Articles

Exploring Track Chairs

A major area of emphasis for Friends of Sleeping Bear Dunes is to make Park beaches and trails more accessible to people of varying abilities. We know that it is often difficult for someone to get from the parking lot to a beach or a scenic overlook. So we’ve been exploring a variety of approaches.

We have been working with the Park’s Roads and Trails crew to design a hard walkway from the handicap parking area at the Cannery in Glen Haven to the beach. This will allow families with small children, older visitors, and those in wheelchairs an easier way to get down to the beach. This walkway will be installed before Labor Day.

Hiking with a Track Chair on Bay View Trail

Trails in Sleeping Bear Dunes often have steep slopes or sandy soil, which makes it difficult for some visitors to experience the natural environment or get to some of the spectacular vistas that others can hike to. We’ve been exploring the possibility of purchasing a track chair to make available to visitors with limited mobility. We will be working with Park management to see if we can set up a system to make one of these chairs available in the Park by 2019.

 


Making the Park Accessible to More People

Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore is a beautiful place, and one of our goals is to make it more accessible to people of all levels of ability.. Our efforts are focused on awareness, training, and projects to improve access to trails and beaches.


Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail

The Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail (SBHT) is a hard-surface multi-use trail that passes through Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore from Empire through Glen Arbor to the Bohemian Road (CR-669).


Ski Conditions

We groom the Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail from Glen Arbor to Empire when snow conditions allow. Ski conditions will be posted here whenever there is a change in conditions. This winter, we will also groom from Crystal View Trailhead past the Homestead to Port Oneida Road.

Ski conditions will be posted on our web site whenever conditions change.


Snowshoe Hikes

We are inviting all 4th grade classes to come to Sleeping Bear Dunes for a winter snowshoe  experience. We will pay for bus transportation and a team of rangers will lead you on snowshoes through the wintery woods.


Echo Valley Mt Bike Trail

The Friends of Sleeping Bear Dunes has begun raising funds to support an Environmental Assessment to evaluate the impacts of an proposed Mountain Bike trail in Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore.


Explore Shipwrecks

Walking the Lake Michigan Beach can become a history lesson. Shipwrecks appear and get buried by the dynamic nature of the Lake Michigan shoreline due to winds, waves, and currents. Learn more about the history of the area.


Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail

The Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail is open from Empire (Voice Road) to Glen Arbor (Forest Haven Road). The trail is 10 miles long and the section from Empire to the Dune Climb provides some challenging hills, while the section from the Dune Climb to Glen Arbor offers an easier ride.

The next section from Glen Arbor (Crystal River Input) to Port Oneida Road is open!


Bay to Bay Trail Planning

Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore is studying the possibility of a new water trail and backpacking trail that would run the length of the National Lakeshore from Platte Bay to Good Harbor Bay. This proposed Bay to Bay Trail would offer backcountry camping for multi-day wilderness experiences.


Adopt-A-Trail

With over 100 miles of designated trails on the mainland, Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore offers a wide variety of hiking experiences and activity levels. Our Trail Patrollers walk their favorite trail at least once a month picking up trash and removing obstacles like down branches from the trail. They report large problems to the Park Roads and Trails group. Pick your favorite trail and join us.


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