspire people to go beyond their boundaries and experience what makes a place, its people and its culture special and meaningful — and this is still in our DNA today. We are proud that, for more than a decade, millions like you have trusted our award-winning recommendations by people who deeply understand what makes certain places and communities so special.

Increasingly we believe the world needs more meaningful, real-life connections between curious travellers keen to explore the world in a more responsible way. That is why we have intensively curated a collection of premium small-group trips as an invitation to meet and connect with new, like-minded people for once-in-a-lifetime experiences in three categories: Culture Trips, Rail Trips and Private Trips. Our Trips are suitable for both solo travelers, couples and friends who want to explore the world together.

Culture Trips are deeply immersive 5 to 16 days itineraries, that combine authentic local experiences, exciting activities and 4-5* accommodation to look forward to at the end of each day. Our Rail Trips are our most planet-friendly itineraries that invite you to take the scenic route, relax whilst getting under the skin of a destination. Our Private Trips are fully tailored itineraries, curated by our Travel Experts specifically for you, your friends or your family.

We know that many of you worry about the environmental impact of travel and are looking for ways of expanding horizons in ways that do minimal harm - and may even bring benefits. We are committed to go as far as possible in curating our trips with care for the planet. That is why all of our trips are flightless in destination, fully carbon offset - and we have ambitious plans to be net zero in the very near future.