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Nature
Sleeping Bear Dunes is as old as continental ice sheets and as young as the
1970 Establishment Act that set aside the Lakeshore for preservation of the
natural resources and for public use. The most prominent features, and those for
which the park is named, are the perched dunes above Lake Michigan. These
immense sand dunes are “perched” atop the already towering headlands that are
glacial moraines. The dune overlooks at the Sleeping Bear, Empire and Pyramid
Point bluffs are about 400 feet above Lake Michigan. With 65 miles of Lake
Michigan shoreline and numerous inland lakes and streams, the park is
wonderfully water oriented.
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View from the platform at the end of Empire
Bluffs hiking trail.
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| Although the Lakeshore is long and narrow, it still has the depth for
excellent representations of several northern hardwood and conifer forest types,
abandoned farm site meadows, wetlands, lakes, streams, and bogs and splendid
examples of glacially caused landforms. Whether you are on the sandy bluffs
overlooking Lake Michigan, in a canoe on one of the many inland lakes, hiking
the myriad of trails through the forest, or visiting the Manitou Islands in Lake
Michigan you will have a wonderful opportunity for bird watching, wildlife
viewing, and for just enjoying nature at its best. We hope the following nature
pages will give you a quick insight into all that can be seen during your visit
to the “little finger” area of the Michigan mitt. |
Crystal River meanders near Glen Arbor |
Our wildflower database
describes many of the flowers you will find in and around Sleeping Bear
Dunes National Lakeshore.
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