I remember first seeing photos of the endless sand slopes leading down to the azure blue lakeshore on a friend’s Facebook page. I was intrigued that this was in Michigan, so I looked up information about this place called Sleeping Bear Dunes that I had never heard of and put it in the running bucket list I have going in my head. We spent a three days in this amazing place in 2017. My guess is that this upcoming summer might be more about road trips than plane trips for most of you, so put this place on your list and take a drive around Lake Michigan.
The Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore covers a 35-mile-long stretch of Lake Michigan’s eastern shore, close to the city of Empire, Michigan. The area is named after an Ojibwe legend about a mother bear and her two cubs. The two cubs drown in the lake trying to escape a forest fire and the grieving mother bear waits for her cubs to this day on top of the bluff buried under the sand. The Great Spirit created North and South Manitou Islands in honor of the two missing cubs.
We tent camped at the Platte River Campground, which was a short hike from the Lake Michigan lakeshore. Mornings and evenings at the lakeshore were magical. We really enjoyed this campground and its location.
The park covers quite a bit of area, so expect to drive between sites. The Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive is a good place to start. See this link for a virtual tour.
This 7.4-mile drive takes you through the Beech-Maple forest, through a picturesque covered bridge, and various scenic views, including the must-see stop at Lake Michigan Overlook. The sand slopes steeply down into Lake Michigan. Notice how small the people look and think twice about descending this bluff. The climb back up will be strenuous!
Another highlight of our time at Sleeping Bear was the Dunes Climb. This 3.5-mile round trip was estimated to be 3-4 hours which we thought must be a mistake. How could it possibly take an hour to hike a mile in this terrain? Well, we did it in closer to 3 hours, but hiking in deep sand can be tough. Climbing up sand dunes is like one step up and ½ step slide down. The reward was a rest on the shores of Lake Michigan with some time to dip our toes and splash around a bit in the lake.
We spent one afternoon kayaking the Lower Platte River, which was a fun way to see the area. Riverside Canoe Trips outfitted us with kayaks and picked us up at the end of our paddle. The trip took 2 hours and was very enjoyable. If you are up for a faster river, consider the Upper Platte River, which is a 3-4 hour paddle and has a 50% tip over rate, so you have to plan on getting wet. Given it was bit chilly the day we went (overcast and sprinkling at the beginning), we opted for the family-friendly Lower Platte River route.
The last night we went down to the city of Frankfort for a bite to eat at Stormcloud Brewing Company. One thing to note about this area is that there are plenty of craft brewery taprooms. And if you happen to be here in the winter, they may just have a curling area set up outside. After our meal, we walked out to the Frankfort North Breakwater Lighthouse. We were treated to quite an experience as we watched the sun drop below the horizon and the pinks and purples filled the sky.
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