Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore - Ski and Snowshoe (U.S. National Park Service)

Sleeping Bear Dunes offers outstanding cross country skiing and snowshoeing on a variety of trails and terrain. A list of trails and links to trail maps can be found on the bottom of this page. Ski trails are not groomed but are usually well tracked by previous skiers.

Kerry Kelly 2004

Winter view of Lake Michigan from the bluffs

Winter is an excellent time to explore the Lakeshore, especially with a National Park Ranger on snowshoes! The first snowshoe hike will be on Saturday, December 29th. Snowshoe hikes will then be offered every Saturday during January and February. All hikes will begin at the Philip A. Hart Visitor Center on Highway M-72 at the edge of the village of Empire at 1:00 p.m. Call the Visitor Center at 231-326-5134, ext. 328 to make a reservation.

Rangers will first provide basic snowshoeing instructions and then, everyone will travel by car to a specific trailhead. Along the trail, the ranger will share interesting facts about the park's unique features. Be prepared and plan to be outside until about 3:00 p.m.

Kerry Kelly 2004

Putting on showshoes is easy.

Not only is snowshoeing easy, fun, and good exercise, it is also an activity that can be enjoyed by all ages. The ranger-led hikes are mildly strenuous, yet they proceed at a leisurely pace for approximately one and a half miles. This allows you to look for signs of wildlife or evidence of ancient glaciers or to simply experience a winter wonderland.

#	Name	Distance	Terrain	Vegetation	Comments
1	Old Indian	3.5 miles 2 Loops	Flat to gently rolling with a few sections of steep hills	Evergreens and hardwoods	Designated ski trail. Trail leads to a view of Lake MI
2	Platte Plains	14.7 miles Several Loops	Mostly flat	Pine-oak-aspen	Designated ski trail. 3 views of Lake MI
3	Empire Bluff	1.5 miles Round Trip	Hilly	Beech-maple, fields, dune plants	Not a designated ski trail. Overlook on high bluff over Lake MI
4	Windy Moraine	1.5 miles One Loop	Hilly	Beech-maple, old fields, pine plantation	Designated ski trail. Views of GlenLake, Lake MI, and Dunes
5a	Shauger Hill	2.4 miles One Loop	Hilly	Beech-maple	Designated ski trail. Crosses Shauger Hill Rd and Scenic Drive
5b	Scenic Drive Ski Trail	8 miles Several Loops	Hilly	Beech-maple	Not a designated ski trail. Unplowed Scenic Drive and Shauger Hill
10	Alligator Hill	9 miles Several Loops	Hilly	Beech-maple, fields, pine plantation	Designated ski trail. Several loops, Overlook of Lake MI and Glen Lake. Horses are permitted.
11	Bay View	8 miles Several Loops	Hilly	Beech-maple, fields, pine plantation	Designated ski trail. Panoramic view of Lake MI and countryside
12	Pyramid Point	2.7 Miles Round Trip	Hilly	Beach-maple forests & fields	Not a designated ski trail. Trail leads to a high outlook over Lake MI.
13	Good Harbor Bay	2.8 miles One Loop	Flat, wet in places	Wooded, some dunes	Designated ski trail.