Grand Traverse & Inland Lakes
Traverse City
A bayfront city at the head of Grand Traverse Bay, with a walkable Front Street downtown, bay beaches, cherry orchards and two wine peninsulas close by.
Day trip · M-72, M-22, M-109
Traverse City to Sleeping Bear Dunes and Glen Arbor
West on M-72 to the national lakeshore at Empire, then the M-109 loop past the dunes and Glen Haven to Glen Arbor before heading back.
The National Park Service sends Traverse City visitors west on M-72 to the village of Empire, where the Philip A. Hart Visitor Center is the place to buy a park pass and pick up a map. From there, M-22 carries you through most of the lakeshore, and the M-109 loop north of Empire reaches the main sights.
Along M-109, the Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive climbs through forest and dunes to overlooks of Lake Michigan and the Glen Lakes. Farther on, the Dune Climb rises from a picnic area beside the road, and Glen Haven’s historic village holds the Sleeping Bear Point Maritime Museum. The mostly paved Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail links Empire, the Dune Climb and Glen Haven with the village of Glen Arbor, so you can also park once and bike between stops.
From Glen Arbor, the quickest way home retraces M-22 and M-72 through Empire. Travelers with more time can continue north on M-22 to Leland and around the peninsula instead, as in Traverse City Tourism’s Leelanau day trip. Summer is the busiest season, and the scenic drive is open from late spring until late fall.
The route
- Traverse City
- Empire
- Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive
- Dune Climb
- Glen Haven
- Glen Arbor
- Traverse City
Map of Traverse City to Sleeping Bear Dunes and Glen Arbor
7 places on an OpenStreetMap map
Before you go
- An entrance pass is required to stop and use park land. Passes are sold at the Philip A. Hart Visitor Center in Empire, and simply driving through on state and county roads is free.
- The Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive closes to vehicles for the winter in late October or early November, depending on weather. Vehicles towing trailers must leave them at the Shauger Hill parking lot first.
- Parking at the Lake Michigan Overlook on the scenic drive fills on busy days. The park suggests cooler days, midweek visits, or early morning and late afternoon.
- BATA runs bus service from Traverse City to Empire, and in summer also to Glen Arbor, the Dune Climb and the Pierce Stocking parking lot.
Towns along the way
Benzie & Sleeping Bear · Small town
Glen Arbor
Your base for northern Sleeping Bear Dunes: a small town between Lake Michigan and Glen Lake, about 4 miles from the Dune Climb by trail.
Benzie & Sleeping Bear · Small town
Empire
Your first stop at Sleeping Bear Dunes: a small M-22 village with the park's main visitor center, a sunset beach and the start of the Heritage Trail.
Stops worth making
National park
Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore
Dunes, high bluffs, beaches, inland lakes and two islands along 65 miles of Lake Michigan shoreline in Benzie and Leelanau counties.
Scenic drive
Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive
A 7.4-mile one-way loop in Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore with 12 stops and overlooks of Lake Michigan, the Glen Lakes and the dunes.
Attraction
The Dune Climb
A steep, open sand dune on M-109 in Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, with a picnic area at its base and a hard trail over the dunes to Lake Michigan.
Museum
Maritime Museum at Sleeping Bear Point Life-Saving Station
A National Park Service museum in the 1901 Sleeping Bear Point Life-Saving Station at Glen Haven, on lifesaving, the Coast Guard and Great Lakes shipping.
Trail
Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail
A mostly paved trail of about 22 miles through Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, linking Empire, the Dune Climb, Glen Haven, Glen Arbor and Port Oneida.