“Get away” to the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore
From staff reports
Most of the time, we want to avoid the “winter blues” the way we do other banes of the season, like the flu and the common cold. At Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, however, visitors relish a case of the winter blues. Catching the blues at this park in northern lower Michigan means gazing from the Empire Bluffs at a body of water (Lake Michigan) that resembles a length of tissue paper waiting to be tucked into an Easter basket. Pastel blue grades into cornflower, and a layer of violet underlies the chill yet delicate surface.
Seen at a closer range, Lake Michigan darkens. A crenellated white shoreline (snow and ice at which the lake-waters have carved away) complements and heightens the deep blue. Think willowware china. Sapphires and pearls. Jay feathers. Midnight satin. Lapis lazuli.
On landscape lovers as well as color-philes, Sleeping Bear Dunes exerts its pull. The lakeshore offers snowy expanses, streams that stitch silver threads through the white, and tree lines that blur at a distance, so that the trunks and branches might be strokes of charcoal lightly smudged by an artist’s hand. There’s plenty for the eyes at Sleeping Bear Dunes, but there’s also activity and adventure for those who want to explore, not merely ogle, the stunning terrain. Skiing and snowshoeing are options, as are ice fishing and hiking among the frozen caves and crests of the winter beach.
When the weather warms, the lakeshore retains its beauty. Lush fields, green woods, and historic barns and farmsteads invite visitors to take a leisurely stroll, an exhilarating hike, or a journey that falls between these two poles on the strenuous spectrum. Folks can cool off with a dip in Lake Michigan, whose waters, in June as in January, show off the range of colors named by the single word “blue.” Cobalt, aqua, and shimmering slate, the lake charms the eyes like stained glass in a Gothic cathedral.
Check out this week’s travel article in the National Park Getaways series to learn more about Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. To read the article, visit www.nps.gov/getaways, where you’ll also find a link to the many previous installments in this trip-inspiring series.
