Where to See Piping Plover in Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore

Sighting map

Piping Plover sightings in Sleeping Bear Dunes

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Where Piping Plover has been reported, from 27 sightings. Not a live tracker: animals move, and an empty area doesn’t mean there are none. Locations are adjusted to protect the animals, so the pattern is approximate.

Keep this map with you offline in the Parkwolf app

Timing

When to look

12 AM1% of the busiest hour1 AM1% of the busiest hour2 AM1% of the busiest hour3 AM2% of the busiest hour4 AM8% of the busiest hour5 AM26% of the busiest hour6 AM74% of the busiest hour7 AM95% of the busiest hour8 AM89% of the busiest hour9 AM82% of the busiest hour10 AM72% of the busiest hour11 AM61% of the busiest hourNoon51% of the busiest hour1 PM44% of the busiest hour2 PM51% of the busiest hour3 PM63% of the busiest hour4 PM76% of the busiest hour5 PM91% of the busiest hour6 PMBusiest hour7 PM88% of the busiest hour8 PM63% of the busiest hour9 PM26% of the busiest hour10 PM11% of the busiest hour11 PM4% of the busiest hour

Piping Plover is most seen 7–9 AM and 5–8 PM. Bars compare each hour with the busiest one.

Piping Plover sightings by hour, as a share of the busiest hour
Hour	Share of busiest hour
12 AM	1%
1 AM	1%
2 AM	1%
3 AM	2%
4 AM	8%
5 AM	26%
6 AM	74%
7 AM	95%
8 AM	89%
9 AM	82%
10 AM	72%
11 AM	61%
Noon	51%
1 PM	44%
2 PM	51%
3 PM	63%
4 PM	76%
5 PM	91%
6 PM	100%
7 PM	88%
8 PM	63%
9 PM	26%
10 PM	11%
11 PM	4%

Audio tour

Hear about Piping Plover on the drive.

Parkwolf’s Tour Guide plays stories like this one as you drive Sleeping Bear Dunes, triggered by GPS and read through your car’s speakers.

Sleeping Bear Dunes Tour Guide

A Plover with Extra Legs

0:00 / 0:26

“On a summer beach walk, a piping plover with extra legs is worth a second look. Several chicks may be tucked beneath its wings.”

Plays as you drive near Georg & Flora Schmidt Farm in Parkwolf’s Sleeping Bear Dunes Tour Guide.

4.7 from 8,600+ ratings

Where to look

Sleeping Bear Dunes spots that mention Piping Plover

Compare with the sightings

Places and trails whose Parkwolf guides talk about Piping Plover. A good start, never a guarantee.

Places

BeachPlatte River Point BeachWade the river, then step into Lake Michigan.

BeachEsch BeachA sun-warmed creek meets Lake Michigan at this beach.

BeachGlen Haven BeachA pebbly swim stop beside an old shipping port.

BeachGood Harbor Beach (Bohemian Road / CR 669)Clear shallows, pebble-rich sand, and a creek just down the shore.

BeachGood Harbor Beach (CR 651)A soft-sand beach with big Lake Michigan sunset views.

BeachPeterson BeachA quiet Lake Michigan shore with bluffs on the horizon.

Trails

ChallengingSleeping Bear Point Trail2.8 mi · 2 hrGhost forest, open dunes, and Lake Michigan in one sandy loop.

ModerateNorth Manitou Classic Loop16.3 mi · 6 hrA remote, multi-day circuit through North Manitou Island’s backcountry.

EasySleeping Bear Point Spur Trail0.7 mi · 36 minA quick sandy walk ends at the Lake Michigan beach.

Wolf sightings in Yellowstone on Parkwolf’s Find Wildlife map, brightest around Lamar Valley — Wolf sightings in Yellowstone, in the app

Find Wildlife in Parkwolf

Every sighting map, in your pocket.

16 sighting mapsfor Sleeping Bear Dunes, on the same park map as your route
Works offlineout where the animals are and the signal isn’t
73 audio storiesplay as you drive Sleeping Bear Dunes, wildlife included

4.7 from 8,600+ ratings

Wildlife

More wildlife in Sleeping Bear Dunes

All 16 sighting maps

70 sightingsBald EagleHaliaeetus leucocephalusMost seen 9 AM–3 PMSighting map

56 sightingsWhite-tailed DeerOdocoileus virginianusMost seen 6–8 AM & 6–8 PMSighting map

68 sightingsSandhill CraneAntigone canadensisMost seen 6–8 AM & 6–8 PMSighting map

58 sightingsPorcupineErethizon dorsatumMost seen 6 AM & 7–9 PMSighting map

31 sightingsLoonGavia immerMost seen 8–11 AM & 3–7 PMSighting map

18 sightingsBarred OwlStrix variaMost seen 7–10 PMSighting map

32 sightingsPileated WoodpeckerDryocopus pileatusMost seen 7–10 AMSighting map

53 sightingsTrumpeter SwanCygnus buccinatorMost seen 7–9 AM & 5–8 PMSighting map

Where to see Piping Plover in Sleeping Bear Dunes