Trails, docks, farms, markets.

A 1.5-mile round trip through beech-maple forest and open dune grass, ending on a bluff more than 400 feet above Lake Michigan with Empire, South Bar Lake, and the Sleeping Bear dune field laid out below. Six interpretive posts mark the geological history along the way. A short staircase near the end is the only real obstacle — otherwise it's an easy, family-length hike. Park entrance fee applies: $25 per vehicle for seven days.

Little Glen Lake doesn't have a formal beach, but this grassy picnic area off M-109 — a short walk from the Dune Climb parking lot — is the closest thing to one: restrooms, picnic tables, and enough shoreline to carry a kayak or paddleboard in from the car. The water here is warm and shallow compared to the open lake, which is why it fills up on a hot July afternoon before the dune parking does.

A township picnic ground on Big Glen Lake's south end, on CR 675 near Burdickville — grass down to the water, a place to launch a canoe without a ramp, and Laker Shakes right next door for the walk back. Quieter than the Narrows on a weekend, since most boat traffic passes it by heading for the marinas further north. No lifeguard, no concession — bring what you need.

North Bar Lake sits just inland of Lake Michigan at Empire, separated from the big lake by a narrow sandbar that opens and closes with the seasons. The water here runs warmer and calmer than Lake Michigan proper, which is the trade locals make on a windy day — walk the sandbar out and you can stand in both lakes within a few steps of each other.

Public Lake Michigan access at the end of Lake Street, close enough to walk from Art's Tavern or the Cherry Republic campus without moving the car. It's a narrower strip than the beaches out toward Glen Haven, but the convenience is the point — a quick swim between errands in town rather than a planned trip out to the dunes.

Sleeping Bear Bay's beach at Glen Haven, a few miles up M-109 from the Dune Climb — the shallow, protected water on this side of the point stays calmer than the open lake past Sleeping Bear Point. The historic village buildings sit just back from the sand, so it doubles as a stop if you're touring the cannery and general store on the same drive.

Empire's own Lake Michigan beach, a short walk from downtown via M-22 — the easiest swim access if you're staying in town rather than driving out toward Glen Haven or the Dune Climb. A grain elevator visible from the sand is Empire's own landmark, a reminder the town worked the water long before tourism did. Parking is free and rarely full outside a holiday weekend.

Behind the township hall on Western Avenue, one morning a week — local produce, baked goods, and Leelanau cherries in whatever form that week's vendors brought them. The season is short, mid-June through mid-September, so a spring or October visit to Glen Arbor means missing it entirely. Tuesday only; there's no rain-date culture here, vendors set up regardless.

Parked right on the Narrows bridge, where Big and Little Glen meet — walk down the dock and step aboard rather than hauling a trailer. The rental fleet runs pontoons, jet skis, fishing boats, sailboats, kayaks, and canoes, plus one-on-one water-ski and wakeboard lessons. Memorial Day through September only. Book online for a summer weekend; the Narrows location means this is the first marina to fill.

On Big Glen's sandy north shore, running boats since 1946 — a 32-slip marina with a gas dock, plus pontoons, tri-toons, and ski boats for rent by the hour or the day. The rental season closes on Labor Day, earlier than most; for a September week on the water, Glen Craft sends its own customers to sister property On The Narrows Marina instead, which stays open into fall.

A two-lane concrete ramp with a dock and gravel parking on Little Glen's north shore, off Day Forest Road near the Narrows Bridge — close to the Dune Climb but a several-minute drive from it, not directly beside it. Handles boats up to 20–25 feet. No fee, no attendant, and noticeably less crowded than the marina docks a half-mile away on a summer Saturday.

The 450-foot wall of sand that drops straight into Little Glen Lake — climb it and the payoff is a view back across the water instead of forward into more dune. Kids treat the descent as the whole point; the climb up is the part that humbles adults in July heat. Park entrance fee applies. Go at 9am or after 5pm in summer — midday sand temperatures make the climb genuinely uncomfortable.

A numbered-stop loop drive through the dune field, ending at an overlook where the bluff drops more than 400 feet straight to Lake Michigan — one of the most photographed views in the park. Included in the standard park entrance fee, no extra charge. It closes for the season once the road can't be plowed, typically sometime after the first real snow, and doesn't reopen until spring.

The park's headquarters and the place to start before the Dune Climb or Pierce Stocking — exhibits, a park film, and rangers who know which trail is actually shaded on a 90-degree afternoon. It's in the village of Empire itself, not out at the dunes, so it's an easy stop on the way in rather than a special trip. Pass sales here went cashless in 2023 — bring a card.

A preserved 19th-century farming community a few miles north of Glen Arbor on M-22 — working farmhouses, barns, and fields left as they stood a century ago, with a self-guided driving or walking tour through the district. The Port Oneida Fair runs the second Friday and Saturday of August, with horse-drawn wagons and demonstrations of the farming techniques that built the place. Quiet enough most weekdays that you'll have a farmstead to yourself.

Nearly 200 cherry products under one roof in the Great Hall — salsa, barbecue sauce, chocolate-covered dried cherries, all built around the Montmorency and Balaton crops grown a few miles inland. Free sampling is the whole model here; walk the aisles and taste before buying. The campus also holds the winery tasting room and the Public House restaurant, connected by garden paths, so budget more than a quick gift-shop stop.

Kayak, canoe, and paddleboard rentals for the Crystal River, which carries paddlers from Glen Lake's outlet to Lake Michigan through a gentle, sandy-bottomed current shallow enough for kids. The 2–3 hour trip passes deer, blue heron, and the occasional bald eagle. On-site retail shops sell apparel and run evening wine tastings with live music in summer. Open daily, 9 to 7 — book ahead for a July Saturday.

A mile of Lake Michigan beachfront wrapped around a full resort — golf, skiing, tennis, a spa, multiple restaurants — a short drive from Glen Lake itself rather than on it. Open to day visitors as well as guests, though beach access and some amenities are easiest to use if you're staying on property. The winter side runs skiing and snowshoeing on the same hill that's a golf course in July.

The Homestead's golf course, laid out through the same wooded terrain the resort skis in winter — not a lake-adjacent course, but close enough that a morning round and an afternoon on Glen Lake fit into the same day. Open to the public, not just resort guests. Tee times go fast on a summer Saturday; call ahead rather than driving over and hoping.

A family-run craft chocolate maker in Empire, working with clean ingredients and small batches rather than a mass-market recipe — the kind of chocolate shop that ships nationally but still feels like a local stop first. The gelato and sweets counter runs separately next door with its own hours. Worth the short detour off M-22 even for someone who wasn't planning to buy chocolate that day.

A drive-in movie theater in Benzie County, roughly 20 minutes south of Empire on M-22 and M-115 — current releases, a diner counter, and a box office that opens at 7:30 with the first movie at dusk. It's a real trip, not a stop on the way home, but it's one of the few drive-ins still running new releases rather than nostalgia double-features. Bring a radio or use the car's; the sound runs through your dashboard.