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January 16, 2001Scenic cross-country skiing at Sleeping Bear National LakeshoreBy MIKE TERRELLSpecial to the Record-Eagle If you're looking for a spectacular setting for some cross-country skiing, look west towards the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. Located in a spectacular setting of towering sand dunes, beautiful overlooks and pristine woodlands, it offers some of the most scenic cross country skiing you'll find in the Midwest.
Following are a list of the ski trails and a brief description of each trail. The Scenic Drive Trail is the gem of the system. It offers stunning overlooks of Glen Lake, Alligator Hill, Lake Michigan and the Manitou Islands, Empire Bluffs and North Bar Lake. There's about eight miles of trails with shorter loops available. Most are easy to intermediate. There's a long climb to the top, but stretched out to a fairly gently grade. One platform along the trail overlooks Lake Michigan's chilly waters and frozen shoreline some 400 feet below - truly spectacular. Located across the road from the Scenic Drive Trail is the aptly-named Windy Moraine Trail. It's a short advanced trail that climbs up a climax dune that's covered with a beech-maple forest and open meadows offering views of the backside of Sleeping Bear Dune. It's only a mile-and-a-half around the trail, but it's a long climb to the top and a long fast downhill run with turns and a headwall to negotiate on the way back down. The Empire Bluff Trail is another fairly short trail, but it's one of the most scenic trails in the Park. It is an out-and-back trail that traverses a ridge overlooking the sleepy little village of Empire and North Bar Lake in the valley. When you come out along the bluff you're again 400-plus feet above the lake. Looking north you see the great Sleeping Bear Dune and the Manitou Islands off the shore. It's easy to see how the legend developed. The views don't get any better. To the south you see the shoreline wrap around Platte Bay. It's not an easy ski and there are a couple of steep, short climbs. The return is mostly downhill, but fast some times. Snowshoeing works equally well on this trail. Located a little further south of Empire Bluff is the Platte Plain Trail, which is one of the most diverse trails in the Sleeping Bear system. It's also the longest with a little over 14 miles of trail. There aren't any large dunes here, but a series of little ones along the shore. Most of the trail is wooded with a mixture of hardwood, pine and cedar. There are a few sections that traverse the shoreline with open views of the lake. The Otter Creek portion of the trail is the best novice trail in the park. The Alligator Hill Trail is my favorite trail in the park system. If offers three loops for novice, intermediate and advanced skiers of 2.5 miles to 5 miles in length. If you wanted to ski around all three loops, it's seven miles around. The trail is scenic with a couple of nice overlooks of the islands, the Leelanau County shoreline and Glen Lake. The skiing is fun with long, great downhill runs and equally long, but mostly manageable climbs. The appropriately named Bay View Trail offers about 11 miles of trail with shorter options that wind over dunes offering great views of Lake Michigan, Good Harbor Bay and the shoreline and hilly Leelanau County. Part of the trail passes through an old abandoned homestead and farm. Much of the trail is out in the open and can be hard to follow unless there are prior tracks. Probably the best pure beginner trail in the Park, Good Harbor Bay Trail is a little under 3 miles around and a flat, easy ski. It passes through some low, coastal dunes along the shoreline, but most of it through the woods. A portion near the back passes through a swamp and crosses a creek. It shows the transitional nature of the environment in active dunes. Related links: Great Outdoor Recreation Pages guide to skiing at Sleeping Bear Official National Park Service site on Sleeping Bear National Lakeshore |
