Happy 55th, Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore!

Posted on by farlane

via Leelanau.com…

At the End of the Trail by James Banks

At the End of the Trail by James Banks

Today is the 55th birthday of the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. Normally, I would lead with a photo of the Dunes, but the creation of the National Lakeshore on October 21, 1970 preserved a whole lot more!!

Here is the tale of the tape on Michigan’s magnificent national lakeshore as of August 1, 2024!

  • Annual Visits – 1,589,248
  • Employees – 46 permanent, 83 seasonal
  • Volunteer Hours – 58,389 from 1,659 volunteers
  • Natural and Cultural Resources
  • Area – 71,318 acres
  • Lake Michigan Shoreline – 65 miles (35 miles on the mainland)
  • Inland Lakes – 26
  • Miles of rivers and streams – 12
  • Terrestrial plant species – 908
  • Bird species – 246
  • Federally threatened or endangered species – 6
  • Historic structures on List of Classified Structures – 369
  • Sites on National Register of Historic Places – 8
  • Cultural Landscapes – 9 (4,500 acres)
  • Prehistoric archeological sites – 150
  • Historic boats – 21
  • Lighthouse – 1
  • Historic artifacts – 70,158
  • Archived documents – 21,325
  • Infrastructure
  • Buildings – 370
  • Employee housing units – 38
  • Campgrounds – 9 (357 sites)
  • Picnic Areas – 5
  • Visitor Centers – 3
  • Outdoor ampitheaters – 2
  • Miles of roads – 23
  • Covered bridge – 1 (Pierce Stocking Drive)
  • Miles of trails – 105
  • Lake access ramps – 9
  • Signs and wayside exhibits – 3572
  • Major photovoltaic power systems – 3
  • Motor vehicles in fleet – 54
  • Large boats – 8

James took these in the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore back in fall of 2023. See lots more great shots in his Top 100 gallery on Flickr!

I also added a hand colored photo of “the Bear” from 1940 by Leelanau photography legend Fred Dickinson whose work you can see at the Dickinson Photo Gallery on Glen Lake & who you can read more about on Leelanau.com.

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Happy Birthday to America’s second National Park!

Posted on by farlane
Mackinac Island by Mark Swanson

Mackinac Island by Mark Swanson

Most remember that President Ulysses S. Grant signed a law establishing that Yellowstone as America’s first national park on March 1, 1872, but not that many are aware of the 2nd national park that Congress created just three years later on March 3, 1875. The National Parks Traveler has a great feature on America’s “forgotten” national park which existed from 1875 to 1895 when it became Mackinac Island State Park, the nation’s first state park which is now Mackinac State Historic Parks.

Mark has shared a ton of Mackinac Island pics on Flickr and in our Absolute Michigan group. Here are some of my faves. See more in his Mackinac, Michigan gallery on Flickr!!

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Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore turns 54

Posted on by farlane
Sleeping Bear Bay by Mark Smith

Sleeping Bear Bay by Mark Smith

via Leelanau.com…

Every time I see this view of the Sleeping Bear shoreline, I think about what might have happened if Senator Phillip Hart & countless others hadn’t fought as hard and as long to protect this globally unique treasure. Almost anywhere else in Michigan or America with this mix of clear water & sandy shoreline is lined with the homes of the wealthy. Although the same trend was overtaking Sleeping Bear’s Lake Michigan shoreline,  54 years ago today preservation was victorious and the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore became the third US National Lakeshore:

Beginning in 1919 a small portion of what is now the national lakeshore was set aside as a state park. The idea of a national park in northwestern Michigan did not surface until the National Park Service’s Great Lakes Shoreline Survey visited the area in 1958. Between 1959 and 1970 there was a continuous and controversial effort in Congress to create a park unit around the Sleeping Bear Dune. The legislative leader of the Sleeping Bear park proposal was United States. The senator’s persistence and patience in the end led to the creation of Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore on October 21, 1970. 

You can learn more about the creation of the Lakeshore in the online book A Nationalized Lakeshore: The Creation & Administration of the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, and get (much) more about the history & present day of Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore on Leelanau.com!

Mark captured the grand sweep of Sleeping Bear Bay perfectly back in September of 2021. See his latest at Downstreamer on Flickr!

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Happy 48th Birthday, Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore!

Posted on by farlane

Pictured Rocks Caves by Heather Higham

Pictured Rocks Caves by Heather Higham

Central Michigan University’s Clarke Historical Library says that on October 7, 1972 Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore was officially dedicated:

Authorized by Congress in 1966 as the nation’s first national lakeshore, Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore today encompassed over 73,000 acres of multicolored sandstone cliffs, beaches, sand dunes, waterfalls, inland lakes, wildlife and the forest of the Lake Superior shoreline. Stretching from Munising to Grand Marais, the park is a four season destination attracting everyone from hikers to campers, hunters, and casual visitors. The park is managed by the National Park Service and welcomes over four hundred thousand visitors each year.

