The 35-mile stretch of shoreline along Lake Michigan comprises forests, dunes, glacially-formed landscapes, and photogenic beaches. Named for one large dune that was said to resemble a sleeping bear (the Indigenous legend takes a few different forms), Sleeping Bear was designated by the U.S. Congress as a national lakeshore in 1970.

The shore is dotted with lighthouses to better help ships safely navigate the unpredictable waters; today, visitors who are able to climb 117 steps up a spiral staircase can take in sweeping views of the Manitou Passage from the observation deck atop the 100-foot-tall South Manitou Lighthouse (active from 1871 to 1958).

The Maritime Museum offers opportunities to learn about the U.S. Coast Guard with displays featuring life-saving equipment and other early 20th-century artifacts from the Great Lakes shipping industry.

Pictured Rocks was the first of the three designated national lakeshores in the U.S. The 42-mile-long stretch of Lake Superior falls in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula and comprises 10 inland lakes, nearly 100 miles of hiking trails, and 15 miles of colorful sandstone cliffs that give the lakeshore its name.

Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore is home to a circa-1870s light station on Au Sable Point. Continually staffed until the Coast Guard left in 1958, the lighthouse became fully automated in 1958 and today is operated by a small solar-powered light. Be prepared for a 1.5-mile walk (one way) to the lighthouse from the parking lot through a campground; don’t miss the exposed shipwreck remains on the beach below.

The only designated lakeshore outside of Michigan, Apostle Islands National Lakeshore includes 21 islands and nearly 70,000 acres of Lake Superior shoreline in northern Wisconsin. There is plenty to see on the mainland, but while getting to the islands may be a bit challenging (there are no roads or vehicle access to any of the Apostle Islands within the National Lakeshore), the experience is well worth it.