My new favorite spot to spend a few hours! Grabbed a 7 day park pass at Crystal River Outfitters…read moreand spent a few hours swimming, looking for Petoskey stones, and soaking in the beautiful view. Plenty of parking, bathroom available. Hope to come back and enjoy a fire on the beach one night.

Well, shoreline is a bit eroded, but you can walk on the mini bluff. Bonfire central. Mom and I…read morepicked up trash here on Labor day, not too much really. Beautiful.

This is one of the most magnificent beaches in Michigan. It's easy to get to. It's clean and it's…read morenot well known so it's not crowded. Definitely worth the trip when you're up in Northport.

This beach has spectacular views and for the most part, pristine water! In addition to this,…read morethere's plenty of rocks all around the shoreline. My only complaint about this beach would have to be the terrible smell. If you stray away from the shoreline (which you probably will to set up a parasol and a beach towel) by the bluffs it smells so so bad. At first I thought it was dog crap but with further inspection, it smells that way all over the beach honestly. I recommend you spend most of your time scavenging for rocks and swimming instead of sitting around by the smelly cliffs.

This is the best beach in Northern Michigan to watch the sunsets. We enjoy watching the boats in…read moreand out of the harbor, too.

The water is so shallow you can walk super far out! Not crowded! Peaceful! & Clear water! Be kind…read moreto the locals!

Beautiful sandy beach on Lake Michigan with free parking behind Van's garage. It's one of the…read moreeasiest places to hunt for Leland blues. Lots of other rockhounds; everyone was really friendly. We found a few pea-sized stones and were satisfied. The water is about 50 degrees in June, but there some sunbathers and even a few brave souls past knee-deep.

Van's is a great beach off Lake Michigan in Leland perfect for relaxing, swimming, taking in the…read moresunset, or, as we saw others doing, enjoying water sports like surfing and paragliding (can't speak to this directly as I have no skills in either sport but the people who were saw doing it seemed to be very happy there!). It's right near downtown Leland so parking can be a bit sticky but if you're staying in town or spending the day here it's an easy walk from the most bustling parts of this wonderful little town!

Such a beautiful scenic area with plenty of short distance hikes that offer fantasies views for the…read moreminimum effort requires. We have the national park pass which we were able to use during our visit. We stopped by numerous overlooks and of course, the main one where you can see the two land mass/bear cubs lay and the mama bear watching over them. You can read about the lore and why this area is named sleeping bear dunes. It's a cute, albeit sad story of love and loyalty and never leaving behind those you love. Now on to the wondrous nature view you'll find here. Sand dunes, yes! But also a beautiful lake view unobstructed by modern buildings. Pure nature beauty. This really is a place to visit. Don't skip it if you're in the area! It is dog friendly. There was even a kind man up on top of the dunes overlooks giving treats to pups. Our pup enjoyed the treats and the attention and I enjoyed creating memories with her and my husband in the middle of nature. Go check it out!

Sleeping Bear Dunes is a must if you are nearby! There are beaches that are free to enter, but to…read morego into the actual park and see the big dunes, you have to pay $20 per car, or you can get in with a National Parks pass. Most of it is drivable once you're in, and you can park your car off to the side of the road and view multiple different overlooks. The dunes are huge I was surprised. They're much bigger than I am used to seeing at Indiana Dunes! We stopped at the Lake Michigan overlook. There's a parking lot with plenty of parking. To get up to the overlook, you'll have to walk up a smallish sand dune. It's easier if you take your shoes off. Once you get up, there's super steep dunes that many people attempt to go all the way down then climb up on all fours. It's extremely hard to get back up!! Walking through sand is not easy. There's even a sign that warns you of the dangers of doing so and the damage it does to the dunes. There was a firetruck and ambulance on sight ready to rescue anyone.

Peterson Park is a small/quaint park on the north end of the Leelanau Peninsula... It's nicely kept…read morewith easy beach access to Lake Michigan, and it's pet friendly. Recommend going early fall once tourist season slows down... We had the whole park and beach area to ourselves.

Sweet little spot. 115 steps down to the beach. Rocks. Today lots of dead alewives (End of June)…read more Great, clean little bathroom. Nice playground for the kids. Ample picnic tables. Well worth a trip out here.

