Aug. 9, 2026

211. Traverse City and Sleeping Bear Dunes, Michigan - Where cherries meet endless sand and sky

Show Notes
Transcript

Episode 211: Traverse City and Sleeping Bear Dunes, Michigan — Where cherries meet endless sand and sky. Join us for a warm, practical guide to this lakeshore jewel, from farm-to-table meals to wind-swept dune hikes. Highlights include Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, the Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive, Old Mission Peninsula wineries, and the Traverse City Cherry Festival, giving you a mix of outdoor adventure and seasonal flavor. We share travel tips on timing your visit (late June–July for cherries, fall for color), parking and fees at park overlooks, dune-safety and footwear advice, and the best spots for sunset photos along M-22. Food lovers will savor cherry-forward pastries, local wineries, fresh whitefish and hearty pasties, plus a stop at Cherry Republic for tasting and souvenirs. Landmarks like Empire Bluff Trail and Old Mission Point Lighthouse make perfect day hikes and scenic detours. Whether you’re planning a long weekend or a photo-driven road trip, this episode is a friendly roadmap to the tastes, trails, and towns that make northwest Michigan unforgettable. This episode was prepared with the assistance of AI tools, giving us more time to travel and bring you even more destinations. Travel Is Back -- over 200 episodes covering destinations across America and beyond.

Some episodes use AI for research, writing assistance, and occasional voiceover when Johnny Mac is unavailable. His point of view, and his insistence on finding the best local taco remains entirely human.

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Travelers, Back is brought to you with the help of AI. Hey,

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you made it to Traverse City and Sleeping Bear Dunes, Michigan.

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Drop your bags, take a breath, and walk straight to

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the water. The city sits right on Grand Traver's Bay,

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and the bay sets the pace. If you head to

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Clinch Park, you can plant your feet on the boardwalk,

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watch sailboats shift around on the marina and hear the

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small clink of lines against masts. You're not here for

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big city bustle. You're here for a place where your

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first activity can be as simple as a walk along

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the water with a coffee in hand. The good news

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is that downtown Traverse City is about a three block

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hop from that beach, so you can bounce between the

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Bay and Front Street without even thinking about your car.

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Make Front Street your backbone. It's walkable, easy to navigate,

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and packed with practical food stops you'll actually want. If

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you're doing lunch on day one, You've got options that

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don't require a dress code. The Little Fleet is a

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food truck lot on the east end of Front Street

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that turns into an instant picnic. You'll find rotating trucks, tacos, ramen, barbecue,

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fresh bowls, and a central bar for local beer or

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a lemonade. You order at a window, grab a picnic table,

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and eat under the trees if you want something indoors later.

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Seven Monks tap Room is a dependable pub with a

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long list of Michigan beers and a burger that holds

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its shape. For something a little lighter and local, The

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Cook's House is a small, farm connected kitchen. You'll want

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to book in advance, but you can keep it relaxed

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with their simple fish and vegetable plates and skip any

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fussy vibe. North Peak Brewing is right on Front Street too,

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and gives you that brew pub warmth, cast iron, high ceilings,

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big booths, and the kind of house ales and flatbread

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pizzas that keep your day easy. Walk it off along

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the Boardman River, which locals also call the Boardman Outaway.

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The river cuts through downtown and you'll see bridges every

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few blocks. There's a paved path that threads behind buildings

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and comes up for air in your little pocket park

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so you can string together a loop. Start at the

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State Theater, yes, the classic marquee you'll spot on Front.

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Angle down Cast Street to the water and then follow

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the river past restaurants that have decks over the current.

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If the weather's warm, Clinch Park Beach is right there,

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with its big sweep of sand, a splash pad, and

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clear shallows where families wade while someone runs for snacks.

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If you want a quieter end of day sunset, West

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End Beach, a short stroll down the shoreline usually feels

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less busy than the main stretch. You don't have to

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lock into a schedule on your first afternoon. If you're

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the kind of person who needs caffeine to keep a

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walk going, there are coffee stops tucked all along downtown.

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If you need dessert, there's no shortage of ice cream

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and pie in this town. You'll see a few pie signs,

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but don't feel like you have to commit to a

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huge slice. You can split one and call it research.

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If it's a cooler evening, duck into the Biju by

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the Bay over by the Marina for a small town

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night at the movies. It's a compact theater and a

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historic building, and you can be in and out and

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back at the water in a couple of hours. The

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point is your first day in Traverse City is all

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about getting your bearings. The Bay is your compass. Front

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Street is your main drag and real meals you can

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walk to Day two, pivot a little inland and give

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yourself a different slice of the area. If you've heard

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people talk about Traverse City's food scene, a lot of

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it starts just west of downtown at the village at

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Grand Travers Commons. It's a big brick campus with tall

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spires and a courtyard, the kind of place where you

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could blow an hour wandering the hallway markets. What matters

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for you is that it brings together a small local producers,

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cafes and tasting rooms under one roof, and there are

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trails out back so you can stretch your legs between bites.