Heather took this photo back in 2014. See more in her Pictured Rocks gallery and for sure follow her at SnapHappyMichigan on Instagram & at snaphappygal.com!

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New Marks for Michigan National Parks

Posted on by farlane

Chapel Rock Pictured Rocks

Pictured Rocks – Chapel Beach, photo by Todd

Crain’s Detroit Business reported that two of Michigan’s national parks saw record numbers of visitors in 2015:

The National Parks Service says Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore in the Upper Peninsula and River Raisin Battlefield Park in southeastern Michigan set visitation records in 2015. The two parks, along with Isle Royale National Park in Lake Superior and Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore along Lake Michigan’s northeastern coast, had more visitors through November 2015 than in 2014 and saw double-digit increases in visitors.

…The increased popularity of national parks in Michigan mirrors a nationwide trend: Overall visits to national parks are expected to reach 300 million in 2015. Last year’s figure was a record 293 million.

The park system turns 100 next year, and the Obama administration and Republican lawmakers have different ideas about what to do. Both parties agree the country’s national parks and historic sites could use some sprucing up but the question is how much of a dent Congress will make in a system-wide maintenance backlog with an estimated $11.5 billion price tag. President Barack Obama has recommended spending an additional $1.5 billion on the parks over a three-year period. Republican leaders in Congress have a smaller birthday present in mind.

Here’s hoping that our elected officials can come together to keep our National Park system strong!

Todd took this shot at Chapel Beach in September of 2012. View it bigger and see more in his Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore slideshow.

Lots more on Michigan’s state & national parks on Michigan in Pictures!

Autumn’s Chapel

Posted on by farlane

Chapel Rock in Fall

chapel rock, photo by Paul Wojtkowski

Here’s a cool picture from way back in 2006 of what I think is definitely one of the 7 wonders of Michigan: Chapel Rock in the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore.

The Lucky Tree of Chapel Rock features quite a number of photos that I think can give you a pretty good understanding of this marvelous Michigan miracle.

Chapel Rock on Lake Superior has a single tree perched atop its column. By rights the tree should not be there: the small surface area of land on the top of the rock is insufficient to sustain a tree of this size.

There is hardly any topsoil, certainly not enough for an obviously thriving tree. How then does it flourish?

Look a little closer and you will see the answer – that rope on the right of the picture is not, in fact a rope. It is a system of roots, extending and stretching over the edge of the rock to the main bluff where there are nutrients and water aplenty.

Yet how on earth did the root extend over to the mainland? Did it slither in some triffid like way until it reached the other side? Is there a Little Shop of Horrors thing happening here?

Click through for the answer and some pics that make things clearer – including to my surprise one of my own! – from Kuriositas which looks like a pretty cool site.

View Paul’s photo bigger and see this and more in his slideshow.

More Pictured Rocks on Michigan in Pictures? You bet!

Mr. Shutdown comes to Michigan

Posted on by farlane

North Bar Overlook by Ken Scott
North Bar Lake … overlook by Ken Scott

A taste of the Shutdown’s impact on Michigan via Leelanau.com…

The TC Ticker reports that the federal government shutdown that began at midnight has closed portions of the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore:

A park representative said gates will be closed on the park’s campgrounds, bathrooms and popular Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive until the shutdown ends, though visitors may still access the park’s hiking trails and lakeshore. (our emphasis)

Sleeping Bear Dunes is one of five national parks in Michigan affected by the shutdown, a move that comes at an unfortunate time for tourism-dependent parks nearing the end of their operating seasons. The Leelanau County attraction, which will operate with a skeleton crew of emergency-only personnel until the shutdown has ceased, normally averages 2,300 visitors a day during the fall season, according to park reports.

The Freep reports that a similar scenario will unfold at other Michigan National Parks with Isle Royale & River Raisin Battlefield Park closing early for the season. Let me stress that you can still enjoy the majority of our parks and trails. In other Michigan-specific news, about 900 Michigan National Guard members are bracing for a furlough notice and training for another 12,000 will be put on hold. More details on the shutdown’s impact on Michigan at mLive.

Check Ken’s photo – taken at a location that will be inaccessible – out bigger and see more in his massive Panoramas slideshow.

Sunset & Sequestration

Posted on by farlane

"Lake Michigan Overlook" Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive - Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore

“Lake Michigan Overlook” Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive, photo by Michigan Nut

The other day on Leelanau.com I posted Sequestration and the Sleeping Bear Dunes detailing cuts that will be made at the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore to meet their 5% budget requirement. The Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, Isle Royale and the Keweenaw National Historical Park will all be forced to trim budgets as well. Due to the fact that the NPS fiscal year ends in September, the cuts end up being closer to 10% than 5%.

All of the officials quoted stress that the parks remain open and (mostly) accessible, but when Michigan is spending millions of dollars promoting Pure Michigan nationwide with these parks at the center of our offerings, there’s no question that this is bad news for tourism!

John took this photo about a year ago – view it bigger and see more in his Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore slideshow. He is a frequent guest on Michigan in Pictures – view more of his posts right here.