Phase 2 of the Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail, a 5.5-mile stretch between the Sleeping Bear Dune Climb and Empire, is close to completion. All spring, workers and heavy machinery have been clearing and flattening the path, and they began paving the trail on May 21. The National Park has set a deadline of July 1, but the Trail will likely be complete before then.
The public is invited to a special ceremony dedicating the Sleeping Bear Dunes Wilderness on Friday, May 30, at noon at the #3 Dune Overlook on Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive. This newest of the nation’s Wilderness areas was the accomplishment of many individuals and organizations working together to preserve this special place for all to enjoy. Come celebrate this accomplishment with a special program featuring local residents, National Park Service officials and members of the Michigan Congressional Delegation.
The Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore wilderness bill passed the House of Representatives yesterday on a voice vote and will head to President Obama’s desk, where he is expected to sign it into law. Congressman Dan Benishek (a Republican representing Northern Michigan) championed the legislation in the House and expects it to be signed within the next couple weeks. Democratic Senator Carl Levin co-sponsored companion legislation that passed the Senate last year.
Check out this video, provided by Friends of Sleeping Bear’s Kerry Kelly, of the Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail’s grooming machine at work. The conditions are great, so get out there and cross-country ski!
Today, Congressman Dan Benishek’s (Republican of Michigan) legislation to protect the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore was unanimously passed by the House Committee on Natural Resources during a key Congressional mark-up hearing. The legislation now is set to move to the House floor for a final vote.
Kerry Kelly, Friends of Sleeping Bear Dunes chairman of the board, reports excellent ski conditions on the Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail, which was last groomed on Friday, January 17. “Additional snow last night (and right now) adds nice soft snow,” says Kelly. “The trees are beautiful covered in snow too.”
Folks around town can’t exactly remember the last time the surface of Big Glen Lake froze by early January. Some say 15 years, some say 50. Captain Bob Smith at the Sportsman Shop says Big Glen doesn’t typically freeze until Martin Luther King, Jr., weekend in late January. Regardless, by Jan. 2, there were ice shanties on Big Glen (Little Glen had them by mid-December). A week later, the hum of snowmobiles could be heard from Glen Craft Marina.
The Glen Arbor Sun spoke to Crystal River Outfitters co-owner Katy Wiesen about the impact this early, snowy winter has had on their business. “The key to surviving a Northern Michigan winter is getting out and embracing it. This year’s early winter definitely started winter business off much sooner than expected! Our first cross-country ski and snowshoe rentals went out Thanksgiving weekend. The snowy conditions give visitors even more of a reason to come up north knowing that there are more recreational opportunities.”
Heritage Trail grows; Kettles, Bay-to-Bay, mountain biking trails on tap? By Jacob Wheeler Sun editor Over the next couple years, the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore could vastly expand its network, and range, of trails. By July, the Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail will expand south, from the Dune Climb to Empire, allowing bicyclists, rollerbladers, wheelchair-bound […]
