We headed out Sunday to Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore on the eastern shores of Lake Michigan. This area is over 70,000 acres of forests and inland lakes, but its claim to fame is the sand bluffs rising 450 feet out of the water. We started our day at the visitors center and headed out to the Empire Bluff Trail for 1.5 miles and amazing views.
Next up was the Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive, a 7.4 mile drive with more pullouts for views of Lake Michigan and the dunes.
Our last stop of the day was the Dune Climb. The first ridge is a steep 450 foot climb to the top and we all took that on! The next trek is the Dune Hike to Lake Michigan. This is a 3.5 mile round trip hike and we decided to not do that as it takes most people 3-4 hours. The final part is the Pierce Stocking Overlook which is 450 feet down to Lake Michigan… but then you need to get back up. The park has instituted a hefty fee if you go down to the lake and need assistance getting back up.
Our last stop on the way back to Traverse City was Moomers Ice Cream which is a nationally recognized family owned shop know for its made on-site ice cream from their dairy farm. It was very good and we might just need to make another stop there before heading out of town!