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Get your morning going with breakfast, sugartoo salt if they're open,

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straightforward plates like eggs, greens, and toast made with local

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grains from a bakery right down the hall. Grab a

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loaf from pleasant in brick oven Bakery for later. If

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you're more coffee first, Higher Grounds Coffee Roasters has a

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tasting bar where you can sip something roasted on site

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after you've poked around the indoor market and maybe picked

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up some snacks for the trunk step into the commons

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natural area behind the buildings. The trails are signed and

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easy to follow. You'll see pines and hardwoods, a little stream,

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and maybe a few families letting kids run off steam.

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It's not a strenuous hike. It's a reset button. When

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you're ready for lunch. You can keep things simple right here.

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Trattery Estella serves housemade pasta and local produce in one

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of the old brick wings. And while it's not fancy

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and spirit, it's serious about taste. If you want to

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save that for dinner and keep lunch even more relaxed,

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there's a different kind of farm meats table waiting a

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few miles north. Rent a bike in town. Brick Wheels

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and McClain Cycle and Fitness are two reliable shops, and

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point your wheels toward the Lelandow Trail. The trail is

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a paved path that runs roughly seventeen miles from Traverse

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City to Sutton's Bay. You don't have to ride the

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whole thing. If you go about six miles from downtown,

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you reach Farm Club, which is exactly what it sounds like,

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a working farm with a kitchen and a brewery. The

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ride there is flat, the scenery is a mix of trees,

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open fields, and glimpses of barns, and you don't have

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to worry about cars. At farm Club, you can order

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a bowl or a sandwich that came out of their

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fields that morning. Maybe pair it with a low key

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farmhouse ale and watch people wander between the raised beds

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and a small farm store. If you're not biking, you

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can drive there, but the pedal and lunch combo is

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hard to beat. If you still have energy. On the

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way back, detour to the Boardman Lake Loop Trail, which

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is a shorter, pretty loop around the small inland lake

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just south of downtown and get a feel for how

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the city links its neighborhoods with paths. Next, steer to

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a corridor that pulls a lot of people for good reason,

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but you can make it your own by pacing your

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stops and actually getting out of the car. The Old

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Mission Peninsula is a narrow finger of land that sticks

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about twenty miles into the bay. You get it by

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taking M thirty seven north right from downtown. The drive

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itself is the point the water peaks in and out

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on both sides. The road rises and and you'll see

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a patchwork of vineyards, small farms and homes. You're not

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here to knock out ten tastings in an afternoon. Pick

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two or three stops and let them breathe. Start at Bryce,

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a state where you can sit on a deck that

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looks out over vines running down to the water. They

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have a lavender garden too, called the Secret Garden, where

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you can wander through color when it's in bloom, but

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even when it's not. The setting lets you feel how

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the weather funnels down the peninsula. Order a tasting flight

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and a small board and sip slow. Next up, head

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to two lads near the top of the peninsula. The

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tasting room is modern glass and steel, perched on a

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ridge with wide views. It's a different mood from the

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more rustic spots and helps you see how the terrain

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shifts as you go north. If you've got one more

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stop in you, Bowers Harbor is an easygoing winery with

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a patio and a staff that keeps the experience friendly.

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Spread your visits out, eat between them, and keep plenty

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of water handy if someone in your group isn't tasting.

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This is where good snacks and good playlists in the

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car are clutch, it's worth nudging all the way to

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the tip for a reset. Mission Point lighthouse is a

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small white light and keepers quarters set at the end

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of the room. There's a short trail network under pines,

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a small beach with flat stones, and the map nerd

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fun of standing on the forty fifth parallel, halfway between

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the equator and the north Pole. You might find families

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digging little channels where the water meets the sand, and

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it's a good spot to take a break before you

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head south. Dinner on the peninsula can go a few directions.

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If you want a casual sit down, The Jolly Pumpkin

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has a bru pub with pizzas, sandwiches and their sour ales.

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If you want something quieter, pack a simple picnic from

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a downtown Delhi earlier. Then grab a bench near the

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lighthouse at sunset and let the sky do the work.

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Now pull out the map, because this is where you

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trade the Bayside Vineyard drive for the Big Lake. You're

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going to take M twenty two northwest. It's a road

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people mentioned with a certain pride, and for you, it's

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the ribbon that ties your inland day to the shoreline.

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Your next stop is Leland, a small town sitting between

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Lake Michigan and Lake Leland now Park. Near the river,

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there's a cluster of paylots and a few street spots.

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Man and aim your feet for a pocket of old

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fishing shanties called Fishtown. It's a short boardwalk lined with

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weathered wooden buildings right on the water, fish tugs bobbing

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along the dock. You'll smell smoke from smokers turning local

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whitefish into crisp skinned filets and paints, and you'll probably

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see a line for sandwiches at the village cheese shanty.

