Such a beautiful place to see! Great for finding sea glass. My husband and I enjoyed seeing the…read morepeaceful water with only one other couple there! Recommend 100% even saw a black squirrel

Overall enjoyed exploring this beach! There is not a staircase down near this parking lot so it's a…read moremix of walking in dirt/sand to get up and down. On the beach: There is a bunch of stuff that washes up here! You can find petotskys, beach glass, unakite, and other rocks! It really just depends on the time of day and how many other people are here

Google labels Sleeping Bear Dunes a "mountain peak" - LOL. But it is a pretty cool…read morenaturally-occurring pile of sand (and every form of life that is adapted to it). We hiked Cottonwood Trail, but *might* have strayed off it a bit in order to see Lake Michigan. It is great to know that this area is protected.

My only kind that I have about this place was that parking was really expensive! Overall, if you're…read moreinto scenic views, challenging walks, even going to the beach too or are just a avid adventurer this is the place for you. Me and my wife basically did the Dune Climb which was very extraordinary which I reviewed on a separate page. This place was very well maintained with very minimal trash. The dunes were very scenic and even the people were very friendly too. I have never seen water looks so clean and beautiful before. Getting into the beach can be a bit painful with all those rocks just stabbing your feet. I absolutely had an incredible time here regardless. I highly recommend checking this place out if you ever have to chance!

One of our hands-down favorite places to hike. There's tons of hike-in camping spots along the…read more11-mile hiking trail, which largely follows the shoreline of the Manistee River with a few inland jaunts on a few of the oxbows. Despite being fairly well known, it's pretty pristine and doesn't feel overly busy but it's also never completely vacant. The river views are lovely, there's plenty of wildlife (great fishing & birdwatching), and there's a cliff swing over the water (huge adrenaline rush for this 43-year-old) on an off-shoot path just past the suspension bridge and a waterfall at mile 3.5 if you're coming from the north. You can return on the main path or on the other side of the river on a section of the North Country Trail.

What a great hiking trail! Parking wasn't bad at Red River Bridge Access…read moreOnce on the trail it is well marked. Campsites were clean and it looks like the hikers who enjoy the trail take good care of it. I didn't see one bit of trash the whole day. It was pretty busy, with folks heading both directions, everyone was very friendly and they all seemed to be enjoying the day! The views are beautiful. Absolutely the best hiking we have done in the lower peninsula. We will absolutely be back!

Pretty easy trail to follow. The whole map, if you walk fast can probably finish in 2 hours. There…read moreare no trash can on the trail so don't leave anything behind. There is a trail that reach the cliff and it has great views. If you physically can't climb Bear dunes, it is a good alternative

Really great place to check out for some trail time in nature! I can't wait to come back in summer…read moreor fall, as our visit was in winter- but still beautiful. We only saw one other couple hiking, so it was very serene. We started at the Mt Baldy trailhead parking area and went to the outlook trail. It was a fairly easy half mile with beautiful views and benches. We then went to the dune trail for the dune/bluff overlook. That, especially the part going right up to the dune, was a bit more challenging and steep. Could have been the snow obscuring steps or something though. It was VERY windy right on the lake but so beautiful with the epic views and the sand mixing with the snow. After that we headed back to the parking lot. Total it was about 2.5 miles. Trails are well marked and in the winter it appears appropriate for snow shoes or cross country skiing. There's so much more to check out than that at this preserve, so I'll definitely come back if we come to this area again.

Much has changed since I came her as a small child. Now there are lovely Adirondack chairs, a fire…read morepit, a fish cleaning station, a walkway, and of course the beach. There is also an old school playground with the slides of death, as we used to call them. There are bathrooms and picnic tables, too!

Beautiful park, great for sunset. We loved the older playground equipment. We loved the river walk…read moreso close to the beach

Good trails for almost every rider. A bit of sand of course but nothing aggressive. A few…read moreelevation changes but most will enjoy these trails while on your western Michigan vacation.

Trails are reasonably well marked, but the ground on the blue and green trails was torn up and…read moreuneven from some machine (5/26/26) perhaps from trying to groom ski trails with too little snow. The only loop that was somewhat attractive was the red loop which was not torn up ground and actually had some topography and a bit better forest ecosystem. The entire place is sandy with limited tree species and no old growth trees. Lots of scrub pine and unattractive oaks. The cottonwood section might be nice in fall. The only thing that could be considered a vista on the pathways is where major logging took out 95% of the trees and it is mostly a stubble field, but not beautiful. This review is from a hiking perspective that had no good natural beauty payoff for the hiking effort. There are no streams or ponds on the property, but still mosquito thick. I do not recommend hiking here, it would probably be better for mountain or fat tire biking as moving quickly through the forest has it's charms even if the hike was underwhelming. I would not hike here again as there was no signature beauty to bring me back.

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

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!

This is a lightly trafficked 3 mile loop across the road from Mitchell SP. There is a visitor…read morecenter with a dedicated and spacious parking lot. The trail is groomed and the path varies from forest floor, to gravel, to grass and then bridges and wooden platforms. There are 10 points of interest with point 6 being an out and back path to an observation deck over looking the wetlands. There is also a gorgeous path from 7-9 that I decided to take both ways to add to my walk distance. While on the trail you will see plenty of signage with maps and loads of awesome plaques offering information about the landscape, wildlife and plants you come across. Lots of insect activity so I'd recommend bug repellent before you venture in. Heads up: There are no rest rooms in the trail. I was amazed by the amount of birds, turtles (SO MANY TURTLES) and snakes I can upon while I walked. Dogs are allowed as long as they are leashed of course. Really awesome gorgeous trail.