Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore (National Lakeshore) is gearing up for winter so visitors can explore the National Lakeshore this winter on a ranger-led snowshoe hike! This holiday season, ranger-led snowshoe hikes will be offered on Wednesday, December 26 at 1:00 p.m. and Friday, December 28 at 1:00 p.m. The regular Saturday snowshoe hikes start on January 5, at 1:00 p.m., and continue each Saturday through March 23. Meet at the National Lakeshore’s Philip A. Hart Visitor Center in Empire. Reservations are required. Please call 231-326-4700, extension 5010, for details and to make reservations. If there is not enough snow, a winter hike will be offered.
Snowshoes will be loaned at no charge to participants that do not have their own. These hikes are free, but participants do need a park entrance pass or have an annual pass to join in the fun. Reservations are required whether participants borrow snowshoes from the National Lakeshore or have their own. To cancel a reservation, please call the National Lakeshore so visitors on the waiting list can be contacted to participate in the hike.
Snowshoe hikes are fun for all ages. Inside the visitor center, rangers will first provide an introduction and basic snowshoeing instructions, and then everyone will travel by car to the trailhead or area of the National Lakeshore pre-selected for that day. Once there, the ranger will help participants learn about the park’s unique features and winter’s effect on them by exploring and discovering clues on site. Be prepared and plan to be outside for about two hours. Dress in layers and wear waterproof boots to be most comfortable.
Not only is snowshoeing easy, fun, and good exercise, it is also an activity that can be enjoyed by all ages. The ranger-led hikes are mildly strenuous, yet they proceed at a leisurely pace for one and a half miles at the most.
Source: U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service
