Lake Michigan Bike and Hike, Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, Michigan

Note: This is a pilot trip to test our COVID protocols and determine how to restart our travel program as safely as possible. Please contact the trip leader with any questions.

The Trip

The beauty of the Lake Michigan shoreline reaches its most dramatic point along the Leelanau Peninsula in Northern Michigan. This area is so special that a nearly continuous stretch of 35 miles of shoreline was protected as the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore in 1970. Still relatively unknown, the area was recently declared “The Most Beautiful Place in America” by Good Morning America.

Natural highlights of the area include a wilderness of wind-sculpted sand dunes, miles and miles of undeveloped shoreline, several small rivers of transparent clarity, virgin forests, an array of unspoiled inland lakes, and a patchwork of meadows and grasslands. Wildlife of the area includes deer, eagles, osprey, turkeys, loons, fox, and the endangered piping plover. Two beautiful islands with interesting histories, North and South Manitou, are also protected by the national lakeshore.

The culture and history of the area are nearly as impressive as the natural features. Several small towns -- Empire, Glen Arbor, Leland, and Northport -- fit nicely into the natural landscape and offer a variety of restaurants, hotels, and shops. Historic sites dot the peninsula. Glen Haven is a renovated small town on Lake Michigan, with shops and buildings from the 1800s. A Coast Guard Museum records the rescue of ships plying the dangerous Manitou Passage. Port Oneida preserves a 19th-century farming community. The region also contains many vestiges of the logging era.

We will see this area while on bicycles, traveling from 20 to 50 miles a day on bike trails and winding, hilly country roads. Each day, we will stop at roadside parks and/or historic sites to help us get to know the area better. We will eat lunch in a variety of restaurants or corner stores/markets, while we enjoy the area’s natural beauty. On most evenings, if so desirable, the trip will also offer a short hike/walk to some of the most scenic sights in the region. Early June is a nice time to visit this area for several reasons: road traffic is light before the busy tourist season, wildflowers are abundant, bird life is more active, and the days are long with nearly 16 hours of daylight. If we hit a warm stretch, there will be opportunities for swimming and even some kayaking in the many lakes and rivers of the area.

At night we will stay at pleasant hotels and Airbnbs in nice settings. When available, we will have the opportunity to listen to any local writers, park rangers, or environmental activists who may be speaking about the natural and cultural history of the area.

Day 1: Our trip will begin at 9:00 a.m. in Traverse City. From there we will bike approximately 50 miles round-trip along country roads that will take us up the Lake Michigan shoreline along the western side of Mission Peninsula to an old country store and Old Mission Point Park, featuring a historic lighthouse. Our route back to Traverse City will take us down the Lake Michigan shoreline along the eastern side of Mission Peninsula. Both routes will offer plenty of opportunities to stop at various wineries, breweries, and restaurants to sample the local fare. Once back to Traverse City, we will check into our rooms and select a dinner location from one of several outstanding restaurants within walking distance of our hotel.

Day 2: We will depart Traverse City, following the Leelanau Trail bike path for approximately six miles along the blue water of Grand Traverse Bay, and then leave the waterfront to enter the more wooded interior of northern Michigan. From there, on lightly traveled back roads, we will pedal another 25 miles to our hotel, eating lunch near the halfway point along the route. After settling into our rooms and relaxing, we will head out for dinner, and then have the option to go on a short hike or walk.

Days 3-4: We will bike through the heart of the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore area, anywhere from 20 to 30 miles each day. One of the highlights will include bicycling along the scenic, hilly, and exhilarating Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive, a seven-mile route that takes us through the heart of the dunes and offers stunning views of Lake Michigan and the countryside. We will also make use of a recently constructed bike path to take us to and around the beautiful countryside surrounding Glen Arbor, Empire, and Honor. Lunches will be in restaurants or corner stores/markets near the halfway point of our selected route. Our dinner options will include a variety of fine restaurants found in the nearby small resort towns.

Day 5: We will pedal approximately 30 miles to the town of Leland. Our route will take us on bike paths and along M-22, a much-loved scenic road that passes through beautiful grasslands, meadows, and historic homesteads, as we head to a new hotel. From the hotel we will explore Lake Leelanau and the historic fishing village of Leland, which offers several lunch and/or dinner locations to choose from.

