Sleeping Bear Dunes in Empire, MI -- seeking advice

...not necessarily have NICE WEATHER.

OK, I know I am being redundant with some of these suggestions, but reading these ideas has gotten me excited about what is probably my favorite place in the whole world. I grew up up there, and take my family back there on vacations and to visit my Mom, who still lives up there.

First of all, I don't think anyone has mentioned a very special "hidden" spot that you simply don't want to miss. Or maybe it is the "Alligator Hill" that someone referred to. Anyway, just on the south side of Empire, take the local street from "downtown" up, up, up to the top of a STEEP hill, and you will find a small parking area. There is a trail that goes into the woods, I forget the name (Dune Lookout?) - I'm sure others can help me out with it. Take the trail, oh, maybe a mile and a half, through some of the most beautiful woods you'll ever walk through. My kids called it the "enchanted forrest" or the "emarald forrest". If you've seen it, you know what I mean.

This trail ends at the lake, and comes out at the top of a dune that is so high up that people hang-glide off it. It is a special place that my kids LOVE, and may very well be the best view of the coastline you can find anywhere up there. Guaranteed that everyone that steps out of the woods to see that view for the forst time says "Wow!"

In the town of Empire, there are 3 recommendations. The beach is fantastic. Kind of simple, but has outdoor basketball courts and a sand volleyball court to play around, or just swim. The local old-fashioned ice cream shop is incredibly quaint and we never go by it without stopping. And as someone mentioned, the local tavern/restaurant (get a slice of apple pie...amazing) is nice.

Pierce Stocking Drive just North of town on the way to the Dune Climb is breathtaking, a great place to picnic, and there is a very steep, high dune to climb that is quite a challenge. Even health warning signs about going all the way down and getting back up. :-) Of course, that means a greater challenge to me and the kids, and I had the family record of climbing up in 8:19 before my son broke it last year. Dang. ;-)

Walking all the way to the Lake from the Dune Climb is TOUGH, especially on a hot day, which it probably will be in August (though probably not as hot as Florida in the winter! :-) ). The novelty wears off usually for kids about halfway there and halfway back, as the see little more than sand and dunes and sand and dunes and sand and dunes...

Someone mentioned The Cherry Republic. Great treats there, but to give you an idea of how low key and quaint of a place it is, they actually have a cherry pit spitting contest every afternoon. It's hilarious, and another quirky thing that our kids fondly remember.

Finally, I've lived in Michigan my whole life and run/raced here for almost 30 years, and THE best race of all time is the Crystal Lake Team Marathon (2nd Saturday in August) in Beulah, about a half hour from Empire. Amazing. They get around 100 5-person teams that run it every year, and it ranges from the extremely competitive college teams and Hanson's teams (Dathan Ritzenhein brought a team of all-stars once - his hometown runniong club runs it annually - and it was the site of his first infamous injury.), to high school teams doing it as part of their running camps for th eupcoming season, to the just-for-fun crowd. It circles an incredibly beautiful Crystal Lake, and is as good as it gets.

Thanks for all this -- even if I get some repetition, it just solidifies my decision to go up there. Thanks for taking the time to type it all out.

The trail you are thinking of is called the Empire Bluffs Trail. I just hiked it on Tuesday. Flagpole will love northern Michigan, no doubt about it.

Flagpole wrote:

Looking to go there for a summer trip this summer.

Flagman, when you're ready to spread your wings and try on the Upper Peninsula, drop me a line. You'll get to see plenty and still not see it all. Just getting UP there, crossing the Mackinaw Bridge, is worth extra time on the road.

scotth wrote:

Flagpole wrote:

Looking to go there for a summer trip this summer.

Flagman, when you're ready to spread your wings and try on the Upper Peninsula, drop me a line. You'll get to see plenty and still not see it all. Just getting UP there, crossing the Mackinaw Bridge, is worth extra time on the road.

Ok, but I don't think I'm heading up there anytime soon. Man it is COLD up there.

Flagpole, finally a post I can give YOU advice. I grew up in Michigan, stayed on Little Glen Lake which looks across the lake at the dunes, for many, many summers, also when I was older I took my kiddies back there many times.

