Sleeping Bear Dunes Dune Climb
Dune Climb
The most popular entrance to Sleeping Bear Dunes. Climb barefoot up a steep sand slope about 40 meters high, look out over Glen Lake, and then run down the dune.
Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore stretches about 55 km along Lake Michigan and was once named one of the "most beautiful places in America." The Dune Climb is located beside M-109. Climbing the first sand slope, about 40 meters high, gives you a view over Glen Lake and the forest. Those with more energy can continue on the roughly 6 km round-trip Dune Trail to the shore of Lake Michigan. There is no shade on the sand, so bring plenty of water and sunscreen. A vehicle pass for the national lakeshore costs about $25 and is valid for 7 days. A U.S. National Park annual pass also works. You can buy passes at the Philip A. Hart Visitor Center in Empire or on site.
Opening hours
All day; toll booths open seasonally
Nearby sights
- Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive
- Glen Haven Historic Village & Maritime Museum
- Glen Arbor
- Empire Bluff Trail
- Pyramid Point
- South Manitou Island
- Point Betsie Lighthouse
- Fishtown (Leland)