Another trip to Sleeping Bear

Once again, I headed up to Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore very early yesterday morning, this time to catch the sunrise on Otter and Bass Lakes. The two lakes are a stone’s throw from each other south of Empire. After breakfast, I took a short walk up to Lookout Point on the Bay View Trail and then a longer hike on the trail at the old Treat Farm. That trail climbs up a dune the top of which offers a dramatic 360 degree view. After lunch, I came home along M22, through Frankfort, Arcadia, Portage Lake and Manistee, stopping to climb the Arcadia Bluff lookout. A spectacular day up north.

Otter Lake

Bass Lake

The view from Lookout Point on the Bay View Trail 

The Treat Farm Trail

The path to the Treat Farm begins at the Tweedle Farm on Norconk Road. The Tweedle family settled in the area around 1840 and established their farm at this location around 1895.

(The following photos have captions. To read them, scroll over the photo.)

Looking southeast from the bluff above the Treat Farm.

Overlooking Platte Bay towards Point Betsie.

Looking northwest over Empire Bluff to the Manitou Passage.

The trail circles back along a steep dune to the old Treat Farm in the distance.

The Arcadia Bluff Overlook