Driving past an entrance sign is always the beginning of an adventure, and the inevitable stop and photograph at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore in Michigan was no exception. After this order of business was taken care of it was now time to set up camp and then hiking Platte Plains.
Sleeping Bear Dunes entrance sign – Next stop is hiking Platte Plains
Arrival and camp set up
I pulled into the Platte River Campground and got the National Park map of the Lakeshore and reserved my camp spot for $16.00. Once camp was set up it was time to hike.
Platte River Campground in Sleeping Bear Dunes
The closest trail system was the Platte Plains at the end of Trails End Road. There was a map at the trailhead. There were a couple of loops and options, but I took the 5.5 mile option to the Lake Michigan Lakeshore.
The best shot I could get of a retreating river otter – Hiking Platte Plains
Hiking Platte Plains
Before starting on the loop I was intrigued by a lake and peer just to the left of the little parking lot. I went over to check it out and in the cove of the lake a river otter swam away from me towards the shoreline. The river otter is one of my favorite animals, so I did my best to take a picture and then started on my hike.
The Platte Plains are not your traditional plains with fields, but it is a lowland area between the Platte River, Otter Lake, and Lake Michigan. Most of the shoreline in the Sleeping Bear Dunes consists of high sand dune bluffs rising straight from the lake, but not here in the plains.
Hiking Platte Plains
One problem with the low elevation was the mosquito presence. They were vicious and areas of standing water on both sides of the trail explained why. I usually can out hike mosquitoes, but these were big and healthy and carried on a constant assault. When I stopped to take a picture they were even worse.
Low lying swamp explains mosquito presence – Hiking Platte Plains
Make sure you dope up on this trail before starting. For those that hate mosquitoes, the rest of the trails in Sleeping Bear were not bad at all as they were either on higher elevation or out in the dunes exposed to the sun.
White Pines backcountry camp area
It was a warm day, so the brisk pace trying to out pace mosquitoes definitely led to working up a sweat. I looked forward to hitting the beach. Soon enough, there was a clearing, and I was walking on the beginning of the dunes and then there it was: beautiful Lake Michigan.
Lake Michigan beckons – Hiking Platte Plains
The only problem was the water was absolutely freezing. It literally took my breath away when I dipped my head underwater. I have swam in the Nordhouse Dunes, only about 40 miles south in August, and the water temperature was great then. It takes awhile for the water to warm up in northern Michigan.
Deserted shoreline in Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore – Hiking Platte Plains
Just as deserted in the other direction – Hiking Platte Plains
There was absolutely no one on the beach in either direction. It was an incredible view both ways, and I could not believe the beach was deserted. Sleeping Bear Dunes does not have many backcountry campsites, but White Pines is one of them, and it was less than a half mile from this beach. It would be great to come back here and camp at White Pines and then spend the evening on the beach watching the sun go down.
I wish I could stay all day, but it was time to hike back to camp – Hiking Platte Plains
Adventure on!
The goal of Traveling Ted is to inspire people to outdoor adventure travel and then provide tips on where and how to go. If you liked this post then enter your email in the box to get email notifications for each new entry. Daily travel photos are excluded from your email in order to not flood you with posts. There is no spam and email information will not be shared. Other e-follow options include Facebook (click on the like box to the right) or twitter (click on the pretty bird on the rainbow above).
On the right sidebar is a donate button. If you would like to donate in order to support the site, it would be appreciated. All donations would cover travel expenses and improvements to make the site better.
This looks like a beautiful area to hike and camp. However, the mosquitoes would have really bothered me. That’s one thing I am glad we don’t have many of here in California.
Jeremy Branham recently posted..Family airline fee – say goodbye to your family on your flight
I don’t think any living creature is a fan of mosquitoes; however, there are some places so awesome where they unfortunately thrive and those people who love those places do their best to endure the bloodsuckers. I was glad the rest of the trip was fairly mosquito free.
The dunes and the view of the lake are lovely but I’m always happy to give the mosquitoes a pass. Famous last words I know – but only a few of those wretched things so far – and none in the mountains…yet.
Great photos Ted.
Leigh recently posted..An Outstanding Shoulder Season Hike Near Banff, Alberta
Leigh,
I am sure they are far worse in the Okefenokee Swamp.