The Anishinaabek people spoke of a legend in which three bears, one mother and two cubs, swam across the big lake to flee a calamity in Wisconsin. The mother bear reached the land first, only to witness her two cubs drown right before her eyes. The mother slept on the shoreline, waiting for her cubs to return. In their place, the great spirit amassed sand, forming two islands and a large sand dune covering the ground where the mother bear slept for eternity. This is how I remember the legend at least. It was told to me, just like it has been, to every group of children that visit this stretch of wilderness. Legends aside, this swath of coast is a sacred landscape and one of the most important ecological zones in the Great Lakes, a land that’s worthy of infinite respect.
The Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore encompasses over 30 miles of pristine shoreline on Lake Michigan. Stretching out amongst towering dunes and dense forests are networks of trails, gentle creeks, unique flora, and world famous roadways like the Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive. Every year when I return to Michigan, I make a pilgrimage here, to set off exploring the hidden trails that traverse the shifting sands.
The area’s historical significance to Native Americans and European settlers is just as transfixing as its natural beauty. Human settlement exploded in the 19th century when rural homesteads and small communities sprang up along the shoreline, providing wood and provisions for passing logging ships. These large wooden vessels used the guarded passage between the North and South Manitou Islands as a safe haven when the inland seas became too turbulent. Even in this safe corridor many ships ran into hidden sand bars. Once beached on a shallow shoal, the ships would be lost forever. On top of this, fierce storms roll in unpredictably throughout the year, causing large waves and blistering currents that forcibly throw even the largest ships off course and destroy the ones already beached. This has earned the shoreline a top spot amongst the graveyards of the Great Lakes. Because of this hostile reality, so many lighthouses dot the coast today.
So here I am, another summer in the region and one more pilgrimage in the books. Hiking throughout the massive trail system is a yearly ritual for me and many others and on this occasion I’m going for the gold. There are a few popular routes, yet my favorite has to be from Glen Haven to the Lake Michigan Dune Climb. At over 12 miles round-trip, it is what I would consider the ultimate dunes experience, taking the hiker through diverse landscapes and elevations and transporting you into a world like none other. Starting out in the small ghost town of Glen Haven you can visit the informative maritime museum, preserved 19th century homes, and underwater pilings left over from its days as a functioning logging town. It’s perfect for exploring before or after the long dune hike. Just west of the town, luring in the distance, are the dunes and the sleeping bear point trailhead. Once on it, you immediately encounter the quintessential dune habitats. Pitcher’s thistle, juniper, wild grapes, and many other unique flora grow interspersed with golden barren sand.
Picturing a pair of lost droids waddling through tatooine, I always stop at this spot to enjoy the desert-like scenery. For novice hikers, continuing on the loop will bring you back to the Sleeping Bear Point parking lot. But for those who want to continue exploring and gain the ultimate experience, follow the small path that begins at the Western end of the trail. From here, carry on along the Lake Michigan coast.
Eventually the small rugged trail meets the main dunes trail. This is where I love to set off Southeast towards the main dune climb for a mile and veer south to my favorite section: the Petrified Forest and the Sleeping Bear. Along the way, the trail climbs into the heart of the dunes. Small shrubs and groves of cottonwood trees grow in clusters on top of the sand, providing prime habitat for a variety of large and small animals. In the late summer, monarch butterflies congregate inside the cotton wood patches, forming dense clusters around the tree’s branches. It’s not unheard of to be completely surrounded by these magical insects while standing amongst the trees.
The Petrified forest, located at the base of the sleeping bear, was formed over centuries by severe weather impacting the dunes. Wind, rain, snow, and blowing sand polished the trees, turning them into skeletons of their past selves. Spending time, sometimes a lot of time, is necessary and some people use this as a homebase for their own personal journeys of inward exploration. Needless to say, it’s one of the most calming natural areas in Michigan with unparalleled scenery and vivid colors that equal any landscape worldwide. Even the small-scale environment is impressive. Plants like hoary puccoon, dune lilies, and pitchers thistles form intricate patterns in the sand whenever the wind blows them. These small scale terrestrial scenes are overshadowed only by the large-scale celestial events, unbeatable sunsets, and fast moving thunderstorms.
If you’re in shape and have a day to kill and plenty of water, nothing beats hiking up to the Lake Michigan dune climb to cap off the hike. Although touristy, it’s still one of the most thrilling places to challenge your balance while running full speed down the dune face. Once you finish rapidly descending the challenging slope, dodging the struggling climbers panting and staggering up towards the top, it’s only customary to take a refreshing swim in Lake Michigan.
The return journey is long but rewarding. I prefer to return via a long coastal stroll, all the way to Glen Haven. Along this route you will pass some of the most pristine and eye-catching beaches in the Midwest. Lake Michigan often does its finest impression of a desolate Caribbean beach here. While hiking along this route it’s incredibly fun to stop several times along the way and swim. An infinite variety of colorful rocks cover the bottom and at various depths unique sand patterns appear, created by the relentless currents. And once you make it back, upwards of twelve miles later, you’ve experienced a moment that you will never forget.
Aside from the dunes, there are other unforgettable hikes and activities in the vicinity. Alligator Hill, a peak that straddles the southern end of Sleeping Bear Bay and Little Glen Lake, is another must for any nature lover. The area was once a major logging center for the landowner and logger Pierce Stocking and his crew. Today the remnants of the industrial kilns used to produce charcoal remain. The hikes within the hill are full of unparalleled views of the Manitou islands and Glen Lake. In 2015, a massive storm event unleashed the brunt of its energy here, downing giant old growth hardwoods and leaving a few towering survivors behind. WIthin this fallen forest of decomposing logs is a habitat ripe for new growth and a diverse mycological schmorgesborg that’s prized by local foragers.
Spending days, months, or even years here will never permit you enough time to see the many faces of the landscape and explore all it has to offer. Shifting sands, buried archeological sites, and ever changing flora and fauna keep the most consistent visitors bewildered and in awe. It seems the Northern Michigan skies always save their greatest performances for this tucked away shoreline. To walk along the trails during the sunlit evening after a thunderstorm is to be greeted with unimaginable color and natural beauty reminiscent of scenes from the book The Celestine Prophecy. And when things can’t get more beautiful, you may find yourself sitting on the sand during a clear night sky. The only light around you is coming from the stars and the only sounds you hear are the small waves crashing at your feet and a distant hum of a tanker’s engine as it chugs south towards Chicago. Life is stressful, but here it’s easy to reset and become absorbed in the healing embrace of the Sleeping Bear Dunes.
Nice reminder of this beautiful spot!