G6AdventuresLast summer, we traveled to northern Michigan for three weeks. We spent the first three days in the Sleeping Bear Dunes area before heading to Mackinaw City. We camped at Indigo Bluffs RV Park and Resort, just a few miles from the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. If you’re traveling to the area by RV or considering camping, read our campground review for Indigo Bluffs here. Once we arrived, we set up camp. I’m not counting this first day in our itinerary, because we spent most of the day driving from Kentucky. By the time we arrived, the only thing we had time for was dinner and a campfire. Here’s how our itinerary looked for the three days we spent in Sleeping Bear Dunes.
Day 1: We started our day with a hike to Pyramid Point. This is a fairly easy 1.2 in and out hike. Or, if you’d like a longer hike, you can add an additional approximately 1.5 miles to it by taking a right at the fork on your way back from the dune. We had a lot planned for our day, and we knew our little would take a bit longer to walk the extra loop, so we opted not to do it. For the shorter hike we did, you walk most of the hike through a pleasant and fairly dense beech-maple forest. The hike in is largely uphill, but our four-year-old did it, so it’s not overly steep. The trail is not paved, so it is not wheelchair accessible; however, it’s probably doable for most people.
And if you can do it, do it! Do it for the views!!! The royal blue skies (at least the morning we went). The crystal clear Caribbean-like waters. The near white sand dunes. It’s breathtaking! But think carefully before attempting to climb down to the water. What may only take you a couple minutes to get down may take 2 hours to climb back up! And if you must be rescued, there is a nasty fine associated with it! By nasty, I mean $3,000. Essentially, the fire department cannot just drive down to get you. They have to use 8 to 10 crew members and 1,400 feet of rope to hoist the person to the top of the dune. It’s incredibly labor and time intensive to do so. The fine reimburses the fire department for its cost but also serves to discourage people from going down at all.
Next, we drove through Glen Arbor to Glen Haven Village. This historic, restored port village provides a little bit of everything. It has a beautiful beach. It has rich history. The National Park Service provides fantastic programs there. Though currently under construction, once reopened, you can dine or even stay at the Sleeping Bear Inn, located in a building originally built in the 1860s. Upon arriving, we did not see any open picnic tables, so we parked and ate our packed lunches in the car. First, we picked up Junior Ranger program booklets for the girls.
Then, we stopped at the Blacksmith Shop. Not only did we enjoy watching actual blacksmiths at work, but we also had the change to purchase a fire poker forged there that day. The blacksmiths sell many of the pieces they forge in exchange for a donation to the park. They often forge dinner triangles, fire pokes for both fireplaces and fire pits (yes, there is a difference), and even rings made from horseshoe nails. We loved watching these skilled artisans demonstrate their craft in such an interactive way.
From there, we walked through the Glen Haven General Store and the town’s historical museum. The museum described the village’s origination as a saw mill community, transformation into a port town and ultimately into a tourist destination. We then explored the cannery boathouse, which displays multiple historic boats. Finally, we walked along the beach and even dipped our toes into the chilly Lake Michigan waters. Olivia and Ellianna waded a bit in the water, but the rest of us just sat in awe of how gorgeous and clear the water is.
After we left Glen Haven, we drove to the Dune Climb. We didn’t do it, but I wanted to at least get a couple pictures. In 2021, we visited the Great Sand Dunes National Park in Colorado. I think we all got our fill of hiking through sand, so we opted out of the Dune Climb, especially with the preschooler in tow. Instead, we headed to the Empire Bluffs trailhead. This 1.5 roundtrip trail also provides epic views of South Bar Lake, Lake Michigan, and, weather permitting, Point Betsie, South Manitou Island, and the southern portion of the Sleeping Bear Dune plateau. A cool feature to this trail is the self-guided, QR-based tour. Consisting of 6 stops, you can scan the code to get information about about the geology, history and/or ecology of that stop.
After a long day of exploring, hiking, and a bit of driving, we tried out the pizza at the Empire Village Inn. Despite the lack of onsite seating, a bit of a chaotic ordering process and a long wait, the pizza itself was really good! To be honest, there aren’t many food options in the area, so it’s not surprising that this small pizza joint can get easily overwhelmed with the onslaught of tourist demand. We finished our day with some pool time and s’mores by the campfire. Not a bad first of our three days on our Sleeping Bear Dunes itinerary.
