Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive: All 12 Stops + 2026 Platform Update

Last Updated: August 2026

The Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive is a 7.4-mile one-way loop inside Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore with 12 numbered stops, climbing from forest to a 450-foot bluff above Lake Michigan. It’s the easiest way to see the dunes if you only have a few hours — and the most photographed drive in northern Michigan for good reason.

I’ve driven Pierce Stocking dozens of times in every season — bringing visiting friends, scouting for FOX 17 segments, chasing fall color, and once on cross-country skis when the road was closed to cars. I’ve also covered northern Michigan travel for WDIV Detroit long enough to know which of these 12 stops people actually remember afterward.

This guide walks all 12 stops in the current National Park Service order, with honest notes on which ones are worth the time, what’s accessible and what isn’t, where dogs can come along, and the one change that’s reshaped the most famous overlook on the route.

⚠️ The Lake Michigan Overlook Platform Is Gone — What Stop 9 Looks Like Now

The wooden viewing platform at Stop 9, the Lake Michigan Overlook — the most photographed spot on the entire drive — has been removed, and it is not coming back soon. Park staff dismantled it over roughly two weeks in spring 2025 after winter winds undercut the sand at its base and the western pilings no longer touched solid ground.

The platform was installed in 1986, well back from the dune face at the time, and drew roughly half a million visitors a year. The reason it failed is the dune itself: according to Sleeping Bear Superintendent Scott Tucker, the dune face migrates about one to three feet east every year. Over nearly four decades, the sand walked out from under the deck.

Tucker’s summary, quoted by the Leelanau Ticker, was blunt: “The sand had moved on.” Rather than barricade the deck and risk it collapsing 400 feet down the dune face, crews took it apart piece by piece. A 2028 planning study will decide what gets built next. A replacement deck is possible but not guaranteed.

Here’s what to actually expect at Stop 9 now:

• The parking lot is unchanged and still has accessible spots and vault toilets
• The paved path from the parking lot still exists, transitioning to loose sand near the bluff edge
• The view of Lake Michigan, North and South Manitou Islands, Sleeping Bear Point, and Point Betsie 15 miles south is unchanged — just no railing or formal platform
• Stay well back from the dune edge. The bluff is actively eroding and the sand at the lip is unstable

💡 PRO TIP: If Stop 9 feels less complete without the platform, Stop 3, the Dune Overlook, is the answer. It has a two-level ramped wooden deck, panoramic views of the dunes, Glen Lake, and the Manitou Islands, and it’s fully wheelchair accessible — the closest comparable experience on the drive, and the one I now send people to for the photo.

Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive Fees, Hours, and Rules

Park Fees in 2026

A park entrance pass is required. The park is completely cashless — it stopped taking cash in March 2023 — so bring a card or buy a digital pass at recreation.gov up to six months ahead.

• Private vehicle, 7-day: $25 — covers everyone in the car, at all park entry points
• Motorcycle, 7-day: $20 — admits up to two motorcycles with four total passengers
• Per person on foot or bike: $15 for anyone 16 and older. Under 16 is free
• Annual Sleeping Bear pass: $45 — pays for itself in two visits
• America the Beautiful pass: $80 for the resident annual — covers all NPS sites for a year. Seniors, military, visitors with a permanent disability, and families with a 4th grader qualify for free or discounted versions
• Remaining 2026 fee-free days: August 25, September 17, October 27, and November 11. Check the official Sleeping Bear fees page for the current list

One detail people miss: your pass has to be displayed in clear view in your vehicle, not just purchased. Failure to display can result in a fine even if you paid.

Season and Hours

The National Park Service opens Pierce Stocking to vehicles seasonally — generally late May through late October, weather dependent. Exact dates shift year to year, and Pierce Stocking is often the last area of the park to open for the season, so check park alerts before you drive up for it specifically.

The drive is closed to vehicles in winter and spring, but stays open to skiers, snowshoers, and hikers. Having 7.4 miles of dune road essentially to yourself in February is one of the most peaceful experiences in the park.

