Traverse City Travel Blog

If you’re seeking a Michigan destination where you can really appreciate and contribute to the conservation of our state’s natural beauty, it’s hard not to think of the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. The Traverse City-area treasure offers 70,000 glorious acres of trails and beaches spread along 65 miles of spectacular shoreline.  

Alice Van Zoeren stands to watch on the sands of Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. She has come to these shores for 17 years as a guardian. She searches to find, defend and protect the endangered bird known as the Piping Plover. 

There is one bear where hibernation is not part of an annual hibernation ritual: the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. Many people don’t realize that the National Lakeshore is open year-round. Word to the wise: if you miss a visit in winter, you are missing out on a remarkable experience. 

(All photos courtesy of Lake Michigan Whale Migration Station. No claims are made for their accuracy.)

The volunteers at the Traverse City Visitor Center can almost always come up with advice for baffled tourists who need directions. However, one question consistently leaves them speechless.

It’s the one about whale-watching tours.