Several miles offshore, surrounded by the unpredictable waters of Lake Michigan, sit the Manitou Islands , tranquil and secluded. A Masterpiece of Ice, Wind, and Water Indians were the first to tell tales of how sand dunes and other features of the land were created. In more recent years scientists have sought to explain the complex geologic history of the area. An abundance of clues has helped. Fossils tell of some of the earliest history, when shallow warm seas covered this area.
More recent history is revealed in the landscape.
The shoreline, the hills and valleys, the many small lakes, and the sand dunes you see today are evidence that the powerful earth-moving forces of ice, wind, and water have been at work here. Often, geological changes occur slowly over millions of years, but here you can witness dramatic changes within your lifetime. Twice in this century landslides at Sleeping Bear Point sent large land masses plunging into Lake Michigan. In a matter of years, trees disappear as shifting dunes bury them under a blanket of sand. Such changes make Sleeping Bear Dunes an exciting place to visit and revisit.