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Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore

A normal lake is knowable. A Great Lake can hold all the mysteries of an ocean, and then some.
— Dan Egan
Life on the Lake
Take in Lake Michigan from up above. Explore the magnificent dunes that overlook the water.
Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore offers visitors a rich maritime, agricultural, and recreational history.

As old as continental ice sheets and as young as the 1970 Establishment Act that set aside the lakeshore for preservation and public use, Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore offers countless opportunities for discovery. The naturally elevated dunes along Lake Michigan offer visitors spectacular views, all-season hiking trails, pristine rivers for paddling, and a wonderful array of wildlife to explore.

The most prominent features are the dunes above Lake Michigan, perched atop the already towering headlands. The dune overlooks at the Sleeping Bear, Empire, and Pyramid Point bluffs are about 400 feet above Lake Michigan, and with 65 miles of Lake Michigan shoreline and numerous inland lakes and streams, the park is wonderfully water oriented.

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