• 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 »

Entrance Fee Waived for Veterans and Members of the U.S. Armed Forces on Veterans Day

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Date: October 10, 2008
Contact: Lisa Myers, 231-326-5134

Superintendent Dusty Shultz is pleased to announce that all U.S. military veterans and current members of the U.S. armed forces and their families are invited to enjoy Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore free-of-charge on Veterans Day, November 11, 2008.

The Departments of the Interior and Agriculture began this annual fee waiver two years ago on Veterans Day.  The fee waiver applies to entrance and/or standard amenity fees at public recreation lands managed by the National Park Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Reclamation, and U.S. Forest Service across the country.  The fee waiver does not apply to camping fees at the Lakeshore.

Many of the popular attractions at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore remain open during this time of year including the Philip A. Hart Visitor Center in Empire (open 8:15 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. daily); the Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive (open 9:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. daily through Tuesday, November 11); the Dune Climb; and a hundred miles of hiking trails.  The Glen Haven Blacksmith Shop, General Store, Cannery Boat Museum and the Sleeping Bear Point Maritime Museum are closed for the season and will re-open in May 2009.  Come and enjoy your park on Veterans Day or any day!  Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore is open year-round except for Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s days.

For more information, please call the Lakeshore at 231-326-5134.

Did You Know?

Pitcher's Thistle

The Pitcher's thistle is an endangered plant species that is native to the dunes around the Great Lakes. You will find many of them as you hike through the dunes or along the Lake Michigan shores at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. More...