Join us for the fifth annual Dune Dash 4-mile run/walk on Saturday, August 20th. The race course showcases the Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail located in the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. Starting and finishing at the base of the Dune Climb, runners follow the flat, paved Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail past rolling dunes and beautiful forests to the turn around point at historic Glen Haven. Don’t miss your chance to experience what will soon be known as one of the most beautiful scenic runs in Michigan if not the country.
All proceeds from this event will go to the continued construction and maintenance of Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail.
What
A 4-mile run/walk along the Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail. (Course)
Where
The race will start and finish at the Dune Climb in Sleeping Bear Dunes National Park. (map)
Adult 18 and up $30 Teen 13-17 $20 Child 12 and under $15
NOTE: Prices go up by $5 after August 18th. The Sleeping Bear Dunes charge an entrance fee of $10 per vehicle if you do not already possess a park pass.
Visit DuneDash.com for all the event details, online registration and volunteer information.
Springtime freshness is in the air, flowers are in bloom and cherry blossoms are popping. The Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail has been cleared of winter debris and the trail crew from Friends of Sleeping Bear Dunes has already started their weekly schedule to keep the trail clean and safe for its summertime users.
As if springtime wasn’t enough to be excited for, we’re thrilled to announce that the next section of trail north of Glen Arbor (from Port Oneida to Bohemian Road) will be completed by the end of May or early June!
There will be a great new boardwalk over the edge of Narada Lake, and the trail will go right past the historic North Unity School. This new trail segment will add 3.8 miles to the 13 miles of previously completed trail. The new section of trail will be comprised of 1.8 miles of crushed aggregate, 1.8 miles of asphalt and boardwalk along Narada Lake. The trail will be crushed aggregate through Port Oneida Rural Historic District. What a great addition to the trail!
Please join us for a ribbon cutting ceremony at the Kelderhouse Farm on Friday, June 24th at 11:00am.
Winter is an amazing time of year to enjoy the Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail. The trail is groomed for classic cross country skiing, skate skiing and snowshoeing between Glen Arbor and Empire.
Friends of Sleeping Bear Dunes manages the maintenance and grooming efforts on the trail. They have a grooming crew comprised of 20 volunteers who groom the trail between Forest Haven Road in Glen Arbor to the corner of Voice and Bar Lake Roads just north of Empire for a total distance of 10 miles. The trail north of Glen Arbor, from Crystal View Trailhead to Port Oneida Road is not groomed but is open for back country and snowshoeing.
The highest prioritized section of trail groomed is between Glen Haven and Glen Arbor with a loop through the DH Day Campground. This section typically sees the most winter use.
The next section groomed is from Glen Haven to the Dune Climb. The trail is fully groomed from the Dune Climb to Empire when there are enough volunteers and the weather and temperature are ideal.
It takes a team of two groomers about two hours to groom from Glen Arbor to Glen Haven. A second team grooms one side of the trail from Glen Haven to Empire in two hours, and a third crew grooms from Empire back to Glen Haven. The total time required to groom the whole trail from Glen Arbor to Empire is six hours – if everything goes perfectly.
Grooming at temperatures above 30 degrees results in icy conditions, so grooming is more likely to occur when temperatures are cooler. When the trail receives over six inches of fresh snow with temperatures under 30 degrees, groomers use the roller to compact the snow and build base. When there is a compacted base the Ginzu Groomer is used. It has a set of knives that churn up the hard pack snow to create a new corduroy layer. Both sets of equipment have track-setters for making classic tracks on the outside of the trail.
Please do not ride on the SBHT if conditions are too soft. If you are leaving a rut deeper than an inch, having a hard time riding in a straight line, or pushing your bike, the snow is too soft and you should not ride your bike on the trail.
Tires must be 3.7″ or bigger.
Tire pressure must be under 8 psi.
Do not ride on classic tracks.
Bikes yield to skiers.
Stay to right side of trail (not in the classic tracks) at all times.
