Parking
There is no road access or car parking on North Manitou. Reach the island by boat and continue on foot on the island trail network; this spur starts at an inland footpath junction, and its 1.8-mile round trip excludes the island approach.
Overview
About North Manitou Potholes Trail
Why go
- A short detour toward a named, unusual island landform.
Heads up
- The spur and its last approach are not confirmed as signed or maintained.
North Manitou Potholes Trail is a short out-and-back footpath in the island’s northwest woods. The mapped segment is about 0.9 mile each way, or 1.8 miles round trip from its inland junction; the walk across the island to reach that junction is separate. It heads toward The Pot Holes, marked on the island map. I’d add it only if you’re already exploring the north end: the approach is the bigger commitment, and the feature can be hard to locate.
Parkwolf’s verdictIs it worth the detour?Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Sleeping Bear Dunes map
Full mapElevation866–964 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 North Manitou Potholes 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.
- 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 North Manitou Potholes Trail
Finding the Pot HolesThis isn’t a signed loop.
This isn’t a signed loop. The island map marks The Pot Holes but not this spur, and the mapped line is flagged as unverified. Its southern end joins other footpaths, but no reliable source confirms the last approach to the feature. Bring the island map, check the route with the park, and turn back if the tread fades rather than making your own extension. Allow about an hour or more for the spur itself.
Island logisticsNorth Manitou has no road access or car parking; reach the island by boat, then walk the island…
North Manitou has no road access or car parking; reach the island by boat, then walk the island trail network to the Potholes junction. The 1.8-mile figure excludes that approach. There are no food services, stores, or medical centers on the island. Potable water is available only at the ranger station; treat other water. Pets and wheeled vehicles aren’t allowed.
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.
