Sleeping bear Dunes National lake shore

Miles of sand beach, bluffs that tower 450’ above Lake Michigan, lush forests, clear inland lakes, unique flora and fauna make up the natural world of Sleeping Bear Dunes. High dunes afford spectacular views across the lake. An island lighthouse, US Life-Saving Service stations, coastal villages, and picturesque farmsteads reflect the park’s rich maritime, agricultural, and recreational history.

I had been hearing for years how wonderful this place is. I work with a guy who makes a trip up here every year. So when my buddy invited me to his wedding in Charlevoix Michigan, I decided to make a weekend of it and pay this National Lakeshore a half day visit. I brought a couple of mountain bikes and we rode a portion of The Sleeping Bear Dunes heritage trail, an awesome paved bike trail that runs 27 miles through the lakeshore. We hiked up the Dune climb then hung out in Glenn Arbor where we ate, gotta couple of souvenirs, and had a couple beers. We also visited a cool little cherry store where you could get almost anything made with Michigan cherries.

My favorite thing we did here was watching the sunset from the Lake Michigan Overlook. The overlook is on top of a steep sand dune that declines 450 ft down into Lake Michigan and is known to be a gorgeous spot for sunsets. There was a storm rolling is as the sun got low in the sky and it created this sort of disco ball effect on the water. It was a really nice way to end our visit.