Google labels Sleeping Bear Dunes a "mountain peak" - LOL. But it is a pretty cool…read morenaturally-occurring pile of sand (and every form of life that is adapted to it). We hiked Cottonwood Trail, but *might* have strayed off it a bit in order to see Lake Michigan. It is great to know that this area is protected.

My only kind that I have about this place was that parking was really expensive! Overall, if you're…read moreinto scenic views, challenging walks, even going to the beach too or are just a avid adventurer this is the place for you. Me and my wife basically did the Dune Climb which was very extraordinary which I reviewed on a separate page. This place was very well maintained with very minimal trash. The dunes were very scenic and even the people were very friendly too. I have never seen water looks so clean and beautiful before. Getting into the beach can be a bit painful with all those rocks just stabbing your feet. I absolutely had an incredible time here regardless. I highly recommend checking this place out if you ever have to chance!

Fabulous experience that is well-worth visiting. Hiked through the wooded area to eventually see an…read moreoverview of Lake Michigan. A must visit!

This Pyramid Point Overlook has such a colorful setting here on the banks of Sleeping Bear Dunes…read moreNational Lakeshore. I really admired the surroundings and simply looking down upon Lake Michigan's beautiful sand and beaches. Pyramid Point Trail was recommended to me by the park ranger at the Philip A. Hart Visitor Center back in the town of Empire, MI. It's a casual 1/2-mile climb to arrive at this observation point. Though...you can hike a 2.7-mile round trip loop around the lakeshores to get a more real feel perspective of being here at Sleeping Bear Dunes rather than just heading straight for this Pyramid Point vista spot. I visited on a random Tuesday back in late May 2021 around 12pm and had the trail and observation point all to myself. So, from high above the waters I was able to hear the waves crashing down below. It was quite nice, and I genuinely appreciated the ambiance. And...I couldn't believe how scenic the turquoise green colors of Lake Michigan appeared especially when highlighted by the sun's strong reflections. Btw...while exploring at Sleeping Bear Dunes I also recommend hiking Empire Bluff Trail and driving the 7.5-mile Pierce Stocking Drive on the outskirts of Lake Michigan. And when traveling along Pierce Stocking Drive, my favorite pullovers were stop numbers 9, 10, 11 to capture the best backdrops for what makes the lakeshore special. Also, don't forget trekking up the 3.5-mile roundtrip Dune Climb to access the beach shores of Lake Michigan. Finally, this Pyramid Point Overlook and Trail was my last full activity here at Sleeping Bear Dubes NL. The crisp, clear background scenery was a terrific way to end my explorations in the Lower Peninsula section of Michigan before venturing further north towards the "UP" driving "Shipwreck Coast" and Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore before ultimately ending at Isle Royale National Park. But...I highly suggest hiking the 1/2-mile (each way) Pyramid Point Trail to arrive at this visually appealing overlook!

Empire Bluff Trail is a 1.5 mile roundtrip hike but if you want to be a rebel, you can make this…read moreover a 5 miler by continuing on the well marked trail past the guard rail. The trail can take you all the way to an area called Treat Farmstead which is what we did. The trail starts off in a parking lot and well marked trail map. There's a slight incline up through a wooded area to the bluffs. Off to the right hand side not to far along your journey you will see an old logging saw of some sort that was neat. Once you get through the forest (maybe 0.5-0.75 miles) you end on the sandy bluff over looking Lake Michigan. The views are absolutely stunning. Seeing the shoreline from high above was amazing. After we took it all in, we made our way along the trail to Treat Farmstead. The trail is pretty sandy most of the way as you go up and down the bluff. We actually saw an Eastern Massasauga Rattlesnake along the way (see picture). I had no idea they had poisonous snakes this far north. Apparently they are very rare. You end up back into another wooded area before it opens up again with a different but equally beautiful view of the shoreline. In the forest we found wild apple trees that according to Google you can eat. Don't take my word for it though. I'm no expert so if you go all Chris McCandless from 'Into the Wild' eat one and die don't hold me liable. Definitely worth going the extra distance and checking it all out just be prepared to get a lot of sand in your shoes.

We chose this path because we heard it was the easiest of the trails. I am out of shape, so it was…read morea little challenge but overall very enjoyable. Beautiful trail and the views are worth every ounce of sweat. Dress appropriately and pack lightly. It only took us about 70 minutes. I took a few breaks This national park is a true treasure. Even the gift shop/ visitor center was fantastic

Stopped here on a whim to checkout lighthouses during our mini getaway. This beach did not…read moredisappoint! It was so calm and peaceful. Beautiful water. Hardly any people. The people who did visit didn't stay for long so we had the whole beach to ourselves. We had camping chairs in the car so we just put them in the water and sat right in the water and enjoyed the view. They have a gift shop and the only restrooms I noticed were portajohns. We built some rock towers but put the rocks back when we were done because some of the rocks had snail eggs on them.

