Feb 6

Feb 6 A couple quick runs along the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore - Traverse City, Michigan

Despite the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore only being about a 7 hour drive from Columbus, OH, I had never heard it mentioned when talking about ultrarunning destinations. I’ve since asked some friends if they heard about it, and universally, those who knew about it said I should keep quiet since it’s best kept as a secret.

Why should it be kept a secret? It is a unique and beautiful place at the northern tip of Michigan, just west of Traverse City, that retains its small town charm. I was lucky enough to be in Traverse City on essential business and finished up my work just before lunch. That gave me just enough time to head west and get some lunch, then explore the dunes.

I started my afternoon adventure in the town of Empire where I had lunch at Joe’s Friendly Tavern. The menu said they have the best burgers anywhere, so I ordered up a burger and fries. It hit the spot! After lunch, I walked over to the town beach and enjoyed the bright sun, clear blue skies and rough surf whipped up by the strong winds. I could see the coastline stretch very far north to my next destination, the Sleeping Bear Dunes.

Because of COVID, the park service has been restricting the hours the park is open. I was lucky in that just as I got up to the park entrance they opened the gate and started letting cars in. I wound my way up the hill to the Cottonwood Trail parking lot overlooking the dunes. I thought people would descend past the viewing area, but as I looked back, noticed no one was going anywhere. For the next hour, I was completely alone exploring the trails and lakeshore. The Cottonwood Trail starts out through scrub grass with rolling hills, but as you approach the lakeshore, the trail disappears into deep sand. The views of the coastline are simply amazing and worth the hike out.

After exploring the Cottonwood Trail, I got back in the car and headed south to the Sleeping Bear Dunes Overlook. The drive along the Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive by itself is worth a trip just to see the forest and overlooks the dunes and lakeshore. However, my aim was to hike the steep dune that descends 450 feet from the overlook to the lakeshore in just about a quarter of a mile. It is so steep you cannot see the bottom until about halfway down the hike. Pay attention to the sign at the top, there is no way out if you get too tired to hike back up.

Sleeping Bear Dunes makes a great ultra-running destination because of the varied terrain and steep dunes. While my distance covered on this trip was not ultra, there are many opportunities to stitch together trails for your own ultrarunning destination.