- State: MI
- NPCA Region: Midwest
- Est. Date: 1970
Air Quality Conditions
View the Polluted Parks ReportVisibility
Unsatisfactory
Health
Unsatisfactory
Nature
Significant Concern
Climate Change Threats
Sleeping Bear Dunes features immense and magnificent sand dunes, as well as beaches, forests and inland lakes along a 35-mile strip of the southeastern shore of Lake Michigan. Off the coast, the park also includes two undeveloped islands, North and South Manitou Islands, which offer a more remote backcountry experience.
The park’s famous dunes were sculpted by the advance and retreat of huge glaciers over the last two million years. It is the world’s largest collection of freshwater sand dunes, with striking formations that rise up to 400 feet above the surface of the lake.
Must-Do Drive
The Pierce Stocking scenic drive features 12 stops along the lakeshore, with 7.4 miles of picturesque views of the park's beech-maple forest, barns, sand dunes, lakes and more.
-
Blog Post
Spooky, Beautiful Photos of Abandoned Park Towns
National parks preserve landscapes with centuries of history. Sometimes beauty is in the remnants of what is no longer there.
-
Blog Post
11 of America’s Best National Park Beaches
Need some sun and surf in your travel plans? NPCA staff highlight top beach vacation spots at national parks around the country.
More about Sleeping Bear Dunes
Filter By
-
Read more about Keep the Great Lakes Great: Support Restoration Funding in the Midwest
NPCA at Work Keep the Great Lakes Great: Support Restoration Funding in the Midwest Since 2010, a federal program known as the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative has funded a variety of projects to help water quality, wildlife habitat and a range of other issues. Congress could slash this funding — a move that could reverse years of progress for the region’s 13 national parks.
-
Read more about A Yogi’s Guide to the National Parks
Blog Post A Yogi’s Guide to the National Parks Experiencing America’s natural wonders in 9 poses
-
Read more about Tuzi ... What? The Origins of 12 Unusual National Park Names
Blog Post Tuzi ... What? The Origins of 12 Unusual National Park Names Tuzigoot. Great Egg Harbor. Yosemite. Who came up with these names? What do they mean? Sometimes they come from one person, sometimes a whole culture—but the stories behind these memorable monikers reveal interesting details about these places and the people who have loved and lived in them.
-
Read more about Gift of the Glaciers
Magazine Article Gift of the Glaciers Michigan’s Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore offers visitors beaches, bluffs, clear waters, and 10,000-year-old hills of sand.
-
The parks' land has always existed, but the parks themselves only exist as long as we protect them. — Joey DiFranco
-
Read more about Wild American Beauty: 10 Wilderness Areas to Explore
Blog Post Wild American Beauty: 10 Wilderness Areas to Explore Celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Wilderness Act by exploring some of America’s wildest places, from remote windswept tundras to cactus-dotted mountains to serene rock-strewn beaches. Several spots are surprisingly close to major cities.
-
Read more about What Lies Beneath
Blog Post What Lies Beneath Citizen scientists are helping birds dying at troubling rates in the Midwest by studying invasive species at Sleeping Bear Dunes.
-
Read more about Parks Group Applauds Passage of Bills to Protect Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore and Glacier National Park
Press Release Parks Group Applauds Passage of Bills to Protect Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore and Glacier National Park Statements by Lynn McClure, NPCA Senior Midwest Regional Director and Michael Jamison, NPCA Glacier Program Manager
-
Read more about 8 Perfect Parks for a Winter Workout
Blog Post 8 Perfect Parks for a Winter Workout Did you make a New Year’s resolution to get more exercise? Are you determined to enjoy the outdoors, even when the weather is brisk? These eight parks are great spots to stay active and work up a healthy sweat, even—or especially—with a January chill in the air.
-
Read more about Protecting and Connecting Our Nation's Treasured Park Landscapes
Fact Sheet Protecting and Connecting Our Nation's Treasured Park Landscapes National parks are key to protecting and connecting our most revered places.
-
Read more about National Parks Play Vital Role in Restoring Great Lakes
Blog Post National Parks Play Vital Role in Restoring Great Lakes The national parks of the Great Lakes provide valuable economic benefits for the region. Now, an important source of federal funding will help protect what makes these places so special.
-
Read more about Restoring the Great Lakes in our National Parks
Report Restoring the Great Lakes in our National Parks This report highlights the successful and critical role that the National Park Service plays in restoring the Great Lakes, safeguarding public health, creating jobs, and protecting these special places belonging to all Americans.
-
Read more about A Shoreline Rescue
Magazine Article A Shoreline Rescue The National Park Service fights to bring Great Lakes’ piping plovers back from the brink.
-
Read more about Center for State of the Parks: Great Lakes
Report Center for State of the Parks: Great Lakes Recognizing the significance of the Great Lakes, the Center for State of the Parks endeavored to determine the conditions of natural and cultural resources at six parks along the lakes: Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, Isle Royale National Park, Apostle Islands National Lakeshore, and Keweenaw National Historical Park.
Donate
Preserve Our Parks
Make a tax-deductible gift today to provide a brighter future for our national parks and the millions of Americans who enjoy them.
Donate Now