Will Sleeping Bear Dunes break another visitor record in 2021?

From staff reports

With December yet to be counted, Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore is just 10,142 guests shy of setting another annual record for visitors to our National Park.

That record was set in 2020, when 1,718,696 visitors flocked to Sleeping Bear—some of them eager to get out of cities during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. Through November of this year, 1,708,554 have passed through the proverbial turnstyles.

Interestingly enough, visitor tallies were down significantly this July and August when compared to 2020 stats. But strong shoulder seasons have helped 2021 remain on a record pace. This year topped last year in eight of the first 11 months.

“The shoulder season had a jump this year,” said Sleeping Bear superintendent Scott Tucker. “It really helped spread people out and hopefully resulted in a better visitor experience and better resource protection!”

Last December saw 20,756 people visit Sleeping Bear. A tally half that size this month would break the annual record.