The Dune Climb at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore is one of the iconic places in Michigan. Many residents and tourists to the park trundle up the side of this bare sand dune slipface in what some see at a Michigan bucket list experience. Despite a well-worn pathway up the Dune Climb, much of the dune slipface, crest, cornice, and flank in 2019 is covered with grasses. A comparison of the 2019 photograph to the 1917 image shows the Dune Climb area was almost exclusively bare sand except for an agricultural field and a forested area at the dune’s toe.
The research team would like to thank the staff at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore for their assistance in recapturing this photograph.
LAT: 44.880368, LON: -86.042494
Photo Credit – 1917, Univ. of Chicago; 2019, Kevin McKeehan, Michigan State University.
Do you have any memories of this location, past or present? Share in the comments below!
Be the first to comment
Sign in with