Houdek Dunes Natural Area: The Leelanau Conservancy — Attraction in Leland Township

We hiked this trail to the observation deck and back. It was a wonderful little hike that took about an hour which included stopping to take pictures and enjoy the views. The nice thing about this trail is the different types of vegetation. You start out in the forest, you go through sand dunes, beatiful fern covered meadows, and lovely pine trees. At the end, you come to the look out deck. Make sure to actually walk past this deck to the little bench that is situated facing the creek. You get a much better view for enjoyment and photos. The problem with the deck is that they had to run wiring across the entire creek. It is a bit hard to see it. So make sure to just walk a few extra feet to the bench. This was an enjoyable and easy trail representing many different...

My husband and I brought our active 3-year old lab mix here in the hopes that a long hike would tire him out, and Houdek Dunes delivered. The scenery is gorgeous because you get both sandy dunes as well as forest. No lake views, but the trails more than make up for that with a number of scenic spots. We purposely took the longest route possible, but there are a number of different options you can choose from to get the right hike length you prefer. Be sure to hit...

This is a really special trail if you love hiking for the hike, not necessarily the view. I did get a good laugh out of some strange places for the benches, and even took pictures because it was funny. The stream has a quiet little spot to sit a bit and the observation deck is not spectacular but okay. The trail is a easy to moderate depending on your level of fitness, with some sand and some changes in elevation. Overall satisfied...