Shae and I have a 51 tab spreadsheet where we keep track of people’s suggestions for what we should do in each state (+ Washington D.C.) on our 7 year, 50 state road trip. There are times where we get the same suggestion from multiple different people which is a good sign that it’s worth making the effort to visit and one such example is Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore.
Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore is on the northwest side of Michigan’s Lower Peninsula, about 30 miles west of Traverse City which we were visiting for the National Cherry Festival. With so many people recommending it, we made sure we checked it out while in the area.
Dune Climb
Sleeping Bear Dunes and the surrounding area has a lot of things to see and do, so we decided to focus first on the most tiring thing you can do there to ensure we’d have the energy and motivation for it – the Dune Climb.
When looking at the photo above, it might not look easy, but it doesn’t tell the full story of how arduous the climb can be.
We got a better sense of it when standing closer to it looking up:
We got very fortunate the day we visited as the weather was good, but it was overcast. The sun came out later in the day, so we were grateful we did the Dune Climb when we did so that the sun wasn’t beating down on us as heavily. As it was, it was still pretty hot.
We stopped for a few breathers on the way up because if you’ve ever tried climbing a sand dune, you’ll know it’s much harder than walking up a regular hill, not to mention how high this particular dune is.
I always turned around when taking a breather. That wasn’t so I wouldn’t have to keep looking at what was to come, but because there was a pretty view of Glen Lake behind that came into view as we climbed higher.
As we neared the top, we silently rejoiced that we were almost there.
Except we weren’t.
We were at the peak of one section, but weren’t at the end of the Dune Climb. To make matters worse, there was a downhill section that led into a bowl before continuing back uphill. There was a route off to the left where you could avoid going downhill in order to have a more gradual uphill experience, but I figured I wanted the full experience so down and up I went.
Once again that looked like it was the peak, but once again it wasn’t! And once again we had to go back downhill in order to go up.
Our legs were grateful once we crested that dune to discover that we were – in theory – at the top. There was a 3.5 mile trail going beyond there that takes you to Lake Michigan, but we were content with the 284 foot climb that we’d just done.
You’ll notice in the photo above that we had Truffles with us. If you travel with pups, something important to be aware of is that pets aren’t allowed on the Dune Climb. There’s a grassy area at the base of the dune where dogs are allowed, so we could’ve taken it in turns to do the Dune Climb, with the other one of us staying with Truffles there.
However, she’s only 10 lbs and we have a K9 Sport Sack (our affiliate link) for her, so we popped her in that while we both climbed up. I’m not sure if this was – in theory – against the rules too, but I’m assuming the restriction on pets is because they don’t want dogs peeing and pooping all over the dune and vegetation which the backpack prevents.
After admiring the views from the top for a little while, it was time to head back down. People sometimes say “it’s harder going downhill than up”, but that’s most certainly not the case when doing the Dune Climb at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore! Uphill was a beast, while going downhill was simple.
Glen Haven Beach
It was about 12:30pm by the time we got to the base of the dune, so we were ready for lunch. We wanted to have lunch on a beach, so we consulted the map on the National Park Service website which displays the beaches at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore that are open to pets and which ones they’re not allowed at.
The red lines on the map above are the sections where dogs aren’t allowed, so we picked Glen Haven Beach which looks out on to Sleeping Bear Bay.
Truffles isn’t a big fan of waves, so she chilled with me on our beach blanket while I took a nap and Shae walked along the shore while wading in the water.
Next to the beach’s parking lot was the Sleeping Bear Point Coast Guard Station Maritime Museum. This is free to visit, although you do have to pay to visit Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore unless you have a National Park Service Annual Pass. The museum wasn’t very big and so only took a few minutes to walk through, but does have multiple lifesaving boats and a Fresnel lens from a lighthouse.
Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive
After hanging out on the beach for a while, we decided to take the Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive before heading back to Traverse City. This 7.4 mile drive takes you uphill through the area which provides pretty views of Glen Lake, Lake Michigan and more.
The scenic drive also takes you near Sleeping Bear Dunes Overlook, with it just being a short walk to the overlook from the parking lot. The overlook has lovely views of Lake Michigan, with a steep dune downhill. There are warning signs recommending that visitors don’t hike down a) because of erosion and b) it’s an incredibly steep climb back up – far steeper than the Dune Climb earlier which was already arduous enough. I decided to take it easy and just admire the views from up high!
Why Is It Called Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore?
In case you’re wondering how Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore got its name, there are a couple of stories told by the Anishinaabe which explains it (both versions below came via the National Park Service website):
Story 1
Once, long ago, in the land called Wisconsin across the great lake, there was terrible hunger and many people died. A bear and two little cubs were trying to leave that place and come around the lake where there would be more food.
They walked for many days on the beach together, but after a while the two little cubs began to whimper with hunger, and so the bear decided to swim across the rest of the lake.
They waded into the water, one cub on each side of the bear, and they swam off into the lake a long way. After a while the cubs began to get very tired, and so the bear said, “Try hard, the land is not very far.” And very soon they did come in sight of land.
But gradually the cubs got weaker, and only ten miles away, one cub sank into the water. Soon after, the other also drowned.
The bear’s heart was broken, but she could do nothing. She waded ashore and lay down, looking out on the water where her cubs had died. Eventually, both of them came to the surface as two little islands, and so the bear still lies there atop the dunes, looking after her children.
Story 2
Long ago, along the Wisconsin shoreline, a mother bear and her two cubs were driven into Lake Michigan by a raging forest fire. The bears swam for many hours, but soon the cubs tired. Mother bear reached the shore first and climbed to the top of a high bluff to watch and wait for her cubs. The cubs drowned within sight of the shore. The Great Spirit created two islands to mark the spot where the cubs disappeared and then created a solitary dune to represent the eternal vigil of mother bear.
The two little cubs are North Manitou Island and South Manitou Island which can be seen in the distance from some overlooks and trails in the park.
Final Thoughts
Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore came highly recommended from a lot of people and it’s easy to see why. The Dune Climb was challenging but fun, there are some beautiful beaches, a nice scenic drive, excellent views of Lake Michigan and Glen Lake and more. It’s definitely worth a visit if you’ll be staying in or near Traverse City.
Our family of 8 went there a few years ago and we too were “tricked” into thinking that the initial dune climb was the whole thing. We ended up continuing on to Lake Michigan because by the time we realized that it was so far, we were so far into it that we figured we might as well continue and enjoy swimming in Lake Michigan before we had to hike back!
I imagine the rest of the hike would’ve been pretty, but I’m glad we didn’t do the entire thing!