Hi there!
If one of your goals for visiting the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore is to get grand views of sand dunes and to get grand views of Lake Michigan, then be sure to considering making a trip to Sleeping Bear Point to hike the dune loop trail!
There are a few different ways you can hike around Sleeping Bear Point!
No matter which option you choose, you will be hiking across sand dunes! It’s a sand trail no matter how you choose to explore Sleeping Bear Point.
Hiking through sand means it’s more effort and it’ll take more time than a casual walk!
1. Hike straight to Lake Michigan and the Sleeping Bear Point beach.
You will start from the main trailhead and then there will be a split in the trail where you will follow the sign to Lake Michigan.
It will take around 10 minutes (or a little less) to walk through the sand from the parking lot to Lake Michigan.
This will bring you to the Sleeping Bear Point beach.
2. Hike the Sleeping Bear Point Dune Loop Trail.
You can start from the main trailhead, and then at the split in the trail you will follow the sign for the dune loop trail.
You will likely want to give yourself at least an hour to hike the dune loop trail, and it may possibly take you 1.5-2 hours.
The trail is officially listed as 2.8 miles.
You’ll want to add in extra time if you also want to go to Lake Michigan.
3. Start hiking on the Sleeping Bear Point Dune Loop Trail, and then shortly after the first part, hike down the sand dunes to Lake Michigan.
If you don’t want to spend as much time hiking through sand but you still want to see some grand looking sand dunes, and you also want to give yourself time to go to Lake Michigan, then this will be the best option!
Start from the main trailhead, and then follow the sign for the dune loop trail.
Shortly thereafter, you’ll come across the sand dunes that give great views of sand dunes and Lake Michigan.
From here, you can head down the sand dunes to Lake Michigan.
Then loop around (go right once at the shoreline) and take the main beach trail back to the parking lot. Maybe give yourself an hour if you do it this way.
Longer if you want to spend time at Lake Michigan!
4. Hike the full Sleeping Bear Point Dune Loop Trail, and then hike to Lake Michigan.
If you start from the main trailhead, then doing the full loop will have you returning back to the parking lot.
From here, you’ll then take the same trail from the main trailhead to go back to the “junction” to now follow the sign to Lake Michigan.
You can save a few minutes of walking on the same trail at the start of the main trailhead by taking the dune loop trail “backwards.”
When you’re at the parking lot, if you look over towards the bathroom, you will see another trail.
This is where the Sleeping Bear Point dune loop trail “ends.”
You can start the dune loop trail there and then hike down the sand dunes to Lake Michigan when you see the trail junction and sign to Lake Michigan.
And those are the basic options for hiking Sleeping Bear Point!
Follow the stakes on the trail.
No matter which direction you go on the dune loop trail, you can use the stakes to guide your way.
You will see “ghost trees” on the dune loop trail.
The Sleeping Bear Point dune loop trail will also take you past some “ghost trees” or a “ghost forest” where bare dead trees remain standing.
Take care not to step on dune grass!
Walking across the sand dunes, you’ll see dune grass all around you.
This dune grass is said to be fragile and an important part of the coastal ecosystem, so try to watch your step!
Help the piping plover!
Among the reasons this is not a dog-friendly trail is to help the little birds.
Read more about the piping plover.
Cost to visit Sleeping Bear Point
Sleeping Bear Point is officially a part of Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore.
It’s listed at the parking lot that this is a “fee area.”
There doesn’t seem to be anyone actively monitoring the Sleeping Bear Point area but it’s still a good thing to have a Sleeping Bear Dunes park pass or another kind of national park pass when visiting Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore!
You can get a park pass at the Sleeping Bear Dunes visitor center (about a 15 minute drive from Sleeping Bear Point), or there are a number of self-pay stations throughout the park, including at the Maritime Museum that you’ll pass on your way to Sleeping Bear Point.
In 2023, a one week pass was $25. See current fees here, where you can also buy your pass online.
🌳
And now…
A few more PHOTOS from the Sleeping Bear Point dune loop trail!
So for google maps, you can have your destination as Sleeping Bear Point Trailhead and it will get you there. This will take you through historic Glen Haven, the Sleeping Bear Point Maritime Museum, and then onwards to the final road to Sleeping Bear Point! It will be a dead end at the parking lot.
Then you can take the trail to hike the Sleeping Bear Point dune loop trail! Below will start off taking the main trailhead.
Within a few minutes, you’ll arrive at the trail junction. There will be a sign telling you the way to hike directly to Lake Michigan and to hike the dune loop trail.
Take the dune loop trail!
And off you go to hike the loop across sand dunes!
And then after 10-15 minutes of hiking the sand dunes from the trail junction, you’ll come to a spot that can make a good point for hiking down to Lake Michigan if you want to make it a shorter hike.
Grand views of sand dunes. Grand views of Lake Michigan!
If you won’t be hiking down to the Lake Michigan shoreline from here, then you can continue on hiking the loop!
And then the final part of the loop will be through a forest that will lead back to the parking lot.
And then once you’re back at the parking lot, if you haven’t been to the Lake Michigan shoreline yet and want to go, you’ll take the main trailhead again. This time, at the trail junction, you’ll follow the sign to Lake Michigan to get to the Sleeping Bear Point beach!
Finally…
Swimming at Sleeping Bear Point
Swimming in Lake Michigan is a thing. And although Lake Michigan is a lake, in many ways it can act like an ocean. So be sure to take care!
And that’s a bit about seeing the sand dunes around Sleeping Bear Point!
More of the best places to see sand dunes in Sleeping Bear Dunes:
- Lake Michigan Overlook
- Empire Bluff Trail
- The Dune Climb and Dune Trail to Lake Michigan
- Pyramid Point
Also see more of the best of hiking in Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore!
And the best of Sleeping Bear Dunes.
Plus the best of Michigan’s national lakeshores!
HAPPY HIKING THE DUNE LOOP TRAIL AT SLEEPING BEAR POINT!
Here are some ideas for an Upper Peninsula road trip!
The most important places in the UP to know about are Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, Tahquamenon Falls State Park, and the bubbling Big Spring of Kitch-iti-kipi.
Make it a Michigan camping trip to remember by going camping near Lake Superior.
Lighthouses are also a thing, so stop by one of the Lake Superior lighthouses (or many more!), like Whitefish Point and/or Crisp Point. You can also go to the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum to explore why Lake Superior has a reputation for being Shipwreck Coast and the Graveyard of the Great Lakes.
Many people don't make it over to the western part of the Upper Peninsula. But if you want to, you will want to know about Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park and the Keweenaw Peninsula.
Then, on your way back down south, you can make a detour to go to Mackinac Island (ferry required) or Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. (Or, you can do these things on your way up north!)
Read the details: Best places to visit in the Upper Peninsula
There are affiliate links on this page.