Dunes Scenic Overlook — Local services in Glen Arbor Township

Gorgeous. We’re So lucky to have these in Michigan my favorite thing is to take someone from out of state and not explain the dunes to them at all before we get there because the dunes literally look like something out of a fantasy novel or a painting. Come for the sites and stay for the inevitable joy of watching some exhausted dad carry his kids and his shoulders because they walked way way way too far to the water and his kids want him to carry back some dumb rocks that way like 10,000 pounds. Every time I visit the dunes I tell myself all right, this time we’re not gonna run down the dunes all the way to the bottom and give ourselves a heart attack, and I...

There's a sturdy observation platform here. From the overlook you can see several dunes bordered by Lake Michigan on one side and Glen Lake on the other. Off to the north you can also see North and South Manitou Islands in the distance. Glen Lake is also perfectly visible to the east.

It appears people have created their own trails here, but the Dune Climb isn't so far away that there's no reason to go play on the sandy dune in the foreground. If it's the hiking you're after, Cottonwood Trail is right next door, and is marked with sign posts (also, apps like AllTrails come in handy in places like this where there's a bunch of trails going off in different...

Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive is certainly a must-do activity when visiting Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. The 7.4 mile drive loops through the Beech-Maple forest and sand dunes and provides insight to the history of the area, a sampling of the vegetative communities found within the park and, best of all, spectacular overlooks of the Glen Lakes, the Sleeping Bear Dunes, and Lake Michigan. You can take a dune hike along the Cottonwood Trail or stop for a picnic at one of the picnic areas...