Sleeping Bear Dunes

Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore protects about 35 miles of Lake Michigan shoreline across Leelanau and Benzie counties, along with two offshore islands and a string of inland lakes. The park drew national attention in 2011 when viewers in a Good Morning America poll selected it as the program’s “Most Beautiful Place in America.”

The defining features are the towering “perched” dunes that sit atop bluffs rising some 450 feet above the water, left behind by glaciers. The Dune Climb sends visitors up the sand, and the Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive passes overlooks above Lake Michigan and Glen Lake. Empire, home to the main visitor center, and Glen Arbor, between the dunes and Glen Lake, are the main gateways. Historic Glen Haven sits on the shore, and the paved Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail connects much of the area. South of the dunes, Point Betsie and the Benzie shore form the park’s quieter southern end.