Parking
Use the signed Lasso Loop access by Platte River Campground, near the ranger contact station and walk-in-camp loop. Confirm day-use parking access with the park before setting out.
Overview
About Lasso Loop Trail
Why go
- Shifts from open lakeshore sand to forest, marsh and dune ridges.
- Post 7 gives a clear view toward Sleeping Bear Dunes and South Manitou Island.
Heads up
- Loose, exposed sand slows the shore section.
- Steep ridges, road crossings and the easy-to-miss post 12 turn take attention.
Lasso Loop is a long circuit from the Platte River Campground access through Lake Michigan shore dunes, pine and oak woods, old dune ridges and marshy lowlands. The mapped campground-start route is about 7.6 miles and takes around four hours as a planning estimate. It suits you if you want a varied half-day walk and can handle loose sand and several short, steep climbs. Published mileages differ: the National Park Service lists 6.3 miles for Lasso Loop, while campground-start route descriptions range from 7.2 miles and this connected map trace measures 7.6. Treat the full-route distance as approximate.
Parkwolf’s verdictIs the full loop for you?Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Sleeping Bear Dunes map
Full mapElevation587–650 ft
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Best time to go
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 Lasso Loop 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
Platte River Campground: A Wooded Base0:00 / 0:33
“You're approaching Platte River Campground, a wooded base for days on the river and Lake Michigan. If you're camping, sites require reservations from May through October, and the park entrance pass is separate.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Sleeping Bear Dunes Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- The Weather Behind Maple Syrup
- Platte River Picnic Area: Lunch beside the River
- Loon Lake Access: Launch, Fish or Picnic
- Peterson Beach: A Quieter Shore
- 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 Lasso Loop Trail
Follow the markersFrom the campground access, blue triangles lead through pines and out to low dunes along the…
From the campground access, blue triangles lead through pines and out to low dunes along the lake. Soft, exposed sand makes the opening miles slower than the map suggests. Near post 9 the route bends inland and reaches the broad, level Railroad Grade before heading through forest, a clearing and road crossings. Carry the park trail map: markers are not posted at every junction. In the southern part of the loop, take the west turn at post 12 rather than continuing down Lasso Road; that turn is easy to miss.
Sand, ridges and marshThe woods change from open pine and oak to denser forest with ferny understory.
The woods change from open pine and oak to denser forest with ferny understory. White Pine Backcountry Camp sits in a narrow ravine near post 6. Beyond it, the route climbs and drops over older dune ridges, with marshy ponds beside some stretches. Those short hills and tight switchbacks are the hardest part. The route later eases through pine woods and cattail marshes; wild irises sometimes flower there in June.
The lake viewAt post 7, a short spur opens to a broad Lake Michigan view toward Sleeping Bear Dunes and…
At post 7, a short spur opens to a broad Lake Michigan view toward Sleeping Bear Dunes and South Manitou Island. Give yourself a pause there; it is the clearest island view on the circuit. A separate, strenuous beach spur at post 5 adds 1.6 miles round trip and is not included in the loop distance above.
Old rail line, older shorelinesThe wide Railroad Grade is the route of a former narrow-gauge railway.
The wide Railroad Grade is the route of a former narrow-gauge railway. In the 19th century, it connected the logging settlement of Edgewater with Lake Michigan docks, where lumber was loaded for Chicago. The ridges and swales farther along are older still: they mark former Lake Michigan shorelines left behind as glacial ice retreated. From the trail, those old shoreline ridges feel like a series of steep hills.
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.