Speed Limit and Trailer Rules

The speed limit is 20 mph the entire way, and you genuinely won’t want to go faster — the road is one-way, narrow in spots, and bicyclists share it. Trailers are not allowed; the entrance parking lot on the right as you turn in is the recommended spot to leave one, and it has vault toilets. Maximum vehicle clearance is 13 feet 6 inches.

Accessibility on the Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive

Most of Pierce Stocking can be experienced from the car, which makes it one of the more accessible national park scenic drives anywhere. According to the National Park Service, accessible parking and toilets are available at four locations:

• Entrance trailer parking area — vault toilets
• Picnic Mountain at Stop 3 — running water, flush toilets, and a hard-surfaced picnic area with table and raised grill
• Stop 9 Lake Michigan Overlook — accessible parking and vault toilets. The platform is gone and the path becomes loose sand near the bluff
• Stop 11 North Bar Lake Overlook — accessible parking, vault toilets, and a fairly flat picnic area. No running water here

Stop 3 Dune Overlook is the standout — a ramped two-level deck lined with benches delivers panoramic views without leaving paved surface, and the same view is visible from the circle drive if getting out isn’t an option. If you only have time for one stop with a view, make it Stop 3.

Stops 9 and 10 are not wheelchair accessible — both require a steep asphalt path that transitions to loose sand. Track wheelchairs are available for trail use elsewhere in the park; reserve through the visitor center in advance.

Bringing Your Dog on the Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive

Yes — leashed dogs are allowed on the Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive itself. They can ride in your car, hop out at any of the parking-lot stops with you, and walk the paved areas. They’re also allowed on the Cottonwood Trail at Stop 4, which is the only trail through the dune system where dogs are permitted.

Dogs are not allowed on any of the other dune trails, including the Dune Climb, Empire Bluff, Pyramid Point, or Sleeping Bear Point. Bring water, watch for hot pavement in summer, and never leave a dog in the car while you walk down the bluff at Stop 9 — the climb back up is much harder and longer than it looks.

All 12 Stops on the Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive

A note before you go: the NPS has adjusted the stop numbering, and older guides (including an earlier version of this one) still use the old order. What follows matches the numbered signs you’ll actually see on the road as of the 2026 season.

Stop 1: The Covered Bridge

Pierce Stocking himself planned this 13’6″ covered bridge as part of the original drive. Covered bridges are uncommon in northern Michigan — they’re more associated with Indiana and Pennsylvania — and the wooden cover protects the structure from rot in Michigan’s wet snow seasons. There’s a small pull-off right before the bridge for photos.

Stop 2: Glen Lake Overlook

Glen Lake’s water is the same turquoise that gets people commenting on Michigan photos online. The viewing platform here delivers the panoramic shot. The lake is split by M-22 at the narrows into Big Glen (130 feet deep) and Little Glen (12 feet deep) — which is why the two halves photograph as completely different colors. Look across the water for Alligator Hill, named for the reptile-like silhouette left by the last Ice Age.

Stop 3: Picnic Mountain and the Dune Overlook

The NPS groups these two together as Stop 3, and it’s now arguably the best stop on the entire drive. The Dune Overlook’s ramped two-level deck is the only top-tier panoramic view here that’s fully wheelchair accessible — sweeping vistas of North and South Manitou Islands, Pyramid Point, Sleeping Bear Bay, the dunes, Glen Lake and Alligator Hill, the Little Glen Mill Pond, and the historic D.H. Day farm with its huge white barn.

You’re standing on one of the tallest perched dunes in the park — roughly 200 feet of sand on glacial moraine bluffs. With Stop 9’s platform gone, this is where I send anyone who wants the definitive “I drove Pierce Stocking” photograph.

Picnic Mountain is the best stop on the drive for an actual meal break: hard-surfaced picnic area, raised grills, running water, flush toilets, and accessible parking. It’s the only place on the loop with running water.

