• Looking out at the lake

    Sleeping Bear Dunes

    National Lakeshore Michigan

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  • Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive will not open until Memorial Day Weekend

    Changes to visitor service due to Sequestration. Due to mandatory, across-the-board budget cuts, some visitor services in this park have changed. Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive will not open until Memorial Day Weekend and will close after Labor Day. More »

  • Some restrooms and trash cans not available until Memorial Day

    Changes to visitor service due to Sequestration. Other than those at the visitor center and campgrounds, restrooms and trash cans will not be available until Memorial Day Weekend and will close after Labor Day. This includes the Manitou Islands. More »

Enjoy "Saturdays at the Lakeshore" in June

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Date: May 29, 2009
Contact: Jennifer Wurts, 231-326-5134

Rangers Offer Free Programs

Are you ready to be outdoors, hike a trail, step back in history or stroll a Lake Michigan beach? Then join National Park Service Park Rangers for “Saturdays at the Lakeshore” in June to explore the secret wonders of nature and history preserved at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore.

Every Saturday afternoon at 1:00 p.m., meet a Park Ranger at the Philip A. Hart Visitor Center in Empire on M-72. The Park Ranger will introduce the week’s topic and then lead a car caravan a short distance to the starting point for the walk. Each week, a different topic and location in the park will be featured. All are welcome.

  • June 6 – National Trails Day: Celebrate National Trails Day by hiking one of the park’s most beloved trails, Empire Bluffs. Think you have “been there and done that?” Join the Park Ranger leading this hike. She will lend you new eyes to see this old favorite in a whole new way!

  • June 13 – National “Get Outdoors!” Day - The Heart of the Park: Explore the heart of the park with a Park Ranger in honor of National “Get Outdoors!” Day. Visit a place so rare that it qualifies as a national treasure. Very few people get to experience the secret works of nature that you will see and feel on this hike to the heart of our perched dunes.

  • June 20 – Glen Haven Historic Village: Step back into the colorful past of an historic steamboat stop that operated from 1865 to 1931. Feel the past come back to life through stories on this Park Ranger-guided walking tour of the once bustling village.

  • June 27 – Stroll the Lakeshore: Spend a relaxing afternoon at the beach! As you stroll along the Lake Michigan shore and tiptoe through the surf, a Park Ranger will help you discover the fascinating workings of a beach ecosystem.

All Park Ranger-led programs are free. Participants need only purchase the park entrance pass or have an annual pass to join in the fun. Reservations are not required, but are suggested if you wish to bring a group. Please call 231-326-5134, ext. 328, for details.

Did You Know?

US Life-Saving Service

During the winter of 1870-71, 214 people lost their lives in shipwrecks on the Great Lakes, and congress established the US Life-Saving Service to conduct rescues from shore. This became the US Coast Guard in 1915. Visit Sleeping Bear Dunes to see how these men lived and worked. More...