Day 6: Today we will pedal to the tip of the Leelanau Peninsula following the western shoreline of Lake Michigan. On our way back we will follow a similar route back to Leland, the location of our final night's stay. Highlights of this day include a county park or two, the lighthouse at Leelanau State Park, the small town of Northport, paved backcountry roads through spectacular rural northern Michigan countryside, and a Czechoslovakian stone church. Lunch will be in a restaurant or corner store/market in Northport, while dinner will be back in Leland.

Day 7: We will leave our hotel and pedal along Lake Michigan to Suttons Bay and then back into Traverse City, picking up the Leelanau Trail bike path that will lead us back to our starting point. We will have a final lunch on the way and be back into Traverse City around 2 p.m.

Getting There

The trip will begin and end in Traverse City, Michigan. Anyone flying or driving into Traverse City should arrive no later than Saturday. Traverse City has many excellent hotels and the leader will be happy to suggest several options. We will meet at 9:00 a.m. at the Bayshore Resort in Traverse City on Sunday morning, the first day of the trip. Please do not make non-refundable travel arrangements until notified to do so by the trip leader.

Accommodations and Food

For six nights of the trip we will stay at three different hotels and Airbnbs with full facilities. The trip price includes six breakfasts. Lunches will be at various restaurants or corner stores/markets found along the route, but are not included in the trip price. Dinners will be together at local restaurants, but again are not included in the trip price.

Trip price is based on double occupancy. Anyone staying in a room alone, single occupancy, must pay the single-room supplement fee in advance of the trip. The single-room supplement fee is $600. The trip leader will attempt to pair people up in rooms if requested, but this depends on the gender and number of the participants and cannot be guaranteed.

Trip Difficulty

The trip is of moderate difficulty. Distances on the bike will range from approximately 20 to 50 miles a day, with a variety of hills. Unless the weather is too bad, we will still ride, though the route might be modified depending upon the weather. On a couple of days there might be options for a shorter or longer route. Participants should be in good shape and be experienced road cyclists. This trip is designed to avoid the main tourist season, so traffic levels should be lower. We will also select routes that seek to avoid car traffic and have shoulders; however, occasionally we may have to ride in traffic or on roads with narrow shoulders.

Equipment and Clothing

Participants will have to supply their road bikes, either their own or rented through a bike agency. There are several good bike shops in Traverse City and the leader can provide anyone with contact information. Mountain bikes are strongly discouraged. Everyone should also have bike locks, extra inner tubes, and the tools and ability to make routine fixes, such as a flat tire, on their bike. For more serious issues we will do our best to get participants to a bike mechanic if necessary, probably in Traverse City. Participants should be able to carry the above mentioned gear, their own water, snacks, medicine, and extra layers of clothing. The support vehicle will be available via cell phone and will meet with us several times on each ride. On a couple of days the support person might ride with us so help, if needed, might take longer to reach us.

It is also strongly suggested that each participant purchase his or her own bike map of the region (Bicycle Map of Northwest Michigan) via the Cherry Capital Cycling Club. Maps are available for $10, plus postage.

References

Because of the natural beauty of the area, and the opportunity for solitude and inspiration, the Leelanau Peninsula and Sleeping Bear Dunes have attracted their share of writers and artists. All of these books and others are available at the Cottage Book Shop in Glen Arbor. 

• Denis, Jerry, The Living Great Lakes.
• Daniel, Glenda and Jerry Sullivan, A Sierra Club Naturalist’s Guide: The North Woods.
• Stocking, Kathleen, Lake Country and Letters from the Leelanau. 
• Mills, Stephanie, Tough Little Beauties.

Conservation

While 70,000 acres of the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore is federally protected land, there are still important issues facing the region. The area is attracting more and more development, which has the ability to degrade the natural beauty of the region. There are several issues relating to the Lake Michigan fisheries and water quality, and there are a number of endangered species in the area. A host of pernicious diseases are attacking the trees of the area, affecting the health and make-up of the forests. We will talk about these issues on the trip.

Sierra Club National Outings is an equal-opportunity provider and will operate under a permit from Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore.