Warren Dunes State Park

Michigan is home to 103 state parks/recreation areas, as well as five national parks. That is a lot of ground for nature enthusiasts to cover. However, if you are traveling in from the west, then the very first introduction to this vast regional system is sure to be a memorable one. Warren Dunes State Park occupies a small but idyllic stretch of Lake Michigan's southeast shoreline. Here, lumbering dunes (some as tall as 260 feet) meet wide, sandy beaches, and the inviting waters of one of the world's largest freshwater lakes. I had the opportunity to explore Warren Dunes on a sunny day in late April. Though amenities were limited (everything opens Memorial Day weekend), I still got a sense of the beauty and potential of this park.

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Geography

A sand swept road leads past a dune and toward a beachside parking lot — A cool stretch of road connecting the two beachside/duneside parking areas. Photo: Andrew Douglas

Warren Dunes State Park is a 1,952-acre geographical rectangle in the far southwest corner of Michigan's Lower Peninsula. It simultaneously occupies a three-mile section of southeastern Lake Michigan (i.e. one of the five Great Lakes). The small city of Bridgman marks its northeastern boundary, while the community of Sawyer (also within Berrien County), to which the state park officially belongs, defines its southwestern limit.

Being just 20 miles from the Indiana border, Warren Dunes makes for a great day-trip for residents of South Bend (35 miles to the southeast), Fort Wayne (125 miles southeast), and the state capital, Indianapolis (just under 200 miles south), as well as Chicago, Illinois, which hugs the opposite shore, a mere 85 miles away. In terms of nearby Michigan hubs, Grand Rapids is roughly 100 miles to the north-northeast, the state capital, Lansing, sits 140 miles to the northeast, and Detroit, lies a little over 200 miles to the east. No matter how you get there, look for the State Park Road turn-off from the Red Arrow Highway (i.e. a subsidiary of I-94).

Ecology

Sandy trails weave through a series of tree and wild grass-lined dunes. A sliver of Lake Michigan can be seen in the background — The trails, wild grasses, and coastal forests all share the dune landscape. Photo: Andrew Douglas.

While the dunes and beaches are the marquee attractions, Warren Dunes State Park also harbors interdunal wetlands and coastal/backdune forests that are important for biodiversity of both native flora and fauna, and migratory birds and butterflies. Some of the most commonly-spotted animals include: whitetail deer, foxes, turkeys, rabbits, chipmunks, squirrels, and depending on the time of year, any number of the 350 species of birds known to occur here. Monarch butterflies can also be seen resting in the state park during their late summer/early fall migration from Canada to Mexico.

The wild grasses that cover parts of the sand dunes serve to stabilize the fluid ecosystem. For this reason, be sure to stick to established trails when exploring the dunes. Warren Dunes State Park has done a good job of weaving slim, low-impact routes through the grassy sections. There are also huge bare slopes that are fair-game for sandboarding, hang gliding, and simply racing down on foot. I myself had a lovely (albeit challenging!) run during my visit.

History

A pristine yet hulking sand dune leads toward a clear blue sky — Just about to crest one of the strikingly bare (and behemoth) dunes to reveal a panorama of Lake Michigan. Photo: Andrew Douglas

The colossal dunes continually shift and even migrate with the strong Midwest winds, but the sands that compose them were formed at the end of the last Ice Age (i.e. Pleistocene Epoch). The mile-thick glaciers that dominated the northern half of North America between 1.8 million to 10,000 years ago slowly ground away at the rocky terrain to create the now-beloved geological powder. Then, once the last of the southernmost glaciers melted, the Great Lakes were created. As the water levels stabilized (i.e. lowered), pristine beaches were exposed. Another incorrigible force of the planet then got to work blowing truckloads of sand into the mini mountains we see today.

Speaking of the modern era, both Warren Dunes State Park and nearby Warren Woods State Park are named after businessman/inventor, Edward K. Warren (1847-1919). After a period of financial success, Warren turned to philanthropy - purchasing swaths of land near his home of Three Oaks, Michigan, that would eventually be donated to the state. Warren Dunes State Park was officially established in 1930.

Amenities/Attractions:

A couple tries their hand at sand boarding on a small dune beside a lovely Lake Michigan beach — A couple practices their sandboarding skills in preparation for the 260-foot-tall dunes. Photo: Andrew Douglas

Three miles of wide sandy beaches with designated swimming areas
Beachside pavilion with washrooms and concessions
Six miles of hiking trails (year-round); cross-country ski/snowshoe trails (winter)
Dog friendly trails, campgrounds, and beach section (with leash)
Wheelchair accessible pathways and all-terrain track chairs available for free rental
Two campgrounds (one large/serviced, another smaller/unserviced), youth tent area & mini cabins
General store
Weekly programs led by a resident naturalist
Multiple large parking lots

Popular Activities:

Hiking
Bird-watching
Photography
Swimming/sunbathing
Sandboarding
Hang-gliding (permit pending)
Fishing
Boating
Paddling
Hunting in designated areas (with permission)
Metal detecting

The Drawbacks

A small blue van sits alone in a large beach parking lot — My humble Ford Transit camper sits lonely in a large parking lot. Here, the off season greatly contrasts the summer swell. Photo: Andrew Douglas

Warren Dunes has a lot going for it, but it is also a rather dichotomous place. During the summer, the park is open from 8am until 10pm, and all facilities are rockin' and rollin'. In fact, campsites are notoriously difficult to book on short notice. However, even though I arrived on a beautiful, warm, sunny day at the end of April, I was met with a half-open and somewhat unenthusiastic park. The entrance gate was closed (visitors were responsible for self-registering/paying the $11 cash fee), the bathrooms were closed, the campgrounds were closed (even the primitive sites), and the park itself closed at 5:30pm.

By contrast, Indiana Dunes State Park, which I had visited the previous day (along the exact same shoreline), had park rangers working the booth, heated bathrooms in operation, a lively campground, and it stayed open until 11pm (for after all, the post-sunset glow was still lingering at 9pm).

On a personal note, I felt like the officials at Warren Dunes were more concerned with enforcing rules than welcoming visitors to what is supposed to be public land. For example, if you have hired someone to drive around and penalize guests who failed to self-register, why not just have that person work the entrance booth? Perhaps there is more than meets the eye, but the general reception was still palpably colder than at the Indiana equivalent - a mere 35 miles to the southwest.

Another potential downside for some visitors will be the lack of designated biking trails. With that said, bicycles are allowed on the park roads.

Final Thoughts

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Despite the off-season protocols and large summer crowds, Warren Dunes State Park still shines brightly. The crisp blue waters, flat sandy beaches, epic dunes, and intertwining vegetation all work in arresting harmony. So whether you're looking to sprawl out on the beach, or burn boatloads of calories in god's gym (for there really is no feeling quite like sprinting down a steep sandy slope), Warren Dunes is the place to be.