MLive says: “Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore is arguably the most beautiful place in the entire country. Anywhere you land along the shoreline will leave you speechless as you take in the glory of Lake Michigan and gorgeous sugar-sand shores. You'll also find two islands, a lighthouse, campgrounds and more. This is a must-visit destination for any Michigander (or anyone who just appreciates natural perfection). Yes, there is a lot of lakeshore to see, but we say you just explore as much of it as you can and make return trips to catch what you missed.”
March 1, 2020
I have been to Sleeping Bear Dunes countless times, and have fallen in love a little bit more every single visit. The National Lakeshore in northern Michigan is absolutely my favorite place in the entire world. This was my first time going in the winter, though, and the season introduced me to new kinds of magic on the dunes.
The first time I went to Sleeping Bear, I was a child. The first time I remember going to Sleeping Bear was when I was in 5th or 6th grade, I think. I remember the dune climb, and not much else. Since then, I’ve returned as an adult numerous times.
The photos here are from a Labor Day weekend visit in 2013, at the end of summer, during my first year of college; I wasn’t even 18 years old yet:
One of my favorite visits to Sleeping Bear was in the summer of 2017: I found out about a dark sky/stargazing event the day it was happening, and spontaneously drove up to the dunes. I saw Saturn and Jupiter that night, through a telescope, for the first time ever. I laid on those giant dunes in the dark and cried little happy tears while the night sky became more complex by the minute. The only other time I’d seen that much color in a night sky was in South Africa during a load-shedding event (rolling power outage).
This trip to the dunes happened to occur in March, in the daylight, accompanied by Jessyca. We drove out to Empire, Michigan, and found the trailhead for the short and sweet Empire Bluff Trail. The trail itself was quite bare - most of the trees were deciduous varieties and awaiting spring to come back to life.
As we progressed on the trail, we found ourselves climbing and descending slopes regularly; this made it obvious, despite the snow, that we were 100% on a sand dune. We came to a clearing in the trees and got a gorgeous preview of what was coming up for us at the end of the trail…
The trail itself was a little slick: it was just warm enough for the snow to melt and become a bit slushy. I was doing okay with my WinterTrax boot grips, but Jessyca found it easier to slide down the dune slopes on her bottom - we could have greatly benefitted from a few sleds on this particular hike.
We made our way toward the lakeshore, stopping frequently to take photos and admire the scenery. When we finally came within full view of the lake, my entire mind was blown.
Lake Michigan was the color of the Caribbean Sea. The sky was spotted with gentle translucent clouds. The waves had whitecaps that appeared small from where I stood, high on the bluff. I could have stayed there all day and watched the lake churn the shoreline. Jessyca and I took our time here, appreciating just how lovely the day was. I literally could not get enough of the shoreline and the water. When I closed my eyes, it nearly felt like summer. The sun was warm, the wind was calm, and there was sand beneath my feet.
Our hike back down the trail was filled with other hikers: lots of people seemed to have the same idea we did and were making their way out to the lakeshore to celebrate the sunshine. We kept a slow pace coming back and made the most of our short hike (about 1.5 miles round-trip).
After our hike, we drove the car back into downtown Empire to find lunch. We settled on a spot called “Joe’s Friendly Tavern,” as it was essentially the only place open. We weren’t expecting much, but were pleasantly surprised that they had veggie options on their menu. We split an Impossible Burger and an order of Buffalo Cauliflower - the cauliflower was breaded and fried, and then covered in this spicy buffalo cherry sauce. It was amazing. I would drive all the way back to Empire just for that spicy cherry sauce! The service was fantastic and we left feeling content and satisfied.
After lunch, we went back to the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore Visitor Center to grab some swag. This year is actually the 50th anniversary of Sleeping Bear as a National Park (Lakeshore), which I think is really special. I spent some time talking to the NPS employee on duty at the Visitor Center, and she was so kind and informative. Overall, this was probably one of my new favorite visits to the dunes. I wouldn’t trade my visits to Sleeping Bear for anything in the world.