News Release

Free park Entry to Celebrate Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

Date: January 8, 2018

In celebration of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Superintendent Scott Tucker is pleased to announce that the entrance fee to Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore (National Lakeshore) will be waived on Monday, January 15, 2018.

The National Lakeshore, along with 416 other units of the national park system, will waive entrance fees during the upcoming holiday as part of a nationwide initiative to encourage everyone to visit the many wonders of their national parks across America. The other fee-free days this year include April 21 (First Day of National Park Week), September 22 (National Public Lands Day), and November 11 (Veterans Day).

Winter is a great time to explore the National Lakeshore. Visit the Philip A. Hart Visitor Center in Empire (open 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. daily) to learn about all the park has to offer this time of year.  Bring your tube or saucer and enjoy the designated sledding hill at the Dune Climb or cross-country ski/snowshoe one of the many trails in the park. Also, don’t forget to join in on a ranger-led snowshoe hike, offered every Saturday at 1:00 p.m. through March 17, 2018. Hikes are also being offered at 1:00 p.m. on Sundays in January (14, 21, and 28). Meet at the National Lakeshore’s Philip A. Hart Visitor Center in Empire. If you don’t have your own, snowshoes will be loaned at no charge. Participants need only purchase the park entrance pass ($20) or have an annual pass ($40) to join in the fun. Reservations are required whether you need to borrow snowshoes or have your own. Ranger-led snowshoe hikes have a limit on the number of participants. Please call 231-326-4700, extension 5010, for details and to make reservations. If you make a reservation, but then need to cancel, please call and let us know so we can contact visitors on our waiting list.