Sight · Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore
A gentle paddle with an optional three-tube culvert passage.
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
Crystal River Access: Check the Depth Before Paddling“Up ahead is Crystal River Access, a public launch for a relaxed canoe or kayak outing. The river winds through wooded bends, with clear water over a sandy bottom and a gentle current that suits newer paddlers.”
Plays as you drive up to Crystal River 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
Crystal River Access is a public small-boat launch on the river that winds from Glen Lake through Sleeping Bear Dunes to Lake Michigan just north of Glen Arbor. Clear water over a sandy bottom, a gentle current and meandering bends make this a good choice for a relaxed canoe or kayak outing, especially for newer paddlers. Canoe and kayak rentals are available in Glen Arbor.
The river is rarely more than a foot deep, and levels change. Low water can make canoeing difficult. A wayside sign at this launch shows the water level and gives paddling instructions, so check it before you set out.
A bridge on the river has a large culvert with three tubes. For the passage, aim for the middle tube, keep your PFD fastened, pull in your paddle and crouch low. You can portage around the culvert if you would rather not go through it.
Watch the wooded wetland edges for bank wildflowers and Great Blue Herons; muskrats and beavers also live along the river. A completed crossing replacement reopened 2.1 miles of stream habitat. The restored stretch supports state-listed freshwater mussels and fish including northern pike, white sucker, bass and yellow perch.
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
ModerateBay View Ridge Loop4 mi · 2.5 hr · 2.3 mi awayLake views, Port Oneida farm history, and one honest uphill pull.
EasyBay View Farm Loop2.4 mi · 1.5 hr · 2.4 mi awayA 2.4-mile farm loop to a schoolhouse and Lake Michigan view.
ModerateAlligator Hill Intermediate Loop4.7 mi · 2.5 hr · 3.3 mi awayA hilly forest loop to Islands Lookout and Manitou views.EasyAlligator Hill Easy Loop3 mi · 1.8 hr · 3.3 mi awayA forest climb opens onto Lake Michigan and the islands.ModerateAlligator Hill Advanced Loop4.6 mi · 2.8 hr · 3.3 mi awayFollow the steep southern loop to Islands Lookout above Lake Michigan.
ChallengingSleeping Bear Point Trail2.8 mi · 2 hr · 4.2 mi awayGhost forest, open dunes, and Lake Michigan in one sandy loop.
EasySleeping Bear Point Spur Trail0.7 mi · 36 min · 4.2 mi awayA quick sandy walk ends at the Lake Michigan beach.
ChallengingDunes Hiking Trail3.5 mi · 3.5 hr · 4.4 mi awayNine sandy hills stand between you and Lake Michigan.
Restaurant · 1.6 mi awayArt’s TavernHouse-ground burgers and tater tots under a ceiling of pennants.
Sight · 1.7 mi awayCherry Republic — Glen ArborSample cherries, shop 200+ products, then wander the garden paths.
Sight · 2.1 mi awayThoreson FarmAn old orchard grid marks Port Oneida's first market cherry farm.
Sight · 2.5 mi awayJoseph & Margaret Brunson BarnOne surviving barn holds the story of a Port Oneida farm.
Visitor center · 2.6 mi awayPort Oneida Farms Heritage CenterA 1918 farmhouse with Port Oneida's first indoor plumbing.
Sight · 2.6 mi awayDechow FarmPort Oneida farm history, told through a whole cluster of buildings.
Sight · 2.8 mi awayFrederick and Margretha Werner BarnA family farm moved south after a boundary dispute.
Sight · 2.8 mi awayWilliam & Charlotte Kelderhouse FarmA farmhouse that held Port Oneida's store, post office and phone exchange.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.
