Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore
Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore is a U.S. national lakeshore in the northwestern Lower Peninsula of Michigan. Located within Benzie and Leelanau counties, the park extends along a 35-mile (56 km) stretch of Lake Michigan's eastern coastline, as well as North and South Manitou islands, preserving a total of 71,199 acres. The park is known for its outstanding natural features, including dune formations, forests, beaches, and ancient glacial phenomena. The lakeshore also contains many cultural features, including the 1871 South Manitou Island Lighthouse, three former stations of the Coast Guard, and an extensive rural historic farm district.
Aerial view of Sleeping Bear Dunes, with North Manitou Island (right) and South Manitou Island (left) in the background
Looking south from Sleeping Bear Bluff toward Empire Bluff
View of the dunes with people for scale, showing the sheer size of the dunes
The dune climb
Benzie County is a county in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 census, the population was 17,970. The county seat is Beulah. The county was initially set off in 1863 and organized in 1869. At 321 square miles (830 km2), Benzie County is the smallest of the 83 counties in Michigan in terms of land area.
Old Benzie County Courthouse in Beulah
Frankfort Light
Point Betsie Light
Frankfort Harbor; the mouth of the Betsie River at Lake Michigan