Gorgeous park at the tip of the Mitten's pinkie finger. I got there shortly before a spectacular…read moresunset where the sky was all lit up with pinks and oranges and purples. I took a short walk where my friends who had camped there the previous night as well showed my the historic lighthouse and some message in a bottle painted sign that was very reminiscent of Steve "ESPO" Powers. I set up my trusty old dome tent and camped on the same site as my friends and nobody said peep about doubling up like that. I left out around 10:30 or so and didn't hit any trails as I had packed some snacks for late but no breakfast. Not much in the way of restaurants or groceries around here so I hit the road. Can't speak to the trails or day use part of the park but the campground and adjacent beach was beautiful.

Scenery: Gorgeous…read more Climbing Dunes: Holy s**t!!! Ive always been athletic and in shape enough to handle even tough tasks. This was different. I knew once I reached the too of the dune and looked down. People at the bottom were like ants, it was a birds view! As I headed down I was battling myself on how idiotic this was, but it was easy enough going down and kids are doing it. What could go wrong? A lot. Started next to a man probably 10-15 years older than myself, he started chatting me up, pumping me up, I soon realized he was sociopathic. He took to that hill with the simplicity of a fish swimming. I stopped a good 30 times, for some reason didn't bring water and I was drinking earlier. Less than halfway up, I started doubting if I was going to make it. All is well that ends well, I made it to the top of the hill. He was up there asking what happened very snidely, I wanted to throw them back down the hill.

I made it through the entire walkthrough and back! No need to pay that $3,000 SOS fee. Overall,…read morethis climb and walk was definitely a challenge that I was not prepared for. I recommend if you come here you do this barefoot but you might step on a few things like what I did but thankfully it didn't completely slice my foot open. I personally think it was harder going up the mountain starting to course to the beach but it was a little bit more easier on the way back. I just followed the markers. There are 28 of them ( technically 27 but I consider the beach 28) you will be going through tons of inclines and decline through sand! I highly recommend drinking water the entire time. Thankfully it did not rain throughout my walk but I would imagine it would make this a lot more harder to get through. It took me about an hour to get one way and about 50 minutes heading back. If you're just try going to the top of that mountain and if that was a giant challenge I highly recommend not following that trail.

Pretty easy trail to follow. The whole map, if you walk fast can probably finish in 2 hours. There…read moreare no trash can on the trail so don't leave anything behind. There is a trail that reach the cliff and it has great views. If you physically can't climb Bear dunes, it is a good alternative

Really great place to check out for some trail time in nature! I can't wait to come back in summer…read moreor fall, as our visit was in winter- but still beautiful. We only saw one other couple hiking, so it was very serene. We started at the Mt Baldy trailhead parking area and went to the outlook trail. It was a fairly easy half mile with beautiful views and benches. We then went to the dune trail for the dune/bluff overlook. That, especially the part going right up to the dune, was a bit more challenging and steep. Could have been the snow obscuring steps or something though. It was VERY windy right on the lake but so beautiful with the epic views and the sand mixing with the snow. After that we headed back to the parking lot. Total it was about 2.5 miles. Trails are well marked and in the winter it appears appropriate for snow shoes or cross country skiing. There's so much more to check out than that at this preserve, so I'll definitely come back if we come to this area again.

Came to kayak the Crystal River…read more We rented a tandem kayak and a single sit on top kayak. It was roughly 109. They do military discount so it was cheaper to come in store than book online. It was very easy coming in and renting. Minimal paperwork and then you go wait for the van to take you to the start. The van was a 5-8 min ride to the start of the river. You go in the van with the other groups who are going. Heads up there is poison ivy where they park the van. But they tell you where and to avoid it. All the staff were very good at telling us things we needed to do and look for on our trip. But incase you got curious little ones, maybe keep them close til they get on the kayak to avoid any poison ivy. We started at 1040 and ended at 1310. So roughly 2.5 hours it took us. They do let 12 and up rent their own kayak I believe or it's 13 and up. I'm glad we did a tandem kayak for my 12 year old daughter. She would have got her self stuck alot with the trees in the river haha. If your child isn't experienced in kayaking I'd do a tandem so you can help them navigate around the trees. There's a lot of fallen trees in the river. But nothing you can't navigate around. I won't lie I did get stuck twice haha. We brought a cooler and a dry bag and they fit on my kayak. It was very fun. We had great weather it was a little cloudy but we preferred that then get beat down with the sun for 2.5 hours. We would definitely come back again!

