Parking
From County Road 669, take Lake Michigan Road to the Good Harbor Bay access. Use the gravel lot at the trailhead; the nearby picnic area and beach share the access.
Overview
About Good Harbor Bay Trail
Why go
- Almost level, with a clear change from dune grass to woodland.
- Brief access to a Lake Michigan beach near the start.
Heads up
- Wetland stretches can be muddy or flood after heavy rain.
- Mosquitoes can linger around swampy ground in warm weather.
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Sleeping Bear Dunes map
Full mapElevation590–603 ft
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Safety
2 active Sleeping Bear Dunes alerts
- ClosureManitou Islands closed during dock constructionNorth and South Manitou Islands have major access and facility closures during dock construction; the passenger ferry will not operate in 2026.Official details
- CautionHunters may be present during fall seasonsHunters may be present in Sleeping Bear Dunes while fall hunting seasons overlap with visitor use. - Several Michigan hunting seasons overlap and begin in mid-September.Official details
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Sleeping Bear Dunes Tour Guide
Your drive to Good Harbor Bay 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.
See the Sleeping Bear Dunes audio tourRecorded for this trailhead
Good Harbor Bay Trail: Beach First, Woods Beyond0:00 / 0:25
“You're approaching the Good Harbor Bay trailhead, for an easy loop from dune grass into woods and wetlands. Allow an hour to an hour and a half for the two-point-eight-mile circuit over almost-level ground.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Sleeping Bear Dunes Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Good Harbor Beach at Bohemian Road: Stones in the Shallows
- School Lake Access: A Two-Lake Paddle
- Bass Lake North Access: A Simple Swim
- How the Lake Makes Snow
- 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 Good Harbor Bay Trail
A flat loop through dunes and wetlandsGood Harbor Bay Trail is an easy 2.
Good Harbor Bay Trail is an easy 2.8-mile loop from the lakeshore trailhead through low dunes, wet ground and mostly woods. It is almost level, with just a few small grades; allow about 1 to 1½ hours for the loop and extra time for the beach. The short beach access is near the beginning, then the trail turns inland for most of the walk.
Sand first, then shadeThe route starts on sandy ground through tall dune grass.
The route starts on sandy ground through tall dune grass. A brief low-dune stretch opens toward Lake Michigan before the trail heads into woodland. In the wetland section, a small bridge and narrow boardwalk help with the soggier ground. Expect an easy walk with a change of plant communities, rather than a long shoreline panorama.
Watch the wetland after rainLow swampy sections can be muddy or waterlogged, and repeated reports describe flooding that…
Low swampy sections can be muddy or waterlogged, and repeated reports describe flooding that has interrupted the loop. That does not establish the trail’s current condition; check with the park after heavy rain before setting out. Mosquitoes can be persistent around the wet ground in warm, humid weather, so pack repellent.
A short beach breakA short sandy access near the start reaches Lake Michigan.
A short sandy access near the start reaches Lake Michigan. The nearby picnic shoreline looks toward Pyramid Point and North Manitou Island; those broader views are from the beach and picnic area, while most of the loop stays in the woods. The picnic table and beach are at the shared access, and there is no food service on the route.
From old dunes to forestThe narrow strip between Lake Michigan and Little Traverse Lake was underwater at the end of…
The narrow strip between Lake Michigan and Little Traverse Lake was underwater at the end of the Ice Age and emerged gradually afterward. Along the walk, active dunes give way to shrubs, pine-oak forest and the beginnings of beech-maple woods. Plant growth built topsoil over the older dunes, so some of today’s forested ground was once shoreline.
Pets and winter usePets are allowed from April 1 through November 30 and prohibited from December 1 through March…
Pets are allowed from April 1 through November 30 and prohibited from December 1 through March 31. The trail is also used for winter skiing, so check the seasonal rule before bringing a dog.
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.
