MACKINAC ISLAND AND SLEEPING BEAR DUNES
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Camping in Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, northern Michigan, and the sites while biking Mackinac Island, originally the second national park.
Mackinac Island:
The name of Mackinac Island in Odawa is Michilimackinac and "Mitchimakinak" in Ojibwemowin meaning "Great Turtle". It is located in Lake Huron, at the eastern end of the Straits of Mackinac, between the state's Upper and Lower Peninsulas. Initially settled in 900 AD and by European explorers in the 1600s, Fort Mackinac was constructed by the British during the American Revolutionary War. It was the site of two battles during the War of 1812 before the northern border was settled and the US gained this island in its territory. Continuing to serve as a military fort, in the late 19th century, Mackinac Island also became a popular tourist attraction and summer colony. Because of its historic significance, the entire island is listed as a National Historic Landmark and became America's second National Park in 1875. When the fort was closed in 1895, Michigan was concerned as to the federal government's continued support, and the land was transferred back to the state to become Michigan's first State Park.
Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore:
Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore covers 35-mile-long of Lake Michigan's eastern coastline, as well as North and South Manitou islands. The park was authorized on October 21, 1970. In 2014, a section of the park was named the Sleeping Bear Dunes Wilderness by the United States Congress. The park is named after an Ojibwe legend of the sleeping bear. According to the legend, an enormous forest fire on the western shore of Lake Michigan drove a mother bear and her two cubs into the lake for shelter, determined to reach the opposite shore. Wind and erosion have caused the "bear" or dune and beach to be greatly reduced in size over the years. Glen Haven, a historic village encompassed within the park, existed as a company town from 1865 to 1931 and exists today as a restored port village.