Sleeping Bear

The windblown sand and visitors at Sleeping Bear Dunes.
9/23/2019 dwm photo

Sand dunes compromise much of the shoreline and at least a mile in from the water as you drive
along the west course of Michigan.

In the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, the sand could fill a never-ending supply of hourglasses.

Our most spectacular spot was the Lake Michigan Overlook which is towering pile of sand stacked 450 feet above the water.

It felt and looked like a completely different world than what I'm used to seeing in the upper Midwest.

54 miles west is Wisconsin.
9/23/2019 dwm photo

The morning of our visit, people were pulling on jackets or wrapping up in blankets to combat the wind chill created by strong west winds off the lake.  Many of us were literally holding on to our hats.

A boardwalk at the top of the hill lead on to a deck projected over a steep bank that plummeted into the water.  10 miles to the north I got a distant look at the South Manitou Island lighthouse.  Dune Bluffs overgrown with trees and vegetation were in view 4 miles south.

There were tell-tale marks from where Park workers cleared sand off walks with tractors instead of brooms.  The sand was piled like snow at the edge of the trail, at least a foot high.

The land is unusual in how alive it feels.  It is moving as grains of sand blow until they stopped by something in its path.  The dunes are a slow-motion snowball moving inland.

While the National Park Service warns visitors about running down the lakeside sand hill; a couple miles north is the Climb Dune.

The 110' Climb Dune invites climbers, sliders, and downhill
runners. 9/23/2019 dwm photo

The photo doesn't provide much scale until you look closely at the figure left of the grass in the center of the shot.

That is a full-size person running up the hill.  It is a large pile of sand!

You can drive along Michigan highways 22 or 109 and enjoy the view from the road, or drive further into the park by paying the $25 fee per car.

I had a little sticker shock when we stopped at the ranger station and were told the price.

But I'm glad we paid, it was worth it.