Through first four months, Sleeping Bear Dunes on pace for another record
Photo: Leland-based Manitou Island Transit plans to resume trips to the islands on the ferry Mishe-Mokwa starting May 28 after missing the 2020 season due to COVID social distancing protocols and high water which made the docks on North and South Manitou inaccessible.
From staff reports
Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore attracted a whopping 126,797 visitors during the first four months of 2021, which have typically been a quiet time for tourists in Leelanau and Benzie counties. By comparison, the Park received 93,729 visitors between January-April of 2020.
That early number suggests another record-breaking year for visitation to the National Lakeshore. Sleeping Bear drew more than 1.7 million visitors for the first time in 2020, as Americans flocked to rural national parks during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The tally of 39,853 visitors last month represented the second busiest April ever, following 1989.
The summer months of June, July and August typically draw between 200,000 and 600,000 visitors per month.
“We are seeing truly unprecedented visitation,” said Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore deputy superintendent Tom Ulrich. “All indications are for another record year.”
An early end to a mild winter, warm Spring temperatures, receding Lake Michigan water levels down one foot from their 2020 high, and the con- tinuing pandemic all support Ulrich’s prediction.
In other Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore news, Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive and the campgrounds are now open, and Manitou Island Transit plans to run trips to the islands on the ferry Mishe-Mokwa starting May 28 after missing the 2020 season due to COVID social distancing protocols and high water which made the docks on North and South Manitou inaccessible.
Projects on the horizon for 2022 include rehabilitating the lighthouse complex on South Manitou, extending the Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail north and developing a mountain bike trail in the Lakeshore, and work on the Sleeping Bear Inn at Glen Haven.
With COVID-19 protocols currently in place, no major events are planned to commemorate the Park’s 51st anniversary. The Port Oneida Fair in August will also be scaled back. Look for a month of events instead of one weekend of large gatherings.
