Glen Arbor is a village of a few hundred people sitting inside Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, which is the whole reason to stay there. Nearly every trailhead, overlook and beach in the park is within about fifteen minutes of town, so you can do the park without a long drive at either end of the day.
The things to do in Glen Arbor, MI are therefore mostly the park itself, plus one river and a couple of neighboring towns that are worth the drive.
Climb the Dune Climb
The one everybody does, and it earns it. A 110-foot wall of sand you go up on hands and knees at the top, with the reward that you can run back down. If you keep going past the first crest it is about 3.5 miles round trip through the dunes to Lake Michigan, and that stretch is unshaded, soft sand, and much harder than the first hill suggests. People turn around out there in summer having taken no water.
Drive Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive
A 7.4-mile one-way loop with numbered stops, and the Lake Michigan Overlook at stop nine is the postcard: a 450-foot sand bluff dropping straight to the water. Do not go down it. The climb back is a rescue call most summers.
Hike Empire Bluff
About 1.5 miles round trip and the best short trail in the park. It ends on a bluff looking north up the shoreline to the Sleeping Bear dune with the water going turquoise over the sandbars below. Twenty minutes from Glen Arbor, and the best sunset in the area.
Hike Pyramid Point
Roughly 2.7 miles for the loop, or shorter if you go straight out and back. A steep bluff with a long view to the Manitou Islands. It is quieter than Empire Bluff, and the long view out to the Manitous is the better of the two.
Paddle the Crystal River
The Crystal River runs right past Glen Arbor and it is the easiest good paddle in northern Michigan: about 4.3 miles point to point, mostly under a foot deep, 15 to 20 feet wide, sandy bottom, two to three hours. Outfitters in town rent and shuttle.
It is genuinely a beginner and kids trip. The water is clear enough to watch fish under the boat the whole way.
Take the ferry to the Manitou Islands
The ferry runs from Leland, about half an hour from Glen Arbor. South Manitou is the day trip: a lighthouse, a shipwreck visible from the beach and old-growth cedar. North Manitou is for backpackers and is close to wild. Boats are seasonal and weather dependent, so book ahead and have a backup plan.
Empire and Frankfort
Empire is ten minutes south and has the park visitor center plus a good village beach with a picnic pavilion and the sunsets people stay for.
Frankfort is about 45 minutes south and worth a day. Crystal Lake is the swimming, the Betsie Valley Trail is a 22-mile rail trail you can pick up in town for a flat ride or walk, and Point Betsie Lighthouse just north of town is the most photographed on this coast.
When to go
July and August are warm enough for Lake Michigan to be swimmable, which is a short window this far north, and they are the busy months. September is the better trip: warm water, empty trails, no bugs. October gives you color through the hardwoods and cold water. Winter closes Pierce Stocking to cars and opens it to skis and snowshoes, which is a completely different and much quieter park.
How many days do you need?
Two days covers the Dune Climb, the scenic drive, one bluff hike and the river. Three lets you add a Manitou ferry day, which eats a whole day by itself. Four if you want Frankfort and the lighthouse without rushing.
Things to Do in Glen Arbor, MI FAQs
It is the best one. Glen Arbor sits inside the national lakeshore and nearly every trailhead, beach and overlook is within about fifteen minutes. Empire is the alternative and is closer to the visitor center.
The first hill is 110 feet of soft sand and most people manage it. The full route to Lake Michigan is about 3.5 miles round trip with no shade and no water, and it is much harder than it looks from the parking lot. Carry water if you go past the first crest.
Yes, it is one of the better beginner paddles in Michigan. About 4.3 miles, mostly under a foot deep, sandy bottom, two to three hours, with outfitters in Glen Arbor renting boats and running the shuttle.
About 45 minutes south. It makes a good day trip for Crystal Lake, the Betsie Valley Trail and Point Betsie Lighthouse, and it is quieter than the Glen Arbor end of the park.
Late July and August, mostly. The lake is big and cold and it warms slowly, so early summer swimming is brief and bracing. September water is often warmer than June water.
