Parking
Public island access is by passenger ferry from Fishtown Dock in Leland, Michigan. Start at the Ranger Station beside the island dock; the park entrance pass is required.
Overview
About South Manitou West Side Dunes Trail
Why go
- A difficult climb reaches one of the island’s highest points, with broad Lake Michigan views.
Heads up
- A long, hard half-day on a remote island with no food or medical services.
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Sleeping Bear Dunes map
Full mapElevation577–971 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 West Side Dunes 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 West Side Dunes Trail
The half-day hikeSouth Manitou West Side Dunes Trail is a 7.
South Manitou West Side Dunes Trail is a 7.4-mile out-and-back from the Ranger Station beside the island dock to the west-side perched dunes. Set aside about 4–5 hours. Pick this one when the dune climb is the point of your island visit: it is a difficult walk, but the high bluff gives you Lake Michigan in every direction.
The way outUse the island hiking map to follow the footpaths and old roads west from the village.
Use the island hiking map to follow the footpaths and old roads west from the village. The map’s full distance includes the return to the Ranger Station. The route reaches the dune path on the island’s west side, then comes back along the same corridor. Some secondary paths may not be marked, so keep the map handy at forks and leave time to get back to the dock.
The view from the dunesFrom one of the island’s highest points, the lake opens all around you.
From one of the island’s highest points, the lake opens all around you. On a clear day you can pick out Crescent Bay, the lighthouse, North Manitou Island, and the Sleeping Bear dunes on the mainland. This is a bigger payoff than a short village walk, but the climb is the hard part: the dune trail is difficult, and poison ivy can grow into the path.
Why the dunes sit so highSouth Manitou rests on tilted limestone layers buried under glacial sand and gravel.
South Manitou rests on tilted limestone layers buried under glacial sand and gravel. The perched dunes sit on top of the bluffs, making this a striking mix of lake, bluff, and loose sand. The dune plants are fragile; stay on existing paths instead of stepping across the vegetation.
Start at the village dockThe Ranger Station is the two-story building just beyond the dock, originally built for…
The Ranger Station is the two-story building just beyond the dock, originally built for Life-Saving Service keepers and surfmen. Public island access is by passenger ferry from Leland, and a park entrance pass is required. There is no food service, store, or medical center on the island; emergency responders come from the mainland and can take hours to days. Pets are prohibited on the island.
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.
