Beach · Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore
Small sandy shore access for swimming, fishing, and launching kayaks.
Overview
Map
Plan your stop
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Sleeping Bear Dunes Tour Guide
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
Recorded for this place
Bass Lake North Access: A Simple Swim“Bass Lake's north access is coming up, reached by a short sandy two-track off M twenty-two. I'd choose this small beach for a straightforward swim: there's a firm shore and sandy bottom, with parking close to the water.”
Plays as you drive up to Bass Lake (North) Access in the Parkwolf Sleeping Bear Dunes Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
Guide
The firm shore and sandy bottom make this a straightforward swimming stop. You can also fish or launch a kayak from the shore; electric motors are allowed year-round. Most of the lake remains wild, though two small cabins sit at one end, so expect a simple lakeside stop rather than a developed beach complex.
There are no restrooms at this access; nearby School Lake has them. The final approach is a short sandy two-track, not a paved beach road.
Wildlife
27 sightingsPiping PloverMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
70 sightingsBald EagleMost seen around 10 AMSighting map
56 sightingsWhite-tailed DeerMost seen around 6 AMSighting map
68 sightingsSandhill CraneMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
58 sightingsPorcupineMost seen around 8 PMSighting map
31 sightingsLoonMost seen around 5 PMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Sleeping Bear Dunes. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
Keep exploring
EasyGood Harbor Bay Trail2.8 mi · 1.5 hr · 1.5 mi awayDune grass gives way to quiet woods, wetlands and Lake Michigan access
EasyBay View Farm Loop2.4 mi · 1.5 hr · 3.3 mi awayA 2.4-mile farm loop to a schoolhouse and Lake Michigan view.
ModerateBay View Ridge Loop4 mi · 2.5 hr · 3.3 mi awayLake views, Port Oneida farm history, and one honest uphill pull.
ModeratePyramid Point Trail2.7 mi · 1.8 hr · 3.4 mi awayA short climb, then a bluff view across the Manitou Islands.
Sight · 0.5 mi awayShalda CabinA roadside cabin with dovetail joints and a settlement’s story.
Sight · 0.6 mi awaySchool Lake AccessPaddle a shallow channel into neighboring Bass Lake.
Sight · 1.1 mi awayKraitz CabinA 16-by-20-foot cabin that hosted the area's first Catholic masses.
Beach · 1.1 mi awayGood Harbor Beach (Bohemian Road / CR 669)Clear shallows, pebble-rich sand, and a creek just down the shore.
Sight · 1.3 mi awayNarada Lake ViewpointA boardwalk pause to spot the beavers’ work along the shore.
Sight · 1.4 mi awayNorth Unity SchoolA restored log schoolhouse beside the Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail.
Sight · 1.8 mi awayOle & Magdalena Olsen FarmA 120-acre farmstead with a story beyond the buildings.
Sight · 2 mi awayHenry and Catherine Eckerdt FarmA Port Oneida farmstead with a community midwife's story.Parkwolf’s Sleeping Bear Dunes ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
