Summer brings activities to Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore

By Ross Boissoneau

Sun contributor

Day or night, sunny or cloudy, the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore provides opportunities for family fun. Whether it’s self-directed hikes or drives, ranger-led programs or events coordinated by partners such as Friends of Sleeping Bear Dunes or Preserve Historic Sleeping Bear, the area offers plenty of ways to explore, engage and maybe even get a little exercise.

You may want to start early if you’re planning on some of the more popular attractions. On its website, the National Park Service recommends hitting the following before 10 a.m. or after 4 p.m. to allow for easier parking, lower temperatures and fewer fellow outdoor enthusiasts:

• The Dune Climb
• Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive
• Empire Bluff Trail
• Pyramid Point Trail

Every Thursday in the midafternoon, unsuspecting visitors near Glen Haven used to be startled to hear a cannon boom. This year, the reenactment of a lifesaving drill practiced in the early to mid-1900s will be strictly kid-powered. The U.S. Life-Saving Service (a predecessor of the Coast Guard) would fire a zipline from the Lyle Gun to foundering ships, as far as 400 yards out in the lake. The apparatus saved thousands of lives nationwide, including in the Manitou Passage. But by mid-century, it was made obsolete as helicopters became more common.

The demonstrations show how the gun was fired and used to rescue sailors in distress. In past years, a replica Lyle Gun was fired on the beach following the demonstration. That will not take place this year as historic weapons demonstrations can only be conducted by a certified Historic Weapons Supervisor, which the NPS does not have access to this summer. The drill begins promptly at 3 p.m. every Thursday.

The Maritime Museum in Glen Haven at the Sleeping Bear Point U.S. Life-Saving Service Station is a great place to learn about the history of the U.S. Life-Saving Service, U.S. Coast Guard, and Great Lakes shipping. The museum’s collection includes artifacts from ships and boats, books, plans, photographs, and navigation instruments. A room on the second floor is outfitted as a Steamer Wheelhouse and provides a panoramic view of the Manitou Passage shipping channel.

It was one of some 60 lifesaving stations around the Great Lakes circa 1900. It closed during World War II and stood idle until 1971 when it served briefly as the visitor center for the newly-established Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. It was remodeled into a museum, opening in 1984. It is open daily from 11-5.

Things may slow down as nightfall beckons, but that doesn’t mean it’s time to go to bed. Candlelight Hikes and Star Parties offer opportunities to take in some of the sights and sounds of nocturnal visitors, and experience the park in a manner closer to what it was like in days gone by.

Candlelight Hikes take visitors along an illuminated, one-mile trail that showcases the park’s dunes at twilight and beyond. They take place Saturday nights at the Dune Climb beginning at 9 p.m. Hint: It’s busiest right at 9, so you may want to wait till a little later. That makes parking easier, and you can more easily check out the night sky, a.k.a. a star party, at the drop-in telescope and information stations (thanks to the Grand Traverse Astronomical Society).

Complementing these experiences, Twilight Talks will take place almost nightly in the National Lakeshore’s campgrounds. Highlights this year include presentations by Anishinaabe historian Eric Hemenway.

The Port Oneida Fair (Aug. 8-9) takes visitors back to the farming life a century and more ago. The historic farms of the district showcase demonstrations of traditional skills, such as making butter, candle dipping or broom-making. You can even help bale hay with a team of oxen! Park rangers and local historians share the area’s history.

The fair is held at five of the historic farmsteads in Port Oneida, offering visitors an immersive experience of rural life in the late 1800s and early 1900s, presented in partnership with Preserve Historic Sleeping Bear. For a complete list of farms and activities, go to tinyurl.com/2rezaexs.

Preserve Historic Sleeping Bear hosts the 13th Annual Port Oneida Run/Walk fundraiser on Aug. 3. The 5K, 10K and half marathon raises funds for historic preservation efforts in Sleeping Bear Dunes. The organization also offers heritage tours, talks, and classes, including horse and wagon tours, bike tours, garden programs and more. Go to phsb.org for more information.

Likewise, Friends of Sleeping Bear Dunes provides programs at Sleeping Bear. Yoga on the Beach takes place Friday mornings at 10 a.m. through September at the Maritime Museum. The Adopt-A-Highway program on July 12 helps keep the Glen Haven area clean. Learn more about the events and the organization at FriendsofSleepingBear.org.

All summer events through the National Park are free and open to the public with a valid park pass. For more in-depth information about the National Lakeshore, visit Nps.gov/slbe.