Day 2: Spending the first day mostly viewing gorgeous Lake Michigan from afar, we decided to experience it up close and personal. We set up on Empire Beach Village Park. The beach has paid parking lots. It does fill up quickly. If you can’t find a spot, or if you don’t want to pay, there is overflow parking. However, the overflow parking can be up to a half mile away. The beach parking lots sit between Lake Michigan and South Bar Lake. Once you park, you can go to either side. The Lake Michigan side has a much greater stretch of beachy shoreline. However, the water in South Bar Lake tends to be a bit warmer.
In addition to the beach, Empire Beach also has a basketball court, a sand volleyball court, a pavilion, two playgrounds, vault restrooms, and the Robert H. Manning Memorial Lighthouse. There is also a boat launch with a handful of larger parking spots to accommodate trailers. Plus, it has grilling equipment and fire rings. We chose to go to the beach earlier in the day. However, Empire Beach is also a perfect place to watch a stunning Lake Michigan sunset. Then, you can sit around a campfire on the beach. We did not plan our day this way, but definitely will do this on our next trip!
We chose the Lake Michigan beach side, because there seemed to be more room. However, in hindsight, most people chose that side, so we might have been better off on the South Bar side. The Lake Michigan water felt absolutely frigid to me. I’m a bit of a baby when it comes to cold water. But, I will say that even my husband, who is not nearly as particular about his water temperature, thought the water too cold for his preference as well. Having said that, we witnessed a lot of people swimming and playing in the water. Maybe it just takes some getting used to! Our 9-year-old played in it quite a bit. The 4-year-old did a little as well, but she preferred digging in the sand. A word of caution that the sand, particularly as you walk away from the shoreline, gets scorching hot, so be careful.
After spending a few hours relaxing by the water, we spent a little time playing on the playground. Then, we wandered over to the South Bar Lake beach. We unanimously decided that we probably should have set up on that side. It seemed quieter. The water seemed warmer. The playground is closer to the water. But, on the other hand, the water is certainly not as crystal clear as Lake Michigan. It depends on your preference, but I think the South Bar Lake side suited our family better. Finally, we walked over to the working lighthouse. We couldn’t go inside, but we were in Michigan, so we had to check out the lighthouse, right!?
Feeling a bit recharged, we went back to the campground to make an early dinner. Then, we drove 20 minutes to Moomers Homemade Ice Cream. Every blog I read preparing for this trip recommended Moomers. Plus, it was named “America’s Best Scoops” by Good Morning America. We are always looking for great ice cream when we travel, so we knew we had to make a trip to Moomers. The quaint little ice cream shop overlooks the family’s 80-acre dairy farm. The farm produces the milk for the 100,000 gallons of ice cream Moomers can churn in a year. Plus, it provides a idyllic backdrop for patrons to enjoy their sweet treats.
When we arrived, the line snaked outside. However, it moved quickly, so don’t be intimidated by a line out the door. We considered ordering the Wholey Cow. This gargantuan features 10 scoops of ice cream, with choices from every topping offered by Moomers, bananas, brownies, and an entire can of whipped cream. Though theoretically it sounded like a fun family challenge, we decided we would likely regret it later, especially having just eaten a rather large dinner. Instead, we settled on the ice cream flight with 5 sample size flavors. This way, we could choose multiple flavors and try them. We enjoyed them all, but Choc-O-Holic and the Cherries Moobilee were our runaway favorites.
After devouring our ice cream flight, we headed back to Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore to drive the 7.8 mile Pierce Stockton Scenic Drive. With 12 stops along this self-guided loop, it seems that you somehow cover a little bit of everything in such a short distance. You start with a picturesque covered bridge. Seeing how pretty it was in July, I can only imagine what it would look like in the fall with the leaves changing colors and enveloping the wooden structure in their beautiful array of bright reds, yellows and oranges. At the first stop, you can also learn about Pierce Stockton, who he was and how Sleeping Bear National Lakeshore came to be.
Next, you can stop at the Glen Lake Overlook to take in the blue waters of both Little Glen Lake and Big Glen Lake, split by M-22, in contrast with their surrounding luscious green tree lines. Moving on, you will find the Dune Overlook. The Dune Overlook is situated on top of a 200-foot sand dune. From here, you can see Lake Michigan, the Manitou Islands, Pyramid Point, and Sleeping Bear Bay. The fourth stop is the trailhead for Cottonwood Trail. This 1.5 mile, somewhat challenging trail through towering cottonwoods and across the dunes, was on my to-do list, but we just didn’t get to fit it in this trip. Next time though! The fifth stop describes the ecology of the dunes and why certain species thrive on the dunes.
