Michigan Multisport at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore

The Trip

Spend one active and adventurous week exploring Sleeping Bear Dunes, Michigan’s national lakeshore with 71,000 acres of parkland, over 100 miles of trails, 65 miles of shoreline, and the designation of “The Most Beautiful Place in America” (Good Morning America). On the northwestern shore of Michigan’s Lower Peninsula, Sleeping Bear Dunes offers massive shoreline dunes, cool beech-maple forests, sandy beaches, clear lakes, and glacially formed bluffs. This trip offers opportunities for fun, exploration, and renewal.

Each morning, we’ll emerge from our lakeside cottages for a gentle outdoor yoga practice. After breakfast, we’ll pack lunches and load backpacks, and then that day’s adventure begins! Whether we’re climbing a dune, hiking in a quiet forest, savoring dramatic views, kayaking with the running salmon, cycling a rolling bike path, or stand-up paddleboarding, you’ll find inspiration, laughter, and an appreciation for the beauty of this diverse natural area.

Most days, we’ll return to our cottages by 4:00 p.m., when you’ll have time for YOU. Relax with a beverage, take a rowboat out for a spin on our inland lake, play frisbee or croquet with new friends, or enjoy some solitude. Evening activities vary, including a hearty and fresh group dinner (most nights), a local wine tasting, exploring the town of Glen Arbor, and sharing stories around the campfire.

Day 1: Arrive between 2:00 and 4:00 p.m. to check into your cottage and meet your leaders and fellow adventurers. We’ll enjoy a social hour with appetizers and beverages followed by dinner and an orientation meeting. 

Day 2: Begin the day with yoga and breakfast. After carpooling to the trailhead, we’ll lace up our hiking boots and leave our worries behind! Our first hike is the recently completed 3.6-mile Kettles Trail, one of the only places in the park where geographical oddities like kettles, pothole lakes, and kettle bogs exist. Our afternoon is relaxing: a drive along the 7.4-mile Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive, full of scenic overlooks and interpretive markers. We’ll stop for a jaunt along the 1.7-mile Cottonwood Trail, winding through the bearberry, beachgrass, and cottonwoods that stabilize the perched dunes above the Dune Climb. Dinner and camaraderie back at the cottages.

Day 3: Begin today with yoga and breakfast. Our adventure starts in the town of Glen Arbor, where we’ll be fitted for hybrid bikes and helmets then take off along the paved Heritage Trail which climbs over ridges, swings past dunes, meanders through forests, and crosses wetlands on long boardwalks. We’ll head south to the town of Empire, where we’ll enjoy lunch on the beach. After a ranger-led talk at the visitors’ center, we’ll return north along the trail (22 total miles). Upon our arrival back in Glen Arbor, we’ll sample local wines at the M22 Store Winery. Dinner and camaraderie back at the cottages. 

Day 4: After yoga and breakfast, we’ll carpool back into town to get outfitted for kayaks and life jackets. We’ll ride the Crystal River downstream in double kayaks, hopefully spotting king salmon as they swim upriver to spawn. After a picnic lunch, we’ll head north to hike the 3.7 mile Historic Bay View Trail, wandering through farms, fields and forests and by a historic schoolhouse to Lookout Point. We’ll spend the evening shopping and dining in the cute town of Glen Arbor, maybe walking to the lake to take in the sunset.

Day 5: After yoga and breakfast, we’ll carpool past the historic village of Glen Haven to the enchanting Maritime Museum. We’ll then venture into the ghost forests, windswept dunes, dramatic landscapes and panoramic views offered by the 3.4 mile Sleeping Bear Point Trail. Dinner and camaraderie back at the cottages.

Day 6: After our final yoga practice then breakfast, we’ll hop aboard stand-up paddleboards on the peaceful Little Glen Lake. These paddleboards are surprisingly stable and easy to learn, offering a different perspective of the lake (kayaks available, if preferred). Lunch at a lakeside park under shade trees. In the afternoon, we’ll hike the Alligator Hill Trail loop (4.3 miles) to the magnificent, panoramic Islands Lookout. Dinner, camaraderie, and campfire back at the cottages. 

Day 7: We’ll savor breakfast together, sharing memories and favorite moments before embarking on journeys home.

