What To Do At Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore

The view from Pyramid Point at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore

Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore in northern Michigan is easily one of the most beautiful places in the United States. While you could easily spend several days there, you can see quite a bit in one day. Here are a few ideas of what to do at Sleeping Bear Dunes, even if you one have one day.

I started my day at the Sleeping Bear Dunes Visitors Center in Empire to buy a pass (The cost is $25 for one week. If you have fourth graders, be sure to take advantage of the National Park Service’s Every Kid Outdoors program offering free admission to national parks.)

The woman at the Visitors Center was extremely helpful and armed me with maps and plenty of information to send me on my way to explore.

I started off at the Empire Bluff Trail, which I was told was one of the most popular hikes in the lakeshore. It’s easy to see why. The 1.5-mile trail winds through a forest that leads to an overlook with a stunning view of Lake Michigan and South Bar Lake.

Stunning view along the Empire Bluff Trail at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore

After leaving the Empire Bluff Trail, I headed to the Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive. It’s a seven-mile one-way scenic drive with 12 points of interest to stop at along the way. Stop four features another 1.5-mile loop, the Cottonwood Trail. I decided to do that, although in hindsight, I wish I hadn’t (more on that later). It was a somewhat strenuous hike that was all sand and no shade (Overheard at the trailhead: “I didn’t realize there’d be so much sand at these dunes.” Not sure what they were expecting, but I didn’t see them after that. I’m thinking they got back in the car.). The hike was a beautiful walk through the perched dunes that offered great views of the Dune Climb, Glen Lake and nearby farms.

The highlight of the Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive is the Sleeping Bear Dunes Lake Michigan Overlook. When you get there, you see a steep dune leading down to the water … along with a warning sign that says rescues are $3000. There were a couple people trying to make their way down, but I opted for the viewing platform, which puts you about 450 feet above Lake Michigan and provides gorgeous views of the Empire Bluffs, South Manitou Island and the area in general.

Sleeping Bear Dunes Lake Michigan Overlook

After finishing up the scenic drive, I headed back into Empire to grab a quick lunch. I stopped at a place called the Shipwreck Cafe, where all the sandwiches are named for shipwrecks. My turkey sandwich (the Fitzgerald) was very good. I then stopped at Grocer’s Daughter Chocolates on the other side of the road. It was a cute little chocolate shop, and the chocolate was delicious. (I tried a salted caramel and a mint)

From then, it was off to the Sleeping Bear Dune Climb. If you do the entire trip, it’s 3.5-mile strenuous hike that takes about three to four hours. The dune climb spans several hills on all sand with no shade and leads to Lake Michigan and then back. The woman at the Visitors Center told me most people just do the first hill and then turn around. The first hill was definitely a challenge, and when you get to the top, you see a stunning view of Glen Lake. I wasn’t ready to head back down just yet. I didn’t think I’d go all the way to Lake Michigan, but I wanted to keep on hiking so I could at least say I SAW Lake Michigan from the Dune Climb. Shortly before I got to the top of the second hill, I heard a girl yell, “There’s no still lake. I can’t believe we paid $25 to die.” She was joking, of course, but it was a challenging trek.

Making the way up the Dune Climb at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore

As I was making my way up the third hill, I heard another couple talking about how they hadn’t made it all the way to the lake but still got a good view. I asked them how much farther I had to go until I could see the lake. Not much more. Just a little past the top of the third hill, they said. I could do that. I would have liked to have kept going after that, but it was a challenging hike (Back to the Cottonwood Trail and my comment about how, in hindsight, I would have skipped it. I should have saved my legs to make it farther along on the Dune Climb). But more important: I noticed I was starting to get pretty red. I remembered to bring plenty of water, but I forgot to buy sunscreen. I knew I shouldn’t be in the sun for another two or three hours without it. Not a good idea. So I started back down. Even though I didn’t make it all the way to Lake Michigan, it was still worth climbing more than just that first hill. 

After that, I decided to check out Glen Haven. Sleeping Bear Point wasn’t far from there, but that would have to wait. I just wanted to take a quick walk along the beach in Glen Haven. The water was still too cold, but it was nice to take an easy stroll along the beach after coming from the Dune Climb.

Then it was on to Pyramid Point, but not before a quick stop at a market in Glen Arbor to buy the much-needed sunscreen and grab some cold water. Pyramid Point was another spot the woman at the Visitors Center recommended, and it offered a stunning overlook of Lake Michigan (along with another sign warning people to admire the view from above and avoid rescue fees or a two-hour climb back up.)

My plan after that was to grab dinner and then try to find a good spot to watch the sunset. Only half of that happened. I ended up at the Cherry Public House in Glen Arbor. It’s a local company specializing in all things Michigan cherry. I had a pulled pork sandwich with cherry BBQ sauce and a cider. It was good, but what I really appreciated was that the utensils and packaging were compostable. 

I hadn’t paid attention to the forecast, other than that I knew it was going to be sunny during the day so I wasn’t expecting it to start raining while I was eating. It was just a short drizzle, but I looked at my weather app and noticed that there was a 75 percent chance of rain the next few hours. That stunning Lake Michigan sunset wasn’t happening that night. I was pretty tired anyway, so I was ready to call it a day.