Michigan’s Sleeping Bear Dunes Loses Beloved Overlook

Michigan is a stunning state with five national parks, two of which are national lakeshores. The Upper Peninsula is home to three of those parks, so the Lower Peninsula's Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore in Empire is one of the gems of the Lower Peninsula.

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With over 35 miles of lakeshore, the views of Lake Michigan are unmatched, whether you're walking on the beach, hiking through the dunes, or trekking through the forest. However, one of the best views of the lakeshore won't be available this year after the scenic outlook was at risk of collapse.

The History of Sleeping Bear Dunes

The Sleeping Bear Dunes Lakeshore was designated a national lakeshore in 1970. Since then, it has become a popular travel destination due to its unquestionable beauty and expansive dunes to explore. The dunes were created by the glaciers that used to cover the entire Great Lakes region.

READ MORE: Doing THIS at Sleeping Bear Dunes Could Cost You $3000 |

As the glaciers grew and melted, they transported sediment and created erosion that we now recognize as the dunes. While the erosion helped create the dunes, it's also posing a problem as the dunes continue to expand across many of Michigan's beaches.

Erosion Makes the Overlook Unstable

Since the dunes grow in size and change shape every year due to wind and other environmental factors, platforms like this are at the will of the dunes. This has never been more evident than at the Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive's Lake Michigan Overlook #9, where the wooden platform has lost its structural support due to the erosion of the sand at its base, caused by strong winter winds that blew away too much sand.

As a result, the park service was forced to take the structure down for the summer, and plans have not been announced to rebuild it elsewhere. The platform reportedly was up for 44 years. People took to social media to reminisce, with many expressing how this will be a difficult platform to replace, given the changing nature of the dunes.

The scenic drive and the dunes around the platform are open for the summer as per usual.