COVID claustrophobia plus summer heat combine for record month at Sleeping Bear Dunes

Dale and Connie Selvius recently kayaked the Crystal River with friends Chuck and Laura Pothoven after a hike in Empire and wine tasting at the M-22 Tasting Room. Photo by Dale Selvius.

From staff reports

Tourists visiting the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore have tried hard to keep their distance from crowds not in their circle. For the most part, they have obeyed the rules and masked-up when entering local retail and dining establishments. 

For their care, they were rewarded with a gorgeous July 2020—a sun-kissed summer following a stressful and claustrophobic spring for those living in urban areas when the pandemic arrived on American shores and the nation all but shut down in March.

Nearly 600,000 people visited our National Lakeshore last month (the exact number was 592,404)—sprinting by the previous monthly record of 561,784 from July 2017, like a happy teenager gaining speed as they descend the face of the Dune Climb.

To date in 2020, Sleeping Bear has welcomed 931,827 guests. That’s just 4,500 shy of the previous January-July high of 2017. We’re 25,000 ahead of the current pace from 2016 when a record 1,683,553 frequented the National Lakeshore. To keep up with 2016, we’ll need huge totals in August and September. Here in Leelanau, the sun continues to shine.

“We’re always driven by weather, and this July was fantastic beach weather,” said Tom Ulrich, deputy superintendent at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. “I also think people wanted to get out and recreate. Their options were limited because of the pandemic. They were not able to do other things like visit amusement parks, music festivals, or movie theaters.”

Tourism typically subsides after Labor Day weekend, when families return home to work and school. But with many schools closed for COVID, and much work happening online, it’s anybody’s guess how much visitation will actually slow in September.

“It’s possible this year will continue to be busy. We could exceed the record of 2016,” says Ulrich, who lauded staff at Sleeping Bear Dunes for adjusting to the greater burden on Park operations, including more cleaning, more regulating of traffic in the Visitor Center, and at popular spots in the Lakeshore.

“From custodial crews to folks in human resources, everybody has really stepped up to the plate and done an amazing job to encourage social distancing and mask wearing.”

Sleeping Bear Dunes had intended to hold a series of events to celebrate its 50th birthday in 2020, but the pandemic stopped all that. Ulrich says those events are on hold indefinitely, though he expects the Park will do something on October 21 to commemorate its golden birthday.

Retail down, but not by much

Cherry Republic president Bob Sutherland reports that his company’s sales are down about 10 percent from last year.

“But when you consider our shortened hours, smaller staff, and the overall economy and pandemic resurgence across the country, we feel so blessed to have done so well,” says Sutherland. 

“We had so much doubt and uncertainty heading into summer after the spring shutdown. I don’t think our team has ever worked harder preparing for what was in many ways ‘the unknown’. All the safety adjustments and preparation work paid off as things seemed almost normal this summer—and normal has never felt so satisfying.”

Sutherland believes that Glen Arbor has succeeded, not just by keeping tourism alive, but by keeping people safe.

“Glen Arbor is an amazing town. Cherry Republic is so proud to be a part of this community that set such a high standard for masks, social distancing, and other safety protocols. It is amazing that with the influx of hundreds of thousands of people, we stayed safe, and we locals and visitors enjoyed ourselves as much as every summer we’ve ever had.”

Meanwhile at Art’s Tavern, co-owner Bonnie Nescot reports sales at roughly 50 percent of last year. That’s not surprising given that Art’s is seating guests at 50% capacity.

The warm weather has also meant plenty of bike rentals and kayak trips for Crystal River Outfitters.

“We feel very fortunate to be in Glen Arbor. I don’t think businesses in other parts of the state or country are seeing the same visitors and sales that we are,” says co-owner Katy Wiesen. “People are excited to get out of the bigger cities and start recreating again. We have been super lucky in that we have had very few issues with masks and social distancing. People have been very respectful and courteous and I believe that is because Glen Arbor banded together to have a consistent message about our safety precautions.”