Sight · Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore
A boardwalk pause to spot the beavers’ work along the shore.
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
North Unity School and Narada Lake: Logs and Beaver Work“North Unity School is ahead beside the Heritage Trail, near Narada Lake. I'd combine a look at this small log schoolhouse with a walk, rather than come just for the building.”
Plays as you drive up to Narada Lake Viewpoint 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
Narada Lake is a small, wooded inland lake beside M-22, about five miles north of Glen Arbor. The Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail crosses its edge on a wooden boardwalk near North Unity School. It’s a short nature stop along a multi-use trail; the nearby stretch is generally flat, with compacted crushed stone through the Port Oneida district before the surface returns to asphalt.
The west shore has fallen trunks, pointed stumps and conical log ends left by beavers. Some trunks still show the tooth marks where beavers stripped the bark. From the boardwalk, frame the reeds and cut trees with the water; a wide shot of open water misses what makes Narada distinctive.
Ducks and loons are worth watching from the trail, and the lake also supports eagles, waterfowl and songbirds, though sightings vary. Access to the lake closes during loon nesting; dates aren’t listed, so check current park notices before planning a stop.
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
EasyBay View Farm Loop2.4 mi · 1.5 hr · 2.1 mi awayA 2.4-mile farm loop to a schoolhouse and Lake Michigan view.
ModerateBay View Ridge Loop4 mi · 2.5 hr · 2.1 mi awayLake views, Port Oneida farm history, and one honest uphill pull.
ModeratePyramid Point Trail2.7 mi · 1.8 hr · 2.3 mi awayA short climb, then a bluff view across the Manitou Islands.
EasyGood Harbor Bay Trail2.8 mi · 1.5 hr · 2.4 mi awayDune grass gives way to quiet woods, wetlands and Lake Michigan access
Sight · 0.1 mi awayNorth Unity SchoolA restored log schoolhouse beside the Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail.
Sight · 0.6 mi awayOle & Magdalena Olsen FarmA 120-acre farmstead with a story beyond the buildings.
Sight · 0.7 mi awayPete & Jennie Burfiend FarmA Port Oneida farmstead with a story dating to the 1860s.
Sight · 0.7 mi awayHenry and Catherine Eckerdt FarmA Port Oneida farmstead with a community midwife's story.
Sight · 0.7 mi awayGeorge & Louise Lawr FarmA farmstead remembered for horse teams and raisin cream cookies.
Sight · 1.2 mi awayGeorg & Flora Schmidt FarmA Port Oneida stop for patterned shingles and a memorable farm story.
Sight · 1.2 mi awayMartin & Allay Basch FarmA farm stop with ornate gables and a sunburst porch detail.
Beach · 1.3 mi awayBass Lake (North) AccessSmall sandy shore access for swimming, fishing, and launching kayaks.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.
