Sight · Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore
A historic roadside bridge at the scenic drive's first stop.
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
Pierce Stocking Covered Bridge: The Porcupine Problem“Up ahead is Pierce Stocking Covered Bridge at Stop One, an easy pull-off if you'd like a closer look without a hike.”
Plays as you drive up to Pierce Stocking Covered Bridge 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
Pierce Stocking Covered Bridge is a timber road bridge and roadside photo stop at Stop 1 of the 7.4-mile Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive. The short pull-off is the point: you can see the bridge without a hike. I'd treat it as an easy opener on the drive, not a reason to detour on its own.
Pierce Stocking built the original bridge in the 1960s as part of his scenic drive. Covered-bridge roofs protected timber from rain and snow, but porcupines chewed the sides of the original. The present bridge replaced it in 1986, giving this familiar-looking photo stop a very local twist.
The bridge crosses the road itself, so keep some pavement in the picture to show how the drive passes through it. The surrounding trees turn yellow in autumn, and the pull-off gives you the view without walking away from the road.
This is the first of 12 stops on a one-way 7.4-mile route. Follow the one-way signs and keep to 20 mph; trailers aren't allowed, and the bridge clearance is 13 feet 6 inches. Vehicle access generally runs from late May to late October; when the drive is closed to cars, it remains open for walking. A park entrance pass is required. Vault toilets are listed at the drive entrance, but not at this bridge pull-off.
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
ModerateShauger Hill Trail2.4 mi · 1.3 hr · 0.6 mi awayA shaded woodland loop for wildflowers, without lake views.
ModerateWindy Moraine Trail1.5 mi · 1 hr · 0.6 mi awayA short hill loop for a Glen Lake glimpse and forest stories.
ModerateCottonwood Trail1.5 mi · 1 hr · 0.9 mi awayA marked dune loop reaches a bench above Glen Lake.
ChallengingDunes Hiking Trail3.5 mi · 3.5 hr · 1.5 mi awayNine sandy hills stand between you and Lake Michigan.
ModerateSleeping Bear Heritage Trail20 mi · 9 hr · 2.2 mi awayA long, varied route through dunes, village streets and farm country.
ModerateAlligator Hill Advanced Loop4.6 mi · 2.8 hr · 2.2 mi awayFollow the steep southern loop to Islands Lookout above Lake Michigan.ModerateAlligator Hill Intermediate Loop4.7 mi · 2.5 hr · 2.2 mi awayA hilly forest loop to Islands Lookout and Manitou views.EasyAlligator Hill Easy Loop3 mi · 1.8 hr · 2.2 mi awayA forest climb opens onto Lake Michigan and the islands.
Sight · 0.5 mi awayGlen Lake OverlookTwo connected lakes and an alligator-shaped hill from one pull-off.
Sight · 1 mi awayDune OverlookA ramped deck frames dunes, Glen Lake, Lake Michigan and Manitou Islands
Sight · 1 mi awayNorth Bar Lake Overlook and Picnic AreaSmall lake, sandy bar, and Lake Michigan in one wide view.
Sight · 1.1 mi awaySleeping Bear Dune OverlookSee the namesake dune a mile away, perched above Lake Michigan.
Sight · 1.2 mi awayLake Michigan OverlookLake Michigan opens up from 450 feet above the shore.
Sight · 1.5 mi awayDune ClimbClimb loose sand for a higher view over Little Glen Lake.
Beach · 1.7 mi awayNorth Bar BeachTwo very different swims sit a short walk apart.
Picnic area · 1.7 mi awayLittle Glen Lake Picnic AreaPicnic by Little Glen Lake, with the Dune Climb across the water.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.
