One of my most favorite places in Michigan is the Sleeping Bear Dunes.

The area gets its name from an old Chippewa legend about a Mishe Mokwa (Mama Bear) and her two cubs. I will link a wonderful video below that tells the beautiful story.

Climbing the large mountain of sand brings back so many great memories from my childhood and I will always feel a connection to the beauty there.

The National Lakeshore park area covers a 35 mile long stretch of Lake Michigan’s eastern coastline as well as North and South Manitou Islands. It was established as a national park in 1970, and in 2012, viewers of Good Morning America voted Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore as the most beautiful place in America.

Once you reach the top of the dune climb the view is both breathtaking and inspirational. 

Here are some of the items in my shop that are inspired by the beauty surrounding the Sleeping Bear Dunes.

The Dunes offer visitors sightseeing and recreational and educational opportunities in all seasons of the year.

In spring, summer and fall, swim and picnic at sugar sand beaches; canoe, kayak or tube on crystal-clear streams; or, simply let the day slip away with a late summer sunset. Wintertime provides a much different view. Snowshoe, cross country or downhill ski, snowboard or venture into the wilderness. Your only company will be the Dunes' year-round residents: its natural wildlife.

The staff at the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Park is proud to preserve and protect this natural environment for you and your family, just as they have for 50 years. In fact, the Dunes have a very long history of recreation, agriculture and maritime activity, a great deal of which can still be seen through preserved and restored buildings and landmarks.

Shaped by glaciers thousands of years ago, the diverse terrain and ecology of the dune environment is alive with opportunity for observing and learning about our natural world and what we can do to protect it.