Sleeping Bear Dunes

Hey all, hows everbody doin?

I'm curious to know more about the Sleeping Bear Dunes in Michigan...

http://www.sleepingbeardunes.com/info/parkinfo_camping.php

has anyone stayed at either of the park campgrounds...

http://www.nps.gov/slbe/planyourvisit/platterivercamp.htm Platte River CG

http://www.nps.gov/slbe/planyourvisit/dhdaycamp.htm DH Day CG

I like the sounds of the DH Day CG because it sounds more rustic and quiet...but I'm not to sure if its "FF" thats my new acronym for the day.... Fiver Friendly

For us Michiganders the Dunes are must do, right of passage, thing. What you get out of the park will depend upon your physical ability and/or if you have children. Even with small kids you can make the main hillclimb. They use to run dune buggies up it but erosion put a stop to it. Once your to the top you will have very nice vistas of the lake and great photo opportunities. From the top you can opt to walk to Lake Michigan(which is quite long so take water) or you can simply let the kids roll down the hill.
I don't know much about the NP CG's as we typically stay in SP's located either in Traverse City or Interlochen. Either are good launching points for day trips to surrounding attractions.
If I knew your general preferences and whether or not you have kids I could give you tons of things to do in the area.

Thanks TK,

we are hikers so hiking the dunes is a must...we visit the Great Sand dunes national park in Colorado every year and it is one of my favorite places in the world...

We are planning a trip with friends next year and will have six kids between our two families...


As far a preferences....the boys and I are happy just to look for strange rocks and fossils or just explore unique areas, the girls not so much...They like the water and hanging at the beach...

I'm sure there is a lot to do out there...but relaxation is the name of the game...

Stayed there many years ago as a tent camper. Great place. Sorry I can't offer anything recent.

Just got back from Lake Leelanau Michigan which, it is a hop-skip-and-jump from the Sleeping Bear Dunes. The dunes is just one place to go in the area. If you like wine there are many wineries in the area. Pyramid Point is a nice place to visit, it's about 1/2 mile hike to the top and the view of Lake Michigan is out of this world. You can see the Manitou Islands which is part of the Sleeping Bear dunes legend. Petersen Park is another place to visit if you want to search for Petosky Stones (we found three). Some places to stay in the area are Traverse City State Park, Ludington State Park, Mears State Park and Lake Leelanau RV Park(little pricey but very nice).