Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore - Hiking Trails (U.S. National Park Service)

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. Hiking trails on the dunes are marked by blue-tipped posts.

Trail maps are available in this section, at the Visitor Center, or at the trailhead. Click for Trail Regulations and Safety Information. A Park Pass is required for all trail use within the Lakeshore. Click for Fee Information. There are also hiking trails on North Manitou Island and South Manitou Island.

Kerry Kelly 2005

Hiking Trail

Each trail has its own unique beauty and challenges. Some have beautiful views from high vistas overlooking lakes, hills, or dunes. While others take you through fields of wildflowers with views of fields and lakes or forest in the background. Others take you through the sand dunes to explore the hardy vegetation and wildflowers that flourish in this harsh environment. The table below will give a brief description of each trail with a link to the trail map.

Click on the Trail Name link for more information on this trail and a trail map.

#	Name	Distance	Terrain	Vegetation	Comments
1	Old Indian	2.5 miles	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	14.7 miles	Mostly flat	Pine-oak-aspen	3 views of Lake MI
3	Empire Bluff	1.5 miles	Hilly	Beech-maple, fields, dune plants	Overlook on a high bluff over Lake MI
4	Windy Moraine	1.5 miles	Hilly	Beech-maple, old fields, pine plantation	Views of Glen Lake
5a	Shauger Hill	2.4 miles	Hilly	Beech-maple	Crosses Shauger Hill Rd and Scenic Drive
5b	Scenic Drive Ski Trail	8 miles	Hilly	Beech-maple	Unplowed Scenic Drive and Shauger Hill
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 and wildflowers of the dunes	Strenuous hike through dunes leads to Lake MI. 2-4 hr round trip
8	Duneside Accessible	0.9 mile	Flat	Field and beech-maple, white cedar	Wheelchair accessible
9	Sleeping Bear Pt.	2.8 miles	Rolling Dunes	Grasses, shrubs, wildflowers	Loose sand, views and access to Lake MI
10	Alligator Hill	9 miles	Hilly	Beech-maple, fields, pine plantation	Several loops, Overlooks of Lake MI and Glen Lake. Horses are permitted.
11	Bay View	8 miles	Hilly	Beech-maple, fields, pine plantation	Panoramic view of Lake MI and fields of wildflowers
12	Pyramid Point	2.7 miles	Hilly	Beech-maple and fields	Overlook of Lake MI
13	Good Harbor Bay	2.8 miles	Flat, wet in places	Wooded, some dunes	Boardwalk over creek

There are many hiking and backpacking options on North Manitou Island and South Manitou Island.