PURE LAKESHORE: THE DUNES

 

Many features make Sleeping Bear National Lakeshore special.  One of them is the abundant dune landforms.  On a recent morning I visited the Lakeshore capturing dune scenes from Platte River to Bohemian Road.  

My first stop was Platte River Point where you can see Empire Bluffs and Sleeping Bear Point in the distance.

Low dunes often don’t receive the oohs and aahs that the high ones get but I find their beauty just as spectacular.  These dunes are along the Platte River Point Park.

Next I moved to Empire Beach, one of my favorite Lake Michigan beaches for sunsets due to its accessibility.  To the north is Sleeping Bear Dune, which has had two sandslides this century sending large land masses plunging into Lake Michigan.

The spectacular Empire Bluffs are seen to the south from Empire Beach.  Esch Road is another place to view these bluffs, but the walking there is more difficult.

Glen Haven beach was my next stop.  Its sandy beach with views of the massive Manitou Islands tease one into thinking the islands are closer than they are.

The Dune Climb isn’t far from Glen Haven and I captured this early morning scene before too many climbers were present.

From the Glen Arbor beach, Pyramid Point Bluff is seen to the north.  It too sustained a major sandslide in 1998, sending thousands of tons of sand into the Lake.

My final stop of the day was another of my favorite Lakeshore spots, Bohemian Road Beach and Good Harbor Bay.  Its beach is expansive and you get another view of Pyramid Point to the left.

To the north you can see the Whaleback and Carp River Point.  Beautiful low dunes predominate this popular beach, which is also quite accessible and a great spot for sunset watching.