Sleeping Bear Dunes Events: Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore in Northern Michigan has free ranger-guided programs for the public this October. Park rangers will be guiding a different “Saturdays at the Lakeshore” program every Saturday this October, two Historic Beach Patrol re-enactments, a Halloween Creature Feature Families United with Nature (FUN) event, and their annual Anniversary Star Party with the help of the Grand Traverse Astronomical Society (GTAS).
Program dates, times, and locations are listed below. All programs are free and open to the public, no more than a mile and a half round trip, and take place in Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, voted "Most Beautiful Place in America" by ABC Good Morning America viewers.
Picture Perfect Fall Foliage
October 6, 1:00-3:00 p.m.
Join a park ranger at the Philip A. Hart Visitor Center in Empire for a quick refresher on photo basics, tips, and tricks. Discover how to get the most from your camera on one of Sleeping Bear Dune's colorful trails and ready yourself to capture fall's peak display in Northern Michigan.
Aliens Among Us
October 13, 1:00-3:00 p.m.
Meet at the Philip A. Hart Visitor Center in Empire to discover which aliens invaded and which ones came in peace, and how to recognize the difference and launch your own counterattack in the park and in your own backyard. A fun build-up to Halloween for kids and families!
Historic Beach Patrol
October 13, 7:30-9:30 p.m.
Join Park Rangers at the Maritime Museum for shipwreck stories and a re-enactment of a surfman’s night patrol.
Halloween Creature Feature FUN
October 14, 3:00-4:30 p.m.
Join a Park Ranger at the D. H. Day Log Cabin for a FUN afternoon of games, activities, and exploration to debunk the spooks of Halloween and discover why animals like bats, spiders, snakes, and owls are not really all that frightening.
Cemetery Story Stroll
October 20, 1:00-3:00 p.m.
Meet at the Philip A. Hart Visitor Center in Empire to learn about the history and mystery of the gravestones while strolling through one of the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore’s historic cemeteries.
Historic Beach Patrol
October 20, 7:30-9:30 p.m.
Join Park Rangers at the Maritime Museum for shipwreck stories and a re-enactment of a surfman’s night patrol.
Anniversary Star Party
October 21, 8:00-10:00 p.m.
Join Park Rangers and the GTAS at the #3 Overlook on the Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive to celebrate the 42nd Anniversary of Sleeping Bear Dunes becoming a National Lakeshore. They will be setting their sights on the first quarter moon, Mars, and Saturn.
A Ghost Town’s Fruity History
October 27, 1:00-3:00 p.m.
Meet at the Philip A. Hart Visitor Center in Empire. Glen Haven may have been built with wood, but it was this ghost town’s fruity history that influenced today’s cherry capital.
All programs are free. Participants need only purchase the Park Entrance Pass or have an Annual Pass displayed in their vehicle to join in the fun. Please call 231-326-5135, ext. 328, to make group reservations and/or ask questions, or visit the park’s website at nps.gov/slbe.
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