Getting There

This trip will begin and end at our cottage lakeside property in Maple City, Michigan. Plan to arrive on Sunday for our trip kick-off reception at 4:00 p.m. A roster will be shared with participants to open a discussion of car-sharing arrangements. We will use participants’ cars to help with shuttles to and from trailheads each day. Saturday morning check-out time is 10:00 a.m. Please do not make non-refundable travel arrangements until notified to do so by the trip leader.

Accommodations and Food

We will stay at charming cottages on Lime Lake, a crystal-clear, 700-acre spring-fed lake. Each cottage has been updated and modernized while maintaining cottage charm with knotty pine walls and period furnishings. Each cottage sleeps four guests and has one full bathroom. Single occupancy is not available. The property includes picnic tables, a fire pit and wood, 14-foot aluminum boats, room for lawn games, and over 400 feet of sandy shoreline. 

All meals (except one dinner) are provided. Coffee, tea, and juice will be offered before morning yoga. Breakfasts include oatmeal, fruits, yogurt, granola, nuts, and boiled eggs. Lunches are eaten on the trail and include create-your-own sandwiches and wraps, trail mix, fruits and veggies, cookies, etc. Dinners are healthy and hearty. Vegetarian diets can be accommodated. In Sierra Club tradition, each participant will help cook and clean up at least one day of the trip.

Trip Difficulty

The trip is of moderate difficulty. Hikes range from two to five miles with elevation changes and uneven terrain. Cycling trip is 22 miles over paved but rolling terrain. Participants should be in good physical shape, and able to move, climb, and reach without restriction. Paddling experience is not necessary to participate in kayaking and stand-up paddleboarding.

Equipment and Clothing

All rentals (bikes, helmets, kayaks, stand-up paddleboards) are included in the trip price. The leader will carry a first aid kit on all adventures.

You will need to bring your own bedding (pillow, sheets, blanket or sleeping bag) and your own shower towels/cloths. We will be outdoors even in wet weather, so plan on wearing synthetic or wool fabrics that retain their warmth. Cotton items should be avoided. You should have a well-broken-in pair of hiking boots with ankle support. Secure sandals like Tevas or Chacos are very helpful for water activities. Rain gear is necessary. A backpack for your lunch, water, and gear will be used each day. The trip leader will provide a detailed packing list when you are accepted onto the trip and will answer any questions you have about gear. 

Average temperatures are quite pleasant in mid-June, with highs in the mid-70s and lows in the mid-50s, but be prepared for quite warm and/or quite chilly weather!

References

Books:

• Jim DuFresne, The Trails of the M-22.

Many local works are available at the Cottage Book Shop in Glen Arbor.

Websites: 

• http://www.friendsofsleepingbear.org/
• http://www.sleepingbeardunes.com/

Conservation

Invasive plants like baby’s breath can dominate dune habitats, crowd out native species, and over-stabilize the dunes. Friends of Sleeping Bear, a local conservation organization, organizes The Invasive Plant Brigade each summer to remove this species. This effort is part of the Park Service’s attempt to restore balance to the ecosystems they manage intending to protect the native plants and animals in their natural habitats. As we enjoy this area, we can play a positive role in this effort too by being aware that we may be a source of introducing non-native species into the park. 

Forests in this area are predominantly maple-beech with other species mixed in such as ash, oak, hemlock, and red pines. The threats to these forests include invasive insects, diseases, and plants. A mandatory 2012 ban on out-of-area firewood in campgrounds is attempting to stop the introduction of insects like the Emerald Ash Borer and the Asian Longhorned Beetle, which greatly damage trees. 

The boundary of Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore extends ¼ mile into Lake Michigan. In past decades, the effects of logging and the introduction of non-native aquatic species have altered the ecosystem. We’ll discuss the responses to this problem and the results we see today. 

To provide more access to the beauty of this area, the Leelanau Scenic Heritage Route Committee of Leelanau County and Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore teamed together to construct the Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail, a 27-mile hard-surface, multiuse trail completed in 2012. Visitors leave more inspired to help maintain and protect his precious natural space.

Sierra Club National Outings is an equal opportunity provider and when applicable will operate under permits obtained from U.S. federal land agencies.