Cottonwood Trail -Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore – September 2, 2013
The Cottonwood Trail located at stop #4 on the Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive is great place to get out of your car and see some of this spectacular scenery up close. The tail has a lot of soft sand, but overall it is an easy hike that is good for small children.
The Cottonwood Trail from the National Park Service Website: “Starting at this trailhead, you can take a l.5 mile walk on the dunes. The trail is strenuous in places but will give you a close look at the beauty and diversity of the dunes. You will see areas that are stabilized with native dune vegetation such as bearberry and buffaloberry.
This is one of the few places where you can even see a birch tree on the dunes. In some places, wind erosion has produced bowl-shaped dunes known as blowouts, while in other places, the build-up of sand has partially buried living trees. Perhaps you will see some colorful wildflowers or tracks in the sand that reveal the elusive wildlife of the dunes. Take the time to get acquainted with this unique environment. Please stay on the designated trail.”
It was Labor Day morning 2012 and our friends that we were camping with had already packed up and left. We were still not ready to give up on the summer camping season just yet so we decided to go for a hike before heading home. It was cool, cloudy and the forecast was for scattered showers, but the radar looked clear so we went back to the Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive to hike the Cottonwood Trail.
Reid took off running down the trail to find the “clues.”
Looking back down the trail. With all the running we had a pretty good lead on the girls.
After about a 0.5 mile of running it was time for a break.
About at halfway through the loop you come to an overlook above the Dune Climb and Glen Lake. When we arrived here we saw that the radar was wrong. In the top left of the photo you can see the rain moving in from the north.
Reesey getting a closer look at the rain.
The girls with Glen Lake in the background.
Heading back as light rain started to fall.
The kids returned with the sequel to the “Walking in the Falls” song. This time it was “Walking in the Rain. ”
After about a mile of running Reid was ready for a ride. We made it back just before the heavy rain started. We were lucky to just get a little damp on the hike.
View Cotton Wood Trail 9/2/2013 10:25am in a larger map
The track from our hike in Google Maps. It took us about 50 minutes to complete the 1.5 miles loop.
For more on this hike and other kid friendly hike in Sleeping Bear see: Best Hikes with Children in Michigan
Our Favorites:
Backpacking in Michigan has always been one of my favorite Michigan guidebooks. It highlights 50 trails that range from an easy overnight at the hike-in sites at Ludington State Park to a week long adventure on Isle Royale. I have read it cover to cover at least a couple times and have found that it is also a good resource for planning shorter day hikes on portions of the the trails.
Like all of the books written by Mr. DuFresne, there are well written trail descriptions and nice maps of each outing. This book also includes 65 photos.
Find Backpacking in Michigan on Amazon >>
Advertising Disclosure: We may receive a commission if you click a link on our site and purchase one of the products or services that we recommend.
Leave a Reply