Give skate skiers a wide berth.
Be an ambassador for the sport – stay polite, educate other bikers, discourage bad behavior, follow the rules, support grooming, and we’ll all have a good time this winter!
Friends of Sleeping Bear Dunes continue to work with the National Park Service Tree Crew to widen the shoulders of the Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail between Glen Arbor and DH Day Campground. This was the segment of trail hit hardest by the August 2nd storm. While the trail has been cleared to make it safe for bike riding in just a few days after the storm, trail shoulders need to be cleaned up to allow space for the groomer for cross-country skiing. The groomer requires more space on both sides of the pavement.
Volunteers are needed to help pull branches and throw them back into the woods. With enough help a chipper can be operated, which would be the preferred method of disposing of this wall of tree branches and limbs that line the trail…
Volunteers will be working on Thursdays Oct 8th, 15th & 22nd. Volunteers and Park Tree Crew will meet at 9:00 AM at the DH Day Campground Office and will work until about 3:00 PM each Thursday. If you can only come for part of the day, please come. If you can help, please email Friends of Sleeping Bear Dunes.
Trail & Beach Assessments – Volunteers Needed
The Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore was awarded a Centennial Challenge Grant, celebrating 100 years of the National Parks. Friends of Sleeping Bear Dunes are providing the matching funds required for this grant. The Grant is to assess 5 trails and 5 water areas in the Park with the intent of improving accessibility. Though just awarded, the grant deadline for completion is November 2015. Cindy Burkhour of Access to Recreation was awarded the contract for trail and beach assessment.
As part of the grant, Friends of Sleeping Bear Dunes will help by providing volunteers to assist Cindy with the assessments. The volunteers will record data, measure trail width and note trail obstructions. Cindy will train volunteers as they work.
The next Assessment days will be Friday, October 10 and Saturday, October 11. Two volunteers are needed to work with Cindy each of these days from 10:00 AM – 3:00 PM. Individuals do not have to commit to both days. However it is asked that individuals commit to a whole day.
Please bring a lunch and water. You will eat on the trail. Assessment will be done rain or shine – please dress appropriately for conditions. If you can help, please e-mail Jeanne Esch or Kathy Tuckerman.
Help Needed – Dune Climb Trailhead Work Bee
Friends of Sleeping Bear Dunes have been working with the Park’s Natural Resources Division to select native plants to landscape the area around the Dune Climb Trailhead for the Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail. Dune grass and bearberry and a few types of trees were selected. The trees and dune grass were planted last fall but weeds and some invasive plants have taken over some of the dune grass areas.
Mary Ann and Dave Borton have been leading the effort to remove the invasive plants and weeds to give the dune grass a chance to establish itself.
They need your help! We will be working at the Dune Climb Trailhead Wednesday, October 14 at 9:00 AM until noon. You can come for whatever amount of time you have. Bring gloves, a bucket or basket, weeding tools, etc.
Please come out and help get this part of the trail cleaned up. The work they did the last couple of weeks really looks good, but there is a lot more to be done and we could really use your help. Contact Mary Ann by phone at 708-220-1231 or by e-mail at m.a.bort@hotmail.com
Ball Foundation Supports Emergency Repair Efforts on the Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail Foundation Donates $10,000.00 in Wake of Devastating August 2nd Storm
The Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail after the storm
TRAVERSE CITY, MI- On Sunday August 2, a storm ripped through the small town of Glen Arbor and the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore that left massive destruction in its path. As a result, the Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail was completely closed down with trees, branches, and storm debris covering the pathway. In particular, along the section of trail between Glen Arbor and Glen Haven, especially near Glen Arbor, the devastation of the forest was profound. For years to come, visitors will see trail scenery completely transformed by the storm – down trees, and once closed canopies now gaping with holes the size of football fields.
