Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore

城市概覽

History According to a Chippewa legend, a bear and her two cubs swam across Lake Michigan to escape a fire on the other side. The mother reached exhausted safety on the shore, but was unable to save her cubs, who drowned within sight of shore. The Great Spirit Manitou transformed the mother into a huge sand dune (looking out toward the lake), and the cubs into islands. The area became important to Great Lakes shipping in the 19th century, as one of the few large safe harbors on the way around the Lower Peninsula to Chicago. Farming, both for subsistence and to supply passing ships was an important local industry. The National Lakeshore was assembled in the 1960s and 1970s, largely from private land (and not without some controversy), eventually including not only the recreational immediate area of Sleeping Bear Dune, but the geologically – and scenically – significant shoreline to the south and northeast, and the two Manitou Islands.

Landscape The National Lakeshore consists primarily of a 35-mile (60 km) stretch of Lake Michigan shoreline, featuring immense sand dunes rising as high as 460 feet above the lake, sculpted entirely by the winds and waters. The park includes or borders several small inland lakes and the mouth of the Platte River at its south end. The mainland portion of the park is broken into three sections by the villages of Empire and Glen Arbor. The park also includes North and South Manitou Islands, each about 6–7 miles from shore. These were high points of ridges left as the glaciers receded, covered by wind-blown sand, and partially forested. North Manitou (7.75 by 4.25 miles) includes low-lying sandy regions in the southeast, rising to hills and 400-foot sand dunes in the northwest. South Manitou (about 3 by 4 miles) features perched dunes on the west, descending to a wide, concave harbor in the east.

Flora and fauna The sand dunes provide a distinctive environment for vegetation. Dune grasses' long roots seek out water and help

如何抵達

By car The National Lakeshore is several miles from Traverse City: Take M-72 west to Empire, then the western leg of M-22 and/or M-109 to access most areas of the park.

By bus Grand Traverse and Leelanau County's Bay Area Transportation Authority (BATA) has bus service to Empire and Glen Arbor, M-F, and connections with the Greyhound bus network in Traverse City.

By plane Traverse City's Cherry Capital Airport (TVC IATA) has regular commercial air service from Detroit, Chicago and other regional airports.

當地交通

Local and state roads connect most parts of the mainland portion of the park, so cars or bicycles are the most practical way of getting from one to another. One potentially confusing road is M-22, which goes up the west side of the Leelanau Peninsula then comes down the east side; make sure you know which leg you're on and which leg your destination is on. The islands are accessible by private motorboat or by commercial ferry:

Manitou Island Transit, P.O. Box 1157, Leland, MI 49654 (several miles north of the mainland part of the park, on the west leg of M-22) +1 231-256-9061. [1] From mid-June thru Labor Day, they offer daily transportation to South Manitou (with a 4.5-hour layover at the island, also suitable for day-trippers) and Su M W F Sa to North Manitou (no layover, so it's for campers only), as well as sunset cruises and scuba expeditions. In early summer they operate on a less frequent schedule, and in the fall, they run a single ship to both islands on Su W F. Closed from the end of deer-hunting season through April. Reservations recommended. $29 round-trip to either island.

必看景點

Phillip A. Hart Visitor Center (M-72, in Empire). Contains helpful staff members as well as maps, geological information, an exhibit of local wildlife, a bookstore, and an informational film about the area and the folklore surrounding it. Sleeping Bear Point Coast Guard Station and Maritime Museum (middle section of the park). A former U.S. Life-Saving Station has authentically dressed workers who explain what maritime life was like back in the 1800s. The exhibits contain antique boating equipment, photos, restored buildings from the era, and daily demonstrations of rescue techniques using Raggedy Ann and Andy dolls. Open Memorial Day through Labor Day, 10:30AM to 5PM. South Manitou Lighthouse and Coast Guard Station (near the dock). Went into service in 1871 and 1901, respectively; both were closed in 1958. Several shipwrecks remain in the area. Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive (starts from M-109 north of Empire, just south of Glen Lake). A 7.5 mi (12 km) one-way road (named for the lumberman who built it) with places to stop for picnics and overlooks of the dunes. Open to cars, bicycles, and pedestrians, but it's hilly and dangerously curvy for cyclists. Open late April thru early November, 9AM to half an hour after sunset. Port Oneida Farms (northern section of the park) and Tweedle/Treat Farms (southern section) are historical farming communities that are very well-preserved examples (in the sense of not being replaced or modernized; they're in varying states of natural disrepair) of 19th-century settlements in the area. South and North Manitou Islands also have abandoned farms. The Village (North Manitou Island, near the dock) is a row of former homes and cottages, long since abandoned and slowing falling into disrepair. The interior of many of the buildings in these areas are unsafe and are off-limits unless specifically designated.

體驗活動

Climb the big dune. The dune at the center of the park near Sleeping Bear Point isn't an easy climb, but it's within the ability of anyone in decent physical condition, and worth the effort for the view. Open any time, day or night, year-round. Over a dozen hiking and cross-country-ski trails totaling 55 miles (94 km) lead to the dunes and other interesting areas of the park. Some of these are closed in winter. Horseback riding is permitted on one of them (Alligator Hill). The iPhone app Sleeping Bear Trails lists each trail. Ranger-led nature walks on the Cottonwood Trail are offered in summer. Evening campfire programs are offered by the rangers at the D.H. Day and Platte River campgrounds during the summer, open to everyone. Snowshoe hikes are organized and led by the park rangers on weekends during January and February. They start from the visitor center, and last about 2 hours. Kids 6-16 can apply to become Junior Rangers. Fill out the workbook ($1.95 at several park concessions) with the help of a ranger and get a Junior Ranger patch and bragging rights.

購物

The visitors' center has a small selection of books and souvenirs available.

美食

There is no restaurant within the park, so visitors should plan on dining in one of the nearby towns.

飲品與夜生活

Alcohol is permitted in the park, but disturbing other campers or the natural setting of the park is not.

住宿

Lodging There are no hotels operated in the park, but lodging can be found in the nearby cities of Arcadia and Traverse City and t