There used to be a time when the beaches of the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore were the best-kept secret in summertime travel. The secret is definitely out. But with 35 miles of Lake Michigan shoreline within the Lakeshore boundaries there’s still plenty of solitude to go around.
Earlier this month, two of the nation’s top online travel websites recognized the region’s beaches as some of the best in the world. Here are the links, which include some great photos.
Ask a local to suggest a good beach in the Sleeping Bear Dunes, and the answer you’ll usually get is Grand Haven, North and SouthBarLake in Empire or Otter Creek at the end of Esch Road.
CNN Travel writer Pam Grout might have been talking about any one of these beautiful places when she wrote:
“This long stretch of sand has everything you could ever ask for in a beach: spectacular views, soft white sand, an aquamarine paint palette of Lake Michigan blue.”
In her article titled “10 secret beaches worth discovering” (click on the link to check it out), however, Grout was talking about Good Harbor Beach, placing it up there with Kauapea Beach in Hawaii and Isla Holbox on Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula as one of the world’s best.
USA Today Travel didn’t get so specific, but the lion’s share of photos in their “Best Beaches on The Great Lakes” slideshow clearly shine the light of love on the 35 miles of Lake Michigan shoreline inside the borders of Sleeping Bear National Lakeshore.
Care to share some snapshot of your favorite Sleeping Bear beach? Post a couple of your favorite shots and see what other fans of the region are saying over at the Sleeping Bear Dunes Visitors Bureau Facebook page.