Continuing to the sixth stop, you’ll notice that the dunes change into a beech-maple forest. The forest continues to get denser through stops seven and eight. Stop nine provides one of the most photographed scenic overlooks of Lake Michigan. As with the dunes at Pyramid Point, signs caution you about descending the dune to the shoreline. While you may make the 450 feet climb down rather easily, coming back up is incredibly difficult. Climbing a dune is essentially like walking up the down escalator. It’s frustrating and exhausting. And, again, if you get to the bottom and can’t get back out, it could cost you thousands of dollars to be rescued.
From stop nine, you can walk to stop ten, which is the Sleeping Bear Dune Overlook. Sleeping Bear Dune gets its name from a Chippewa legend. The story passed down for generations describes the story of a mother bear fleeing with her two cubs from a fire in Wisconsin. The three of them plunge into the cold waters of Lake Michigan to escape the flames. They swam and swam, but the distance proved too far for the cubs. Both succumbed to the chilly waters. The mother bear reached the shore, but distraught from the loss of her cubs, she laid down on the beach eternally awaiting her cubs. The Great Spirit Manitou then created the Manitou Islands to memorialize each of the cubs and then blanketed the mother with sand, forming the Sleeping Bear Dune.
Though we hadn’t planned it, we just so happened to arrive at Stops 9 and 10 just before sunset. And, oh my goodness, what a jaw dropping place to watch the sun set over the waters of Lake Michigan. We have seen quite a few sunsets throughout our travels, and this is way up there on the list of best sunsets we’ve seen. Even if you don’t make it for a sunset, this is a perfect place to lay out a blanket on the sand and just enjoy the beauty of the dunes, the water, and the horizon.
Stop 11 brings you to an overlook of North Bar Lake. Again, the stop provides a surreal landscape for stunning photography opportunities. I would love to see this in the fall overlooking the changing colors across the dense woodlands adjacent to those Caribbean-like waters. The colors, the textures, the topography – no matter the season, I imagine this stop is beyond gorgeous. The final stop puts the Pine Plantation on full display. These pine trees were all planted at the same time prior to the National Park Service taking ownership.
While you could spend as little as 40 minutes driving the Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive without stopping, we recommend stopping at a majority of the stops. And for some, particularly the overlooks, we recommend spending a little time at each to experience their beauty. If you want to hike the Cottonwood Trail, add time for that. You could easily pack a meal and eat at the various picnic areas throughout the drive. Expect to spend at least two hours on the drive, depending on your stops and how much time you spend at each.
After we finished our scenic drive, we headed back to the campground for our nightly campfire. We packed a lot into our second day of our three days in Sleeping Bear Dunes!
Day 3: We typically recommend checking out a park’s visitor center at the beginning of your trip. However, the center’s hours just hadn’t worked out with our itinerary until our last day. Thankfully, the park has various mobile stations throughout the park, so the girls could participate in the Junior Ranger program throughout our visit. After breakfast, we drove to the Philip A. Hart Visitor Center in Empire. This center is small but includes a wildlife exhibit, which our family always love. After exploring the exhibit, the younger girls turned in their Junior Ranger programs, took the Junior Ranger oath, and received their badges.
Something we noticed in this area, and then continued to notice in various areas of Northern Michigan, were the roadside stands. Within a few miles of our campground, you could find roadside stands for a variety of products. We saw them set up for eggs, beef, produce, and even muffins and coffee. Often the stands remained unmanned with a coffee can or receptacle of some sort for you to pay for whatever goods you wished to purchase. During our visit, we fell in love with Michigan cherries, so before we left Empire, we stopped at a produce stand and stocked up on fresh cherries.
For the rest of the morning, before checking out, we spent some time enjoying the campground one last time. The kids swam. We played with some of the outdoor games. Then, we cleaned the camper, packed up and headed to our next adventure in Mackinaw City.
There is so much ground to cover in this area. However, in the three days we spent in Sleeping Bear Dunes, we hit many of the highlights and then some. And we are looking forward to our next trip to the area. Have you traveled to the Sleeping Bear Dunes area? Leave a comment with your favorite things to do! Click here to follow all of our Michigan adventures. And click here to follow all of our G6 Adventures!