Sooo..where to begin. I'm really disappointed that this adventure didn't work out. Off the bat, we…read morewere late getting started and checked in. There were several things that caused this (a huge group in front of us, our kayaks being taken by someone else, more kayaks being shuttled over), but that wasn't the issue. I've kayaked before and have some experience here. The river is not for beginners. I was looking forward to something relaxing, not too technical, but that's not what I got. I had to paddle and maneuver constantly. About 1/2-3/4 of the river is covered in downed trees and logs. The staff say that this makes the river "interactive" and that this is out of their hands. At some points, it felt ridiculous. It got extremely narrow, and when we'd try and navigate around obstacles, the water was so low we'd get stuck on the sandy bottom. A sign at the beginning referenced that the water was at the "middle" level. I can't imagine how it'd be if the water were any lower. We're taking less than a foot in some places. The other person I went with flipped her kayak twice due to debris. Additionally, we saw several people flip and get stranded, especially when using the tandem kayaks. The water is just too low in A LOT of the river. Four people we just happened to bump into just stood up and dragged their kayak since it was easier at certain points. There should also be information about the kayaks utilized. Specs would be helpful. I think beginners wouldn't know what some of the specs mean in some cases, but at least include a weight limit, type, how heavy it is, etc. If you have kids, in my opinion, it's unlikely that they'd be able to move their kayak alone. We also came across locals (at least it seemed like it) who were kayaking and floating the opposite way. This led to more challenges with navigating and more flipping. The portages are also hard to navigate. There are three, which require people to exit, drag their kayak across a path or road, and then reenter. These portages were hard to use, especially while carrying gear and kayaks. One in particular was across a road, which seemed unsafe. There are no staff posted at these sites to assist if needed. The river was gorgeous. The trees, wildlife, views...I loved that part. I wish more information were provided WITH an accurate description given so I could make a proper informed decision about what I was paying for.

The vast array of hiking trails found behind the historic State Hospital grounds is one of my…read morefavorite discoveries since moving to TC a couple of months ago. It is a perfect place to "get lost", but not in the sense that a search party has to come and find you later! The trails are easy to follow and routes/loops are well marked. You can easily spend several hours wandering around in here. When you get tired of hiking up the big hills, there's usually a bench waiting for you. There are bridges over the creeks and nice boardwalks over wet areas in a cedar grove. If you make it up to the top, which isn't hard to do, you have beautiful views of the bay through the trees. Dogs are allowed and so are bikes - the hubs is looking forward to biking the trails when spring arrives. Park anywhere at The Village and head on up any of the trails going in to the woods and you're there. I like to park by Left Foot Charley and go up Yellow Dr., past the Underground Cheesecake Factory... that way, when you come back, you can easily grab a tasty snack, sip of wine, or cup of coffee from Higher Grounds.

One of our hands-down favorite places to hike. There's tons of hike-in camping spots along the…read more11-mile hiking trail, which largely follows the shoreline of the Manistee River with a few inland jaunts on a few of the oxbows. Despite being fairly well known, it's pretty pristine and doesn't feel overly busy but it's also never completely vacant. The river views are lovely, there's plenty of wildlife (great fishing & birdwatching), and there's a cliff swing over the water (huge adrenaline rush for this 43-year-old) on an off-shoot path just past the suspension bridge and a waterfall at mile 3.5 if you're coming from the north. You can return on the main path or on the other side of the river on a section of the North Country Trail.

What a great hiking trail! Parking wasn't bad at Red River Bridge Access…read moreOnce on the trail it is well marked. Campsites were clean and it looks like the hikers who enjoy the trail take good care of it. I didn't see one bit of trash the whole day. It was pretty busy, with folks heading both directions, everyone was very friendly and they all seemed to be enjoying the day! The views are beautiful. Absolutely the best hiking we have done in the lower peninsula. We will absolutely be back!

This island is definitely worth the ferry rides to get there. You can tour the lighthouse and hike…read morethe entire island. The lighthouse attendants are so friendly and knowledgeable. Very beautiful place to see.

Rock Island is, well, rocky. Make sure you have sturdy soled shoes or hiking boots because hiking…read morearound without them will sincerely tire out your feet. Unless you have your own boat access, you will take two boats to get there. The first is from the tip of the Door County peninsula to Washington Island, and the second is from Washington Island to Rock Island. Now, you may take your vehicle to Washington Island, but Rock Island is pedestrian traffic only. That is because there is nothing on it....it's uninhabited forest save for birds and some ground dwelling animals, like squirrels and chipmunks. You may hike around the island (it's large, but not huge, it doesn't take all day), and primitive camp. There are a few buildings you can visit and some you can even go in. Food and beverage is allowed, but you must bring it with you, and take all trash with you when you leave. Make sure to get back to the dock at one of the scheduled departure times, especially if you need to make the ferry back to the mainland. If you miss the last boat on either island, you're stuck until the following day. 6/2025