Sleeping Bear’s famous Lake Michigan Overlook platform has been removed due to erosion

Shifting sands forces park to tear down popular scenic overlook at Sleeping Bear Dunes

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — Visitors will notice a subtle change this year at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. Park officials say the popular Lake Michigan Overlook along the Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive has been torn down. “Strong winds undercut the sand at the base of the platform and the western pilings no longer touched solid ground,” the park wrote in a social media post. “The loss of structural integrity was an imminent safety conc…

Why is the Sleeping Bear Dunes overlook gone?

Migrating dunes are an iconic feature of West Michigan, but that also creates problems.

Sleeping Bear’s famous Lake Michigan Overlook platform has been removed due to erosion

EMPIRE, MI - Each year, thousands of visitors step out at stop #9 on Sleeping Bear Dune’s Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive and marvel at the view in front of them.