Stop 4: Cottonwood Trailhead

A 1.5-mile loop hike through the dunes — strenuous in spots and exposed to sun the whole way, but doable. This is the only trail in the entire dune system where leashed dogs are allowed. Watch for animal tracks in the open sand: it’s surprisingly active in early morning and evening. Bring water and shoes you don’t mind filling with sand.

Stop 5: Leaving the Sand Dunes

Honestly, this is one you can read from the car. The marker explains the transition from dune to beech-maple forest as wind energy from Lake Michigan tapers off inland. No real reason to park.

Stop 6: Dune Ecology

A short interpretive stop explaining how the dunes formed and how they continue to migrate — which, after what happened at Stop 9, reads a little differently than it used to. Most people skim through in five minutes, but if you have kids working on Junior Ranger badges, this is the one to actually read.

Stop 7: Beech Maple Forest

Suddenly you’re in a shady canopy of sugar maple, beech, black cherry, hemlock, and basswood. This is the stop that earns its keep in October — the canopy turns brilliant red, gold, and yellow, and it’s one of the best fall color stretches inside any Michigan park. Watch for deer, squirrels, and chipmunks moving through the understory.

Stop 8: Changes in Time

The last glaciers melted from this area about 11,800 years ago, and the marker reflects on how the landscape has shifted since. Interesting if you’re moving slowly, skippable if your kids are getting restless before Stop 9.

Stop 9: Lake Michigan Overlook

The single most famous stop on the drive, and the one that’s changed most. The wooden platform that stood here for nearly 40 years came down in spring 2025 (full details above). What remains is still extraordinary: a 450-foot vantage point over Lake Michigan, the Sleeping Bear bluffs, North and South Manitou Islands, and Point Betsie 15 miles south. The parking lot and accessible toilets are unchanged.

💡 PRO TIP: Do not climb down the dune face. The descent is loose sand, the climb back up takes most people one to two hours, and rescues happen every summer at this stop — the NPS charges roughly $3,000 for them. Look out, take the photograph, and turn around.

Stop 10: Sleeping Bear Dune Overlook

This stop looks out toward the actual remaining Sleeping Bear Dune, formed roughly 2,000 years ago by Lake Michigan winds. According to the NPS, the dune stood 230 feet tall at its historic peak, was down to 132 feet by 1961, and to 103 feet by 1980. Wave erosion at the base of the plateau and constant wind keep wearing it down. The Bear is, slowly, disappearing. Like Stop 9, this overlook is not wheelchair accessible — steep asphalt followed by loose sand.

Stop 11: North Bar Lake Overlook and Picnic Area

North Bar Lake formed when sand built up between Lake Michigan and a freshwater pond behind it. The sandbar shifts every season — sometimes there’s a connecting channel, sometimes not. Running between the warm water of North Bar and the cold of Lake Michigan is a Sleeping Bear ritual that goes back generations. Accessible parking, vault toilets, and a flat picnic area, plus a panorama that extends to Empire Bluff.

Stop 12: Pine Plantation

The rows of identical-height pines are the giveaway: these were planted intentionally, long before this land became a national lakeshore. According to the NPS, property owners planted them to prevent soil erosion, create windbreaks, harvest timber, and build wildlife habitat. A quiet ending to the loop.

Who Was Pierce Stocking?

Worth knowing, because it explains why the road exists at all. Pierce Stocking was a lumberman, not a park planner. He walked these bluffs on his own time and decided other people should be able to see what he was seeing.

He’d built roads in difficult terrain before, so he built this one. It opened in 1967 as a private attraction, and Stocking ran it himself until his death in 1976. It became part of the National Lakeshore in 1977 and was renamed in his honor a few years later.

Best Time to Drive Pierce Stocking

October is the standout month. Fall color along the drive — especially through the beech-maple stretch and from the bluff overlooks — is some of the best in northern Michigan, and crowds thin significantly after Labor Day. Just watch the closing date, since the road shuts to vehicles in late October and wet leaves on the steep grades can make it hazardous before then.

