Day 5 - Sleeping Bear
Sand Dunes
Directions from Ludington to Sleeping
Bear Dunes National Lakeshore - Empire, MI
Take US-31 North out of Ludington
US-31 North meets with M-22
Follow M-22 North to Empire, MI
Follow signs to Sleeping Bear Dunes
National Lakeshore
Estimated travel time - 2.5 hours
Directions from Empire to Traverse
City
Follow M-22 to the Sleeping Bear
Park Headquarters
Turn East on M-72
Follow M-72 into Traverse City
Estimated travel time - 20 minutes
Schedule of events
|
6:00 a.m.
|
Meet at the van with luggage to
depart for Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore.
This morning's trip will be approximately 2.5 hours. We will stop
at a fast food establishment along the way for breakfast. It would
also be a good idea to take lots of water and some snacks along on today's
excursion. Due to the location of the dunes and the time required
to see them, lunch will be later than usual. Michigan's
climate and the main factors that influence it will be the focus of
discussion during the drive.
|
|
9:00 a.m.
|
Arrive at Sleeping
Bear Dunes. A park pass costs $7 for 1-7 days, and $15 for a
the year. First stop - The Dune Climb. It's a good idea to
climb the dune before the afternoon heat sets in. This climb is strenuous
and not recommended for those with heart conditions, or history of back
problems or knee injuries. Take your time. Once at the top
you get a great view of Glen Lake and the Sleeping Bear landscape.
Perfect photo opportunity. Explore a little once you get to the top.
Don't forget your water bottle. Restrooms and vending machines are
available at the base of the dune.
|
|
11:00 a.m.
|
Back to the van for some water
and air conditioning. While resting, and driving, follow the Pierce
Stocking Scenic Drive along 7.1 miles of amazing views. There are
numerous places to park and get a better look. Take advantage of
the chance to see Sleeping Bear from different points of view.
|
|
12:00 p.m.
|
Back out of the van to walk the
2.8 mile loop around Sleeping Bear Point. Don't forget to have a
snack and keep hydrated. No shelters or water are provided on the
trail. Stay on paths and in designated areas only.
|
|
2:00 p.m.
|
Return to the van and head to
the quaint town of Glen Haven for a late, but well earned lunch.
Glen Haven is located on M-109 just east of the dunes.
|
|
3:00 p.m.
|
Leave the Sleeping
Bear Dunes National Lakeshore and head east to Traverse City.
(Traverse City has many options for lodging with a wide range of prices.
It is a resort town so make reservations early.) Check into the hotel
and take a dip in the pool or in Grand Traverse Bay if you wish.
Relax.
|
|
6:00 p.m.
|
Dinner as a group. Discuss
some of the differences and similarities between Sleeping Bear Dunes and
the dunes seen in Muskegon, Silver Lake,
and Ludington.
|
|
8:00 p.m.
|
Return to hotel. Everyone
is on their own. Get a good night sleep, tomorrow is another big
day.
|
Why visit Sleeping
Bear Dunes National Lakeshore?
According
to Chippewa Indian legend . . .
"Long ago,
in a land that today is Wisconsin, a mother bear and her two cubs were
driven
into Lake
Michigan by a raging forest fire. They swam and swam, but soon the
cubs tired and
lagged far
behind. Mother bear finally reached the opposite shore and climbed
to
the top of
a bluff to watch and wait for her offspring. But the cubs drowned.
Today "Sleeping
Bear," a solitary dune in Michigan, marks the spot where mother bear
waited.
Her hapless cubs are the Manitou Islands."
Aerial photo of Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore
courtesy of the National Park Service.
The Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore
is yet another place in Michigan where we can see
evidence of the amazing power of ice,
wind, and water. This area is extremely dynamic and unlike most
places geologic changes can be seen
within a human lifetime. Landslides have sent tons of sand
plunging into Lake Michigan twice
in the last hundred years, while trees are constantly disappearing
underneath the sand. Ghost
forests are left behind when sands migrate, bury trees, and then
continue moving. These forests
of dead trees are a constant reminder of the movement of these dunes.
Sleeping Bear Dunes - vegetation along Lake Michigan.
The glaciers from the Ice Age left
a sandy coast along the eastern shores of Lake Michigan, and just
like the dunes at Hoffmaster, Silver
Lake and Ludington, the winds from the west built up what we know as
Sleeping Bear Dunes. Two
types of dunes occur at Sleeping Bear, beach or coastal dunes and perched
dunes.
Beach dunes develop in low areas close
to the shore of Lake Michigan and are made of beach sand.
Perched dunes sit on plateaus
high above the shoreline and are made of glacial deposits left in those
areas. The Sleeping Bear Dune
spoken of in the Chippewa legend is a perched dune.
Sleeping Bear Dune Climb - Views from the top of
Glen Lake, the parking lot, and vast amounts of sand.
Vegetation is as important at Sleeping
Bear as it was at the other dunes we visited. Beech grasses and
sand cherry are some of the first
plants to inhabit a newly formed dune. Roots anchor the sand and
the upper
part of the plants act as obstruction
which slows the movement of sand by wind. If vegetation is not
able to hold, a strong wind can cause
a blowout like the one in the picture below.
Unlike Silver Lake, vehicles are not
allowed on the dunes since they are a major factor in the
destruction of dune vegetation
The Dune Climb from the bottom
|
A blowout
|
The Great Lakes
influence temperature and precipitation and therefore the climate of Michigan.
The ability of the Lakes to
absorb and hold heat makes the climate moderate when compared to areas
at
similar latitudes. The moisture
content in the air is high as it soaks up water from the lakes.
Summers are cooler along the shore
than they are inland, and winters are more moderate near the shore.
Lake Michigan heats up very slowly
throughout the spring and summer months and retains that
heat through the fall and winter when
it slowly begins to cool. Average temperatures along the Lake
Michigan coast range from 70 degrees
F in summer to 22 degrees F in winter. Precipitation averages
can be more than 40 inches along the
shore. Michigan is considered to be in a humid continental climate
with warm summers and no particular
dry season. This is classified as Dfb on the Koppen-Geiger system.
All four season are well pronounced.
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