Quaint marina with friendly staff. Floating docks but set up mostly for smaller boats. Nice park…read moreand beach for swimming, bike riding and a one block walk to the great little town of Sutton's Bay. Wonderful restaurants, including a few that welcome your K9 companion, and shopping that includes clothing boutiques and art galleries.

I am hesitant to divulge this location but its too beautiful not to share. This is one of the best…read morefresh water beaches in Michigan, in my opine, you will experience. A hidden gem to most but once you arrive at this location you will be left wondering why it took you so long to figure it out. Enjoy the small inland body of water, North Bar Lake, or cross the dune to Lake Michigan for much grander scenery. You could literally walk a mile down the beach and stake out exclusive real estate. Pack a full cooler and make a day out of it. The gas station as you enter town is the only place to stock up supplies. Get there before 11 am and grab a parking spot as it fills up pretty quick after noon. This simple equation will equal a successful day. The secret is out and I provided an address that gets you to the doorstep. The rest is up to you.

Beautiful lake and beach. Natural beauty part of Sleeping Bear Scenic route. We had a great picnic…read morelunch in the picnic area in the shade. Definitely worth a visit. Can't wait to bring family back.

Stopped here on a whim to checkout lighthouses during our mini getaway. This beach did not…read moredisappoint! It was so calm and peaceful. Beautiful water. Hardly any people. The people who did visit didn't stay for long so we had the whole beach to ourselves. We had camping chairs in the car so we just put them in the water and sat right in the water and enjoyed the view. They have a gift shop and the only restrooms I noticed were portajohns. We built some rock towers but put the rocks back when we were done because some of the rocks had snail eggs on them.

Gorgeous park at the tip of the Mitten's pinkie finger. I got there shortly before a spectacular…read moresunset where the sky was all lit up with pinks and oranges and purples. I took a short walk where my friends who had camped there the previous night as well showed my the historic lighthouse and some message in a bottle painted sign that was very reminiscent of Steve "ESPO" Powers. I set up my trusty old dome tent and camped on the same site as my friends and nobody said peep about doubling up like that. I left out around 10:30 or so and didn't hit any trails as I had packed some snacks for late but no breakfast. Not much in the way of restaurants or groceries around here so I hit the road. Can't speak to the trails or day use part of the park but the campground and adjacent beach was beautiful.

This Pyramid Point Overlook has such a colorful setting here on the banks of Sleeping Bear Dunes…read moreNational Lakeshore. I really admired the surroundings and simply looking down upon Lake Michigan's beautiful sand and beaches. Pyramid Point Trail was recommended to me by the park ranger at the Philip A. Hart Visitor Center back in the town of Empire, MI. It's a casual 1/2-mile climb to arrive at this observation point. Though...you can hike a 2.7-mile round trip loop around the lakeshores to get a more real feel perspective of being here at Sleeping Bear Dunes rather than just heading straight for this Pyramid Point vista spot. I visited on a random Tuesday back in late May 2021 around 12pm and had the trail and observation point all to myself. So, from high above the waters I was able to hear the waves crashing down below. It was quite nice, and I genuinely appreciated the ambiance. And...I couldn't believe how scenic the turquoise green colors of Lake Michigan appeared especially when highlighted by the sun's strong reflections. Btw...while exploring at Sleeping Bear Dunes I also recommend hiking Empire Bluff Trail and driving the 7.5-mile Pierce Stocking Drive on the outskirts of Lake Michigan. And when traveling along Pierce Stocking Drive, my favorite pullovers were stop numbers 9, 10, 11 to capture the best backdrops for what makes the lakeshore special. Also, don't forget trekking up the 3.5-mile roundtrip Dune Climb to access the beach shores of Lake Michigan. Finally, this Pyramid Point Overlook and Trail was my last full activity here at Sleeping Bear Dubes NL. The crisp, clear background scenery was a terrific way to end my explorations in the Lower Peninsula section of Michigan before venturing further north towards the "UP" driving "Shipwreck Coast" and Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore before ultimately ending at Isle Royale National Park. But...I highly suggest hiking the 1/2-mile (each way) Pyramid Point Trail to arrive at this visually appealing overlook!

Fabulous experience that is well-worth visiting. Hiked through the wooded area to eventually see an…read moreoverview of Lake Michigan. A must visit!