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The move there is to order a pretzel bread sandwich,

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maybe with smoked fish spread, and carry it to a

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bench to eat while you watch the river work its

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way under the footbridge. If your timing is off and

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the line is out the door, Carlson's Fishery is right

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there for smoked fish to go. Leland has two easy

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beaches on the Lake Michigan side. Van's Beach is a

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wide stretch with short dunes and the kind of shallow

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bars that make waves break in lines. It's simple, no

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big amenities, just views and steady surf sounds on the

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Lakely Lano side, you'll find calm water and docks. It's

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a two lake perspective in one town. If you need

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a sit down meal, the cove serves classic plates and

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a view over the dam and river. It's seasonal, so

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check ours. There are also a couple of ice cream

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windows if the sun is leaning on you and you

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need to cool off. Leland makes a good afternoon, but

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don't linger so long that you cut into your next

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day's plan. The dunes are up next, and you want

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to time them right. Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lake Shore

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isn't one single dune. It's a collection of ancient sand

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structures piled on top of old coastal hills and glacial moraines,

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shaped by wind that funnels between lake and land. You'll

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see a few types as you visit. Parabolic dunes, which

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form curved U shapes with a blowout at one end.

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Perched dunes, which sit on top of higher ridges like

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thick blankets, and migrating dunes, which creep grain by grain

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and can bury trees, creating what's called a ghost forest

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where bleached trunks poke out of the sand. The whole

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place moves slowly, but you can feel it when you

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stand in a saddle between two rises and the wind

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runs the sand over your feet. Plan your dune's day

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in three pieces, a scenic drive so you understand the layout,

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one big hike you commit to, and one smaller walk

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for a payoff view. Start with the Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive.

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It's a paved one way loop road off M one

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O nine between Glen Arbor and Empire, and it gives

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you nine or so pull offs with signs that explain

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what you're seeing. There's a fee station at the entrance.

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Your vehicle pass where the National Lake Shore covers it.

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Go early by ten am in summer, the road can

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back up, and parking at the overlooks fills. Highlights include

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the covered bridge near the beginning and the Lake Michigan Overlook,

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where a boardwalk takes you to a platform four hundred

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and fifty feet above the water. You'll see people eyeing

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the steep dune face below, and a few trying to

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go down. It's a long, sandy slide that looks tempting

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but can be dangerous to climb back up, and rescues

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here are expensive and time consuming. Better to feel the

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drop from the platform, take your pictures and save your

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legs for the trails. For your main hike, decide how

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much sand you want under your shoes. The dune climb

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is the big sandpile you see right off M one

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to nine, with a parking lot at its base and

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kids absolutely sprinting up the face. You can do that

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first hill and roll back down, but the true hike

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from here the Dune's trail travels up and down a

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set of dunes all the way to Lake Michigan. It's

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about three point five miles round trip, but don't let

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the distance fool you. The sand makes every step slower,

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there's little shade, and the up and down terrain can

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feel like a StairMaster made of sugar. If you pick

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this route, carry more water than you think you need,

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wear a hat, and treat it like a real hike.

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The payoff is that you top a lass ridge and

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the lake suddenly spans out in front of you, empty

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and blue, and you can sit a while before you

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retrace your steps. If you'd rather hike on firmer ground

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with just a little sand at the end, consider the

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Empire Bluff trail. It's roughly one point five miles round trip,

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mostly through woods and then a boardwalk section runs right

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along a high bluff with view south. It's popular but

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less punishing. Another good one is Pyramid Point, north of

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Glen Arbor. Take the trail from Bash Road and you'll

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be at an overlook in about one point two miles.

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You can make it a two point seven mile loop

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through meadows and forest if you want more. At the point,

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you'll look down on the water from a high perch,

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with the Manitou Islands floating offshore like dark shapes. Between hikes,

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give yourself a break on the Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail.

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It's a paved multi use path that now runs more

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than twenty miles, linking Empire to Glen Arbor, the Dune

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Climb and beyond. You can park an Empire, unload bikes

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and ride a gentle grade to the Dune Climb and

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Glen Haven. If you didn't pack bikes, there are rentals

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in Glen Arbor. The trail is a great way to

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see the dunes from the tree line while saving your

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ankles from soft sand. It also threads you into Glen Haven,

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a small historic village on the lake shore with a

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restored general store and the cannery boat House Museum, where

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vintage wooden boats sit on cradles and you can peek

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inside their hulls. When your legs need food. Point to

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a small town with just enough going on that you

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can park once, get a meal, and do a couple

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of easy errands. Glen Arbor is a compact grid of shops,

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taverns and outfitters hemmed in by water. Pull into the

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main drag and look for a spot near arts tavern.

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It's a classic bar with burghers, tots and local beer.

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It's cash only, so I have a couple of twenties ready,

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but the service is quick and the walls are a

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patchwork of old signs and bumper stickers. If you want

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something with a patio and maybe a little live music

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on a summer night, Boondocks a few doors down fits

211. Traverse City and Sleeping Bear Dunes, Michigan - Where cherries meet endless sand and sky

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