Campground · Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore
Four tent-only group sites near the Dune Climb.
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.
See the Sleeping Bear Dunes audio tourRecorded for this area
Little Glen Lake Picnic Area: A Lakeside Break“Little Glen Lake Picnic Area is ahead, a grassy lakeside stop near the Dune Climb. I'd choose it for a picnic or a quick wade rather than a whole beach day: the water's edge has rocky sand instead of a broad sandy shore.”
Plays on the road 0.6 mi from D. H. Day Group Campground 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
D. H. Day Group Campground is a tent-only campground with four group sites in an open field about a mile north of the Dune Climb. Each site accommodates 7 to 25 people, so this is for an organized group rather than a small party looking for a regular individual campsite. Every site has a designated tent area and its own parking pad.
The group sites are about 1.5 miles from the main D. H. Day Campground. Check in there first, then follow West Harwood Road from M-109 to its end and continue on the dirt access road. RVs, trailers and pets aren't allowed in the group area. Each site has a picnic table and fire ring; vault toilets and drinking water serve the campground. Water is seasonal, and posted information conflicts on winter operations, so confirm dates and water availability before booking. Camping fees are separate from the park entrance pass.
Store food, coolers, trash, toiletries and other scented items in a sealed hard-sided vehicle day and night; this is an active bear area.
The Dune Climb is about a mile south. Its dunes rise above 200 feet, and a walk of more than 1.5 miles across the sand reaches Lake Michigan, with a view of Glen Lake along the way. Glen Haven beach is about a mile away, and the historic village is about 1.5 miles away. Back at camp, expect a grassy clearing with sparse vegetation rather than a wooded campsite. Birds, deer and wild turkeys may be seen; bears are rarely sighted here, but the food-storage rules still apply.
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
ChallengingDunes Hiking Trail3.5 mi · 3.5 hr · 0.6 mi awayNine sandy hills stand between you and Lake Michigan.
ModerateAlligator Hill Advanced Loop4.6 mi · 2.8 hr · 1 mi awayFollow the steep southern loop to Islands Lookout above Lake Michigan.EasyAlligator Hill Easy Loop3 mi · 1.8 hr · 1 mi awayA forest climb opens onto Lake Michigan and the islands.ModerateAlligator Hill Intermediate Loop4.7 mi · 2.5 hr · 1 mi awayA hilly forest loop to Islands Lookout and Manitou views.
ChallengingSleeping Bear Point Trail2.8 mi · 2 hr · 1.3 mi awayGhost forest, open dunes, and Lake Michigan in one sandy loop.
EasySleeping Bear Point Spur Trail0.7 mi · 36 min · 1.3 mi awayA quick sandy walk ends at the Lake Michigan beach.
ModerateCottonwood Trail1.5 mi · 1 hr · 1.3 mi awayA marked dune loop reaches a bench above Glen Lake.
ModerateWindy Moraine Trail1.5 mi · 1 hr · 2.6 mi awayA short hill loop for a Glen Lake glimpse and forest stories.
Picnic area · 0.6 mi awayLittle Glen Lake Picnic AreaPicnic by Little Glen Lake, with the Dune Climb across the water.
Sight · 0.7 mi awayDune ClimbClimb loose sand for a higher view over Little Glen Lake.
Beach · 1 mi awaySunset Shores BeachStony Lake Michigan shore, with one boulder worth framing.
Sight · 1.1 mi awayGlen Haven Blacksmith ShopCatch a live forge demonstration in a shop from the 1860s.
Sight · 1.1 mi awayAlligator Hill Charcoal KilnsSawmill scraps once became charcoal here for Michigan campers.
Store · 1.1 mi awayGlen Haven General StoreA small shop with a surprisingly big role in company-town life.
Lodging · 1.1 mi awaySleeping Bear InnSleep in Glen Haven's historic inn, with the beach across the road.
Campground · 1.1 mi awayD.H. Day CampgroundWooded campsites put the beach walk and Heritage Trail close.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.
