Trails in the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore

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You can hike about 100 miles of designated trails in the Lakeshore. There are thirteen trails on the mainland for hiking, and most of them are maintained during the winter for cross country skiing, and snowshoeing too. Each trail has a trailhead with a parking area, and hiking trails on the dunes are marked by blue-tipped posts.

Trail Maps link to the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore website.

# Name Distance Terrain Vegetation Comments
1 Old Indian 2.3-3.7 miles
2 Loops		 Flat to gently rolling with a few sections of steep hills Evergreens and hardwoods Trail leads to a view of Lake MI
2 Platte Plains 4.6-15.1 miles
Several loops		 Mostly flat Pine-oak-aspen 3 views of Lake MI
3 Empire Bluff 1.5 miles
Round Trip		 Hill Beech-maple, fields, dune plants Overlook on high bluff over Lake MI
4 Windy Moraine 1.5 miles
One Loop		 Hilly Beech-maple, old fields, pine plantation Views of Glen Lake, Lake MI, and Dunes
5a Shauger Hill 2.4 miles
One Loop		 Hilly Beech-maple Crosses Shauger Hill Rd and Scenic Drive
6 Cottonwood 1.4 miles Rolling dunes Grasses, shrubs, wildflowers of the dunes Loose sand – strenuous
Views of Lake MI and sand dunes
7 Dunes 3.5 miles Steep, rugged dunes Grasses, shrubs, wildflowers of the dunes Strenuous hike through dunes leads to Lake MI
2-4 hr round trip
8 Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail 9.7 miles, one-way linear trail Flat between the Dune Climb and Glen Arbor; hilly between the Dune Climb and Empire Mostly wooded; beech-maple and some cedar. Small area of open dunes Paved walking and bike trail currently extends from Empire to Glen Arbor. Main trailhead at the Dune Climb
9 Sleeping Bear Point 2.8 miles Rolling dunes Grasses, shrubs, wildflowers Loose sand, views, and access to Lake MI
10 Alligator Hill 2.7-8.2 miles
Several Loops		 Hilly Beech-maple, fields, pine plantation Several loops, overlook of Lake MI and Glen Lake, horses are permitted.
11 Bay View 1.5-7.5 miles
Several Loops		 Hilly Beech-maple, fields, pine plantation Panoramic view of Lake MI and countryside
12 Pyramid Point 2.7 Miles Round Trip Hilly Beach-maple forests & fields Trail leads to a high outlook over Lake MI.
13 Good Harbor Bay 2.8 miles
One Loop		 Flat, wet in places Wooded, some dunes Boardwalk over creek

Information courtesy Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore – www.nps.gov/slbe