Cottonwood Trail

The trailhead sits at Stop #4 on the seasonal scenic drive. Check the road status before you go; it is not open to vehicles all year. A park pass is required for trail use. The paved lot is small and can fill on busy days. There is no water or restroom at this stop; nearby Picnic Mountain has both as a separate stop. Leashed pets are allowed on Cottonwood, but they are not allowed on the surrounding dunes trails.

Wooden posts with green tops mark the loop. Keep to the marked route: dune plants grow in fragile sand, and trampling them can leave damage that takes years to heal.

Most of the walk crosses open, hilly sand. Cottonwoods shade a few stretches, but shade comes and goes rather than covering the loop. Bring water and sun protection, especially on a warm, bright day. Poison ivy grows along the trail.

The bench at post #7 is the main pause. From there, look across the dunes toward Glen Lake and the Dune Climb. The white D. H. Day barn is another landmark, and on some stretches Lake Michigan and the Manitou Islands appear beyond the dunes. The bench makes a useful place to frame the foreground dune grass with Glen Lake behind it.

At post #2, the bowl-shaped blowout shows how prevailing southwesterly winds can strip sand from a dune while grasses hold the lee side in place. A little farther on, the path crosses a buried piece of an abandoned loop of the old scenic drive. Gravel can still show through where windblown sand has not covered it.

Post #4 explains a dune-restoration study begun in 1984. The experiments used beachgrass, fertilizer, and snow fencing to catch moving sand. Staying on the marked tread is part of protecting that work and the plants that hold the dunes together.

Beachgrass and sand reed help bind new dunes; cottonwoods on an active dune may be buried by sand or have their roots exposed. Their surface runners can sprout new trees. The dunes receive rain, yet strong sun and wind, quick drainage, and little moisture-holding soil make them drier than the nearby forest.

Look for seasonal changes as you go. Pink beach pea blooms in July and August, wormwood flowers into fall, and bearberry has spring flowers followed by red berries later in the year. In the more sheltered parts of the loop, look for paper birch, juniper, buffaloberry, and sand cherry.