I learned about Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore a few years back on an RV podcast and filed it away on a must do list for national parks to visit. This visit marked our fourth national park that we’ve hiked in. We began our visit at The Philip A. Hart Visitor Center then drove Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive and stopped at Dune Overlook where the next four pictures were taken. This was our first day in the park and the day with the best weather. Dune Overlook has dunes that are roughly 200 feet high and you’re encouraged not to run down them as getting back up can be very arduous and you may need to be rescued.
Our next stop was The Dune Climb which is much safer as you start out at the bottom (parking lot) and climb to the top. If it gets too tough at any point you can simply just walk back down. After getting a bit sweaty at The Dune Climb we drove a short distance to Glen Haven Beach and swam in the crystal clear, albeit cold, waters of Lake Michigan.
We also swam at Platte River Point Beach while at Sleeping Bear Dunes. The kids had a great time here on their boogie boards letting the current sweep them gently downstream and then walking back up the beach to repeat the process again. The water in Platte River was much warmer than Lake Michigan and we were able to stay in for hours.
During our visit we hiked three times. The first being The Empire Bluff Trail in which you hike 1.5 miles through a forest out onto a high bluff overlooking Lake Michigan and the second being The Alligator Hill Trail. The Alligator Hill Trail is also an easy trail that provides a view of The Manitou Islands although the day we went was rainy and we actually hiked into the cloud base. Cool yeah, but not the best for views and vistas. We also hiked The Pyramid Point Trail which provided great views of Lake Michigan and Glen Lake.
We had a great time at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore and ventured into the park five of the six days we were there. The weather wasn’t great but the park did not disappoint on activities and beauty. More of the park can be seen in the video below.
We’re off to Wisconsin next so please stay tuned for our adventures in The Badger State. Thanks for stopping by.
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