Maps

Traveling to Sleeping Bear Dunes

If you are driving, drive to the intersection of M-72 and M-22 on the western side of Traverse City and then:

Turn left on M-72 toward Empire and travel about 14 miles to a blinking light and turn left to continue on M-72. Travel another 8 ¼ miles and the Philip A. Hart Visitor Center will be on your right.  For more information, visit the National Park Visitor Center.

If you are driving from any location to the south or west of Lake Michigan, you should know that two car ferries provide an alternative form of transportation which, in and of itself, adds excitement to the trip.  One, the Lake Express, is a newer, high speed, catamaran-style ship which sails between Milwaukee and Muskegon in 2 ½ hours. For more information, visit Lake Express. The other, the SS Badger, is an older and larger ship which sails between Manitowoc and Ludington in 4 hours. For more information, visit SS Badger. Note that the time changes from Central to Eastern or Eastern to Central en route. For an interesting article on the history of car ferries on Lake Michigan, visit www.carferries.com.

Flights are available to Traverse City's Cherry Capital Airport (TVC), as well as to Manistee National Airport (MBL). Cherry Capital Airport has year-round service to and from Chicago and Detroit, as well as seasonal service from some destinations on the East Coast. Manistee National Airport offers service to and from Chicago, and has a number of charter flight options available for groups. Both are located about an hour from the Dunes.  For informatio, visit Cherry Capital Airport, or Manistee National Airport.