Discovery - Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore

Top of Sand Dune - 450 feet above Lake Michigan

Traveling along the shores of Lake Michigan, just west of Traverse City, is one of the national treasures.  Sleeeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore preserves one of the largest sand dunes, formed by sweeping winds across Lake Michigan.  Our first stop was at a "Dune Climb", where people were struggline to climb the large sand dune to view the vista from the top.  Going up was a struggle for most climbers, coming down easier.  We elected to view the dune "up close" from a scenic drive that wound through wooded hills to a large overlook.  At the top of a boardwalk, we were standing on a 450 foot sand dune that sloped sharply down to the Lake Michigan shore.  The view: priceless.