Thanks to the work of volunteers led by the Friends of Sleeping Bear and the strong partnership of the National Park Service, the community was able to quickly bring the Heritage Trail back to life. Over the past three weeks, hundreds of volunteers spent thousands of dollars and hours clearing the trail. After the heavy lifting of opening the trail and making it passable, volunteers found there is still much work to be done – the trail and signage were damaged during the storm and trees and debris continue this fall.
To support these efforts, the Edmund F. and Virginia B. Ball Foundation, based in Muncie, Indiana, and with long-time ties to the region has made a first of its kind grant from the Foundation, providing $10,000 to TART Trails to help support storm related clean-up efforts along the Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail. The Foundation, which helped fund the development of the trail, is supporting volunteer efforts to ensure the trail’s safe and scenic recovery.
“This was important to the Foundation. We do not do emergency grants, but the size and scope of this storm was exceptional,” said Chuck Ball, associate executive director of the Edmund F. and Virginia B. Ball Foundation. “TART and its partners are an important part of the beauty and character of Leelanau. Adding extra cleanup support for the Heritage Trail to a recently approved general grant for trail planning stretched our overall grant funding, but it was for a great cause.”
Deputy Superintendent Tom Ulrich said, “The donation of the Ball Foundation to re-open the Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail after the devastating storm epitomizes the way this community has pulled together and supported one another through this difficult time. We are grateful for their contribution toward giving this trail back to the people who love it.”
Kerry Kelly, Chairman of the Board for the Friends of Sleeping Bear Dunes offered his praise commenting, “The community response to clearing the Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail after the August 2 storm was amazing. The Friends of Sleeping Bear Dunes organized volunteers to work with the National Park Service Tree Crew to clear the trail from down trees and to make it safe for our visitors to ride. We had over 100 volunteers working over 700 hours in the past two weeks. This generous donation from the Ball Foundation supports the efforts by our volunteers. It really was a team effort. Together we made rapid progress to get the trail open and safe!”
In total 138 volunteers (85 of them brand-new) worked 1,053 hours over the course of 6 days — running chainsaws, loppers & hand-saws and hauling brush — with no accidents/incidents. Friends of Sleeping Bear Ambassadors continue to monitor the trail and remove weakened trees that continue to fall.
The Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail is a project of the Leelanau Scenic Heritage Route Committee (LSHR). Trail development is a partnership between the LSHR Committee, the Michigan Department of Transportation, Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, Friends of Sleeping Bear Dunes, and TART Trails. Funding for trail development comes from federal and state grants, foundations, and individual donations.
Traverse Area Recreation and Transportation (TART) Trails, Inc. is a nonprofit 501 (c)(3) organization working to enrich the region by providing a network of trails, bikeways and pedestrian ways; and encouraging their use. For more information about TART Trails, please visit www.traversetrails.org
Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore is a unit of the National Park Service established in 1970. The Lakeshore preserves the outstanding natural and cultural heritage of the area so that all may experience and appreciate it. Significant resources of the Lakeshore include forests, beaches, dunes, and glacial landforms, as well as maritime, agricultural, and recreational historic features.
Find Your Park The National Park Service is beginning to plan its upcoming 2016 Centennial Celebration. The goal of the Centennial is to connect with and create the next generation of park visitors, supporters, and advocates. To do that, the NPS is inviting everyone to “Find Your Park”! Find Your Park is a way for all of us to share the way we enjoy our parks on social media. If you are out having fun on the Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail, you can share your photos or videos using #findyourpark, or by posting on findyourpark.com.
Volunteers are needed to help pull branches and throw them back into the woods. With enough help a chipper can be operated, which would be the preferred method of disposing of this wall of tree branches and limbs that line the trail…
As part of the grant, Friends of Sleeping Bear Dunes will help by providing volunteers to assist Cindy with the assessments. The volunteers will record data, measure trail width and note trail obstructions. Cindy will train volunteers as they work.
Mary Ann and Dave Borton have been leading the effort to remove the invasive plants and weeds to give the dune grass a chance to establish itself.