Summer weekdays are next best — peak green, but parking at Stops 9 and 11 fills by late morning on weekends. Winter and spring close the road to cars and open it to skiers and snowshoers, which is the version of Pierce Stocking almost nobody sees. See my winter at Sleeping Bear Dunes guide.

Pair Pierce Stocking With These Stops

Pierce Stocking is a one-to-two-hour experience. Build a half day or full day around it with these:

• Glen Haven Village — 10 minutes from the drive exit. Restored historic port village with a general store, maritime museum, and accessible Glen Haven Beach next door
• Glen Arbor — the closest town for lunch (Art’s Tavern is the classic), shopping, and Glen Lake access
• Pyramid Point Trail — a 2.7-mile hike with one of the best bluff views in the park, if you’re up for a real workout
• Empire — the park’s southern gateway, home to the Philip A. Hart Visitor Center and good restaurants
• Traverse City — 30 minutes east. Wineries, dining, and the Old Mission Peninsula
• Point Betsie Lighthouse — 15 miles south near Frankfort, an easy add-on. See my guide to Lake Michigan lighthouses to build a loop

For the full park hub — beaches, hikes, where to eat, where to stay, and complete itineraries — start with my Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore guide.

Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive FAQ

How long does the Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive take?

The 7.4-mile loop takes 1 to 2 hours, depending on how many of the 12 stops you walk. A drive-through with brief stops at Stops 1, 3, 9, and 11 takes about an hour. Stopping at all 12 with short walks is closer to 2 hours.

Is the Lake Michigan Overlook platform open in 2026?

No. The wooden platform at Stop 9 was removed in spring 2025 after winter winds destabilized the pilings. The parking area, accessible toilets, and the view from the bluff edge remain open, but there is no platform or railing. The NPS has a 2028 planning study scheduled to determine what gets built next, and a replacement deck is not guaranteed.

Why was the Sleeping Bear Dunes overlook platform removed?

The dune moved out from under it. The platform was installed in 1986 well back from the dune face, but the dune migrates roughly one to three feet east each year. By spring 2025 the western pilings no longer touched solid ground, and park staff dismantled the structure over about two weeks rather than risk a collapse down the dune face.

Are dogs allowed on Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive?

Yes. Leashed dogs are allowed on the drive itself and at the parking-lot stops. They’re also permitted on the Cottonwood Trail at Stop 4 — the only trail through the dunes that allows dogs. Dogs are not allowed on the Dune Climb, Empire Bluff, Pyramid Point, or other dune trails.

Is Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive wheelchair accessible?

Most of the drive can be experienced from the car. Accessible parking and toilets are available at four spots: the entrance lot, Picnic Mountain at Stop 3, Lake Michigan Overlook at Stop 9, and North Bar Lake Overlook at Stop 11. The Dune Overlook at Stop 3 has a ramped wooden deck and is the best fully accessible viewing spot. Stops 9 and 10 require walking on steep asphalt and loose sand.

How much does Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive cost in 2026?

A 7-day Sleeping Bear Dunes private vehicle pass is $25, a motorcycle pass is $20, and entry on foot or bike is $15 per person 16 and older. An annual Sleeping Bear pass is $45, and the America the Beautiful resident annual pass is $80. The park is cashless, so bring a card or buy a digital pass at recreation.gov.

When does Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive open and close for the season?

The National Park Service opens the drive to vehicles generally from late May through late October, weather dependent. Exact dates shift year to year, and Pierce Stocking is often the last area of the park to open. In winter and spring the road is closed to vehicles but open to cross-country skiers, snowshoers, and hikers.

What is the best stop on the Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive?

Stop 3, the Dune Overlook. With the Stop 9 platform gone, Stop 3’s ramped two-level deck offers the best panoramic view on the drive, it’s fully wheelchair accessible, and Picnic Mountain is right there with running water and flush toilets. Stop 9 still has the higher, more dramatic view of Lake Michigan itself.