Sleeping Bear Dunes nonmotorized pathway will be created

Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore already is a favorite among outdoors-folks of all types, including cyclers, hikers and campers. But soon there will be another connection made to help all of them get around the park.

 

The Michigan Department of Transportation has started work on a nonmotorized pathway at the celebrated dunes in Leelanau County. The paved, shared-use path will run along M-109 and M-22 in the national lakeshore, with its end points being the dune climb, a favorite of many visitors, and the northern village limit of Empire. Thus, the project's informal name; the dune climb pathway.

 

It'll serve to connect Empire and the dunes more directly and cut down on motorized traffic in the park, instead encouraging the use of bikes and feet along the new path.

 

The dune climb pathway is a joint effort between MDOT and the National Park Service, and is part of a larger plan to create a 27-mile nonmotorized path in Sleeping Bear Dunes, with the help of local trail groups. 

 

The project is estimated to be completed by June 27. During that time, a few shoulder closures on M-109 and M-22 will take place, but most of the work will take place off existing roads, within the park.