Parking
Dune Climb Parking Lot, 6748 S Dune Hwy (M-109), about five miles north of Empire. The picnic area, restrooms, drinking fountains and Visitor Center bookstore are at the base.
Overview
About Dunes Hiking Trail
Why go
- Lake Michigan shoreline after a varied crossing of open dunes.
- Blue-topped markers guide a route with repeated lake views.
Heads up
- Loose sand and repeated climbs make 3.5 miles strenuous.
- The route is fully exposed and can be disorienting.
The Dunes Hiking Trail is a 3.5-mile out-and-back from the Dune Climb to Lake Michigan and back, crossing a rolling line of nine dune hills. Allow three to four hours. It’s for hikers who want to earn a quiet stretch of shoreline; if that sounds like too much, the Dune Climb itself is a good shorter outing. The first big dune is only the beginning, and the route’s repeated climbs make the mileage feel longer than it looks.
Parkwolf’s verdictIs the full hike for you?Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Sleeping Bear Dunes map
Full mapElevation571–833 ft
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Safety
1 active Sleeping Bear Dunes alert
- ClosureManitou Islands access closures during 2026 constructionNorth and South Manitou Islands have limited visitor access throughout the 2026 season: all facilities, docks, and utilities on both islands remain closed during major construction.Official details
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Sleeping Bear Dunes Tour Guide
Your drive to Dunes Hiking Trail, narrated.
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 trailhead
Dune Climb: Choose Your Turnaround0:00 / 0:30
“You're coming up on the Dune Climb, where you can get onto the open sand without committing to a long hike.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Sleeping Bear Dunes Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Little Glen Lake Picnic Area: A Lakeside Break
- Dune Overlook: The View Without the Sand Walk
- Glen Lake Overlook: Two Lakes, Two Blues
- When the Lake Sloshes
- 73 audio storiesacross Sleeping Bear Dunes’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor Piping Plover, Bald Eagle, White-tailed Deer, and 13 more
- Works offlinemaps, 34 trails, 89 places, and audio download before you lose signal
- CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
“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!!!!”
Trail guide
Hiking Dunes Hiking Trail
Follow the blue postsThe route starts by climbing the large dune beside the parking area.
The route starts by climbing the large dune beside the parking area. Lake Michigan isn’t visible from that first crest. You get an early view of Glen Lake, then the first Lake Michigan view comes about half a mile into the hike, with more than a mile of dune walking still between you and the shore. Agree on a turnaround plan before the group spreads out. Across the open sand, the next rise can look a lot like the last one, so stay with the blue-topped trail markers and carry a map.
What the walking feels likeThis is soft sand nearly the whole way, up and down steep slopes, with little shade and no easy…
This is soft sand nearly the whole way, up and down steep slopes, with little shade and no easy shortcut once you’ve left the trailhead. Nine hills break the walk into repeated climbs and descents; the lake is a welcome rest stop, but you have to cross those dunes again to get back. On clear warm days the sand can become uncomfortably hot, and there’s nowhere along the route to get out of the sun. NPS notes that some slopes can collapse, especially in winter and early spring. Stay on the marked route: the dunes are fragile, and walking the narrow crests or cutting across open sand damages vegetation and can lead to disorienting detours.
The shore is the payoffThe trail ends at the Lake Michigan beach, then returns over the same route.
The trail ends at the Lake Michigan beach, then returns over the same route. Along the way, open crests look back across Glen Lake and out to Lake Michigan. Don’t expect the sheer drop of the park’s famous overlook; this walk reaches the shoreline at the foot of the dunes. For a photo that shows the work of the hike, frame the sandy trail curling over a rise with the lake on the horizon.
Why the dunes hold their shapeThese are perched dunes: windblown sand sitting over older glacial sand and gravel.
These are perched dunes: windblown sand sitting over older glacial sand and gravel. Wind keeps reshaping the upper layer and can leave coarse stones behind. Beachgrass, sand cherry and cottonwood are among the first plants to take hold, helping stabilize the sand. That sparse cover is part of the landscape, and a good reason to keep to the marked line.
Start at Dune ClimbUse the Dune Climb Parking Lot at 6748 S Dune Hwy (M-109), about five miles north of Empire.
Use the Dune Climb Parking Lot at 6748 S Dune Hwy (M-109), about five miles north of Empire. The picnic area, restrooms, drinking fountains and Visitor Center bookstore are at the base; there’s no water stop noted farther along the dunes, so fill up before setting out. A park pass is required for trail use, and pets are prohibited at Dune Climb year-round. Lake Michigan is open water, so check local safety guidance before swimming; rip currents are a real hazard here.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Sleeping Bear Dunes
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.
