Parking
Start at the Ranger Station in the South Manitou village, reached by passenger ferry from Fishtown Dock in Leland; reservations are recommended.
Overview
About South Manitou Old Growth Cedars Trail
Why go
- A boardwalk passes among unusually large, centuries-old white cedars.
- The nearby shipwreck adds a striking history stop.
Heads up
- The full outing is a long walk tied to a boat schedule.
- Pets are prohibited throughout the island.
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Sleeping Bear Dunes map
Full mapElevation577–919 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 South Manitou Old Growth Cedars 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 South Manitou Old Growth Cedars Trail
The walk to the groveThis is a long out-and-back from the South Manitou village Ranger Station to the island’s…
This is a long out-and-back from the South Manitou village Ranger Station to the island’s southwestern Old Growth Cedars grove. The island map lists 6.9 miles round trip for the combined cedars-and-shipwreck outing; the wreck is an optional stop, and a cedar-only distance is not published. Allow about 3½ hours on foot, plus time for stops. The distance is the commitment more than a sustained climb.
Follow the south-side routeFrom the Ranger Station, head west on Burdick Road, then turn south on Ohio Road near Florence…
From the Ranger Station, head west on Burdick Road, then turn south on Ohio Road near Florence Lake. Unpaved paths continue west to the cedars. Another described approach passes the Weather Station Campground. The grove trail winds among the trees, so stay on marked paths and keep off the island’s fragile dune plants. The Francisco Morazan turnoff is shortly before the cedar grove.
Walk beneath old white cedarsThe grove holds some of Michigan’s largest white cedars; some are more than twice the average…
The grove holds some of Michigan’s largest white cedars; some are more than twice the average size for the species in the state. The island’s old-growth stand includes trees over 500 years old. One fallen trunk had 528 growth rings. A boardwalk curves between the weathered trunks and roots. For a photo that shows their scale, frame a broad trunk beside the boardwalk.
The wreck is optionalThe 246-foot Francisco Morazan lies partly submerged off the south shore, viewed from a bluff.
The 246-foot Francisco Morazan lies partly submerged off the south shore, viewed from a bluff. It ran aground in 1960 while sailing from Chicago to Rotterdam; the crew survived, while the ship and its cargo were lost. Double-crested cormorants now use the wreck. The spur is a worthwhile history stop if you have time, but it is not needed to reach the cedars.
Plan the boat dayThe walk starts at the Ranger Station in the village, reached by passenger ferry from Fishtown…
The walk starts at the Ranger Station in the village, reached by passenger ferry from Fishtown Dock in Leland. Reservations are recommended. Check the return departure and leave a generous buffer; there is no road back to the mainland. No food stop was found on the route, so bring what you need. Pets are prohibited on the island.
A local explanationOne story says wind-blown sand embedded in the cedar bark dulled lumbermen’s hand saws and…
One story says wind-blown sand embedded in the cedar bark dulled lumbermen’s hand saws and helped spare the grove. Treat that as local lore, not a proven explanation.
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.
