Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore
Michigan
Tonight
🌗 46% moon
5.5 h fully dark
Hikes
Easy
🟢
Crowds
moderate
Open today
Open
Glen Haven Cannery and Boat Museum: closed Sep 30 – May 21
Entrance
$25
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.
Activities
Topics
Entrance fees
$25.00 — Commercial Entrance - Sedan
$40.00 — Commercial Entrance - Van
$40.00 — Commercial Entrance - Mini-bus
$100.00 — Commercial Entrance - Motor Coach
$25.00 — Entrance - Private Vehicle
$20.00 — Entrance - Motorcycle
$15.00 — Entrance - Per Person
Hours & seasons
The Lakeshore is open 24 hours a day. Campgrounds, visitor centers, and facilities have separate hours, however, please see descriptions of those facilities elsewhere.
⚠ Glen Haven Cannery and Boat Museum: closed Sep 30 – May 21
Generally open:
winterspringsummerfallHours are reported by the park — verify before you go.
📞 2313264700
✉ sleepingbearinfo@nps.govConditions
Quietest months (fewer crowds): Jan, Feb, Nov, Dec
Typical crowds: moderate
Weather now: ☀️ Clear, 72°F
🌫️ 73°/56°
☁️ 79°/63°
☁️ 76°/64°
Typical monthly recreation visits · NPS avg 2023–2025 — orange months are the quietest by crowds.
Quietest months
Relative crowds by month — lighter is quieter; ringed months are the calmest by crowds.
Jan
3%
Feb
3%
Mar
4%
Apr
6%
May
19%
Jun
58%
Jul
100%
Aug
86%
Sep
33%
Oct
24%
Nov
4%
Dec
3%
Log a sky reading
Measured the sky with an SQM meter or app? Add your reading (16 = city glow … 22 = pristine). Opt in under “Travelers like you” to share it on the community leaderboard.
Things to do
ParkPuzzler · Expected time to complete is approximately 30 minutes to 1 hour, but you can take as long as you would like. Puzzles with a physical location also have virtual option. <br />
Visit Glen Haven Historic Village
Explore Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive · <h4>Distance</h4> <p>The Scenic Drive is approximately 7.4 miles on a one-way loop. There are twelve points on the Scenic Drive, stopping at each stop will take about two hours. </p>
Port Oneida Fair · 10 am - 4 pm Friday and Saturday<br /> Plan to spend at least 2 hours at the fair.
Biking in the Lakeshore · 20 mi
🟢 Paddle and Fish Loon Lake · 0.5-3 hours
Float the Platte and Crystal Rivers
Campgrounds
Bay Campground - South Manitou Island ↗ · 28 sites · first-come
D. H. Day Campground ↗ · 87 sites · dump station
D. H. Day Campground Group Campground ↗ · 4 sites
Platte River Campground ↗ · 179 sites · hookups · dump station
Popple Campground - South Manitou Island · 7 sites · first-come
Village Campground - North Manitou Island · 8 sites · first-come
Weather Station Campground - South Manitou Island ↗ · 23 sites · first-come
White Pine Backcountry Campground ↗ · 6 sites
Visitor centers
Philip A. Hart Visitor Center
Port Oneida Heritage Center
South Manitou Island Visitor Center
Accessibility
7 accessible campground(s)
189 audio-described place(s)
Reported by the park — verify before you go.
Not an official safety source — always defer to NPS.gov and rangers for life-safety decisions.
By the numbers
A visual read on Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore — its character, trails, sky, and weather.
Park fingerprint
How this park scores across the dimensions travelers care about.
Trail difficulty
Difficulty mix across this park's trails.
3-day forecast
Daily high and low temperatures (°F).
People & stories
Figures tied to Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore — each spans a cross-park journey.
Charles Robinson
— US Lifesaving Station, U.s. Coast Guard, US Coast GuardFlorence Haas
Katie Shepard
— Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, Women, Womens History MonthThomas Kelderhouse
— Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, Port OneidaPassport stamps
Mark the stamps you've collected — they show in your memory and along your routes.
🎫 Charles & Hattie Olsen Farm
🎫 Dune Center
🎫 Glen Haven General Store
🎫 North Manitou Island Contact Station
🎫 Philip A. Hart Visitor Center
🎫 Port Oneida Heritage Center
🎫 South Manitou Island Visitor Center
Places to see
1854 Volunteer Rescue Station
1877 U.S. Life Boat Station and Capstan
audio
Alexander & Catherine Goffar Farm
Alligator Hill Charcoal Kilns
audio
Alligator Hill Trail - Forest Haven Trailhead
audio
Alligator Hill Trail - Stocking Drive Trailhead
audio
Aloha Fish Tug
audio
Aral: A Town That Vanished
audio
August Beck Farm
audio
Bass Lake (North)
audio
Bass Lake (South) Access
audio
Bay View Trail
Audio & media
🎧 Ronald Rosie Interview Diaphone at SMI Lighthouse ↗transcript
🎧 Ronald Rosie Interview Foghorn Sound ↗transcript
🎬
🖼
Learn more
#MyParkStory Staff Craig Olsen
Learn about Duane Newman, a 73-year-old park ranger who loves talking with visitors at Sleeping Bear Dunes!
Learn about the work of Sleeping Bear Dunes volunteer Dave Card!
Learn about Sleeping Bear Dunes volunteer Laura, and her work on the apple preservation project!
Learn about Sleeping Bear Dunes volunteer Marvin Ivy, and his work on the barn restoration project!
Parks run on volunteers! Allow us to introduce you to the incredible Mary Lundeberg.
Jim and Bunny are full of love for park visitors and Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. They recall many special volunteering moments and recommend it to others.
Learn about Sleeping Bear Dunes volunteers, Joan and Jeannie, and their work with Friends of Sleeping Bear Dunes!
Ranger School
Park-grounded courses you can learn with the Ranger.
Anishinaabek Basket Weaving
Open →
Invasive Species
Open →
Sustainability: Lessons from the Anishinaabek
Open →
The Arrowhead: Emblem of the National Park Service Elementary Lesson
Open →
The Arrowhead: Emblem of the National Park Service Middle School Lesson
Open →
Traditional Anishinaabek Life Skills and Games
Open →
Write Out 2023
Open →
How Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore connects
This park's activities, topics, location, and on-the-ground places — one hop in the graph. Drag to explore; click an activity, topic, or related park to follow it.
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Activity
Topic
State
Campground
VisitorCenter
PassportStamp
ThingToDo
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