Firstoff, Lake Michigan is fantastic there. Do the beaches during the days it is warmest. Sleeping bear point, 1/2 mile walk west on the beach from Glen Haven, has 125 foot dune hills you can slide down, pristine beach you can walk on around the point for miles and miles of national park shoreline totally devoid of structures or people. Breathtaking.

North Bar Lake Beach: Just outside of Empire just south of the national park is the greatest little spring fed lake about 900 feet across 100 feet deep with a little 100 foot sandy channel about 1 foot deep connecting to the big lake beach. Take your pick, the sand is between the little lake and the big lake. Kids love the little lake and channel. Within national park territory, too.

Go on the Dune Drive. Bring your camera and hiking sandals, water and snacks. Views from 400 feet up of Glen Lakes, Manitou Islands, and Lake Michigan. While on the drive, mark your odometer and map the 7 mile Dune Drive for restrooms, water, etc. then run the course later. Makes an outstanding 17 mile run from Empire, to North Bar Lake, through woods to entrance, up 400 foot hill into Dune Scenic Drive, Lake Michigan overlook is 450 feet straight down dunes. Check out my map of this course on

www.favoriterun.com

under "Empire, Michigan".

Take the kids to the main dune climb which is across the road from Little Glen Lake on M109. Have them bring waxed boards or slick cardboard. Off to the side of the main hill there is dune grass and it is steeper, you can really fly down the hill, very steep 225-250 feet, like skiing.

Also, take the kids into Empire for icecream and take them to the playground on Lake Michigan beach there. I stayed at a house in Empire and used that as my operations base for my long runs.

Take your bike out and tour around Little Glen and Big Glen. Big Glen takes a while as the diameter is 3.3 miles. Little Glen an hour bike tour.

Just across the road from the North Shore of Little Glen Lake, take your bike up Alligator Hill starting in the parking lot on the west side of the hill. Kind of sandy but really isolated. See the lookouts on the trail 450 feet above lake michigan and 400 feet above big Glen Lake. Also, maybe you want to run this one, it is cool and wooded and wonderful nature. Do a few 2.5 mile loops up and down the 400 foot hills.

Drive a few miles past Glen Arbor to Pyramid Point, drive up and park and walk in about 1/2 mile to another Dunes area with a 350 foot lookout over Lake Michigan. Maybe see some motorized hanggliders floating around.

Drive around Big Glen to the Crystal River Canoe Livery and do the 2 hour lazy canoe on a very quiet river, very clear and clean.

Drive 20 minutes up to Leland and do the tourist shops in the harbor and eat at the restaurant right next to the docks. Sit outside and watch the boats and sunset. Rent a kayak in Leland and go about 2 miles out on open water and just relax.

Drive 45 minutes into Traverse City. Eat downtown and go through the art shops. If it's beginning of July do the Cherry festival there.

On the narrows bridge between Little Glen and big glen, you can rent motorboats, sailboats, or kayaks. Eat in Glen Arbor at the end of the road by the beach at the Landing. Eat around the east side of the lake at a 4 star french restuarant.

If you have older teens, pack water and sandals and snacks and park at the Little Glen Dune Climb, walk due west 1.5 miles it seems like an eternity of desert dunes, one hill after another of desolate dune grass nature, until you reach lake michigan. You feel like Robinson Caruso.

Make another Day Trip to Leland and look up the Ferry Schedule. Take the early morning Ferry from Leland about 1 hour ride out to South Manitou Island, bring all food and water, and swimsuit and supplies because there are no restaruants. Hike the beach shore of this empty desolate dune covered island.

Dude, I wish I were you. Many happy memories with my kids renting homes on the lake for 1-2 weeks every year.

Now this year we are thinking about Maui. Next year we visit my SO's homeland of Thailand for 2 weeks and maybe even a week on Ko Samui or Phuket as well. Haha maybe stop by and visit that famous Letsrun Poster in Bangkok if he is not too busy doing just that.

Sorry man I couldn't find the link. Here are the old instructions I had on the website, "RunThePlanet.Com";

OK, I finally found the link for the Pierce Stocking 19 miler starting in Empire:

http://www.favoriterun.com/85078