Phase One of the Heritage Trail, a paved, 10-foot-wide multi-use trail, which runs from the Dune Climb to Glen Arbor, is the first leg of what supporters envision will one day be a 27-mile trail from the Leelanau-Benzie County Line running north to Good Harbor Bay. Though it has been operational for over a month, the Heritage Trail’s official grand opening is scheduled for June 20 at 1:30 p.m. at the Sleeping Bear Dune Climb.
The Glen Arbor Art Association’s Manitou Music Festival Committee sent out the following letter to solicit feedback for future festivals. Each year the Manitou Music Festival Committee strives to present some of the best Michigan talent at our annual Dune Climb Concert. This year we decided to ask Dune Climb fans to add to our list of contenders.
Ever since Wednesday, August 17, Northern Michiganders have both embraced and grappled with the news that the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore and surrounding region are considered the “most beautiful place in America” — at least according to 22 percent of 100,000 voters who participated in the ABC show Good Morning America’s online competition the second week of August.
At the groundbreaking ceremony for the Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail, a paved, multi-use bike trail that will span 27 miles through Leelanau County and the National Lakeshore, U.S. Senator Carl Levin applauded the project, calling it federal money well spent. Yesterday at the base of the Dune Climb, Senator Levin spoke along with National Lakeshore Superintendent Dusty Shultz, Cherry Republic President and CEO Bob Sutherland, and others.
“Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, tucked in the northwest corner of Michigan’s Lower Peninsula, is one of the nation’s best-kept secrets,” according to ABC’s popular show “Good Morning America.” We concur. But now the secret is out.
After half a decade of planning, some debate, and the solidification of enthusiastic support across a broad spectrum of the public, the Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail will officially launch with a groundbreaking ceremony at the Dune Climb on Friday, August 12 at 11 a.m. When completed, the 27-mile trail will run from the southern edge of Leelanau County, through the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore to Good Harbor Bay.
At 8 a.m. on Saturday, June 11, 548 athletes took off from the start line on M-109 in Glen Arbor and prepared to race up the Sleeping Bear Dunes “Dune Climb.” It would only be the start of a challenging event which also includes a 17.5-mile bike race around Big and Little Glen Lake and a 2.5-mile paddle in Little Glen Lake.
The popular annual Manitou Music Festival — bringing great and eclectic music to Glen Arbor and the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore — has unveiled its lineup for the coming summer. The festival will kick off with a July 2 Patriotic Music performance by the Northport Community Band at the Glen Arbor Athletic Club, and hold its popular Dune Climb Concert on July 10.
The long walk down the Dune Climb trail to Lake Michigan has blessed hikers with an added gift this fall. Not just the azure waters at the conclusion of the 2.5-mile hike in the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore — but a shipwreck.