There is a moment on the Empire Bluff Trail that Michiganders like to keep to themselves. You walk through a cool, quiet forest, the path opens onto a wooden boardwalk, and then the world simply falls away: a sweep of crystal-blue Lake Michigan, a golden beach curving north, and the great pale shoulder of the Sleeping Bear Dunes rising above the water. It is one of those views that makes people stop talking.
“Golden dunes, crystal-blue water and wildflowers everywhere. Empire Bluff is pure magic.”
by Kara
Where exactly is Empire Bluff?
Empire Bluff sits inside Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, just outside the small village of Empire, in the northwest corner of Michigan’s Lower Peninsula. If you picture the famous Michigan “mitten”, it is up near the tip of the little finger, right on the shore of Lake Michigan.
The trail is short and family-friendly. It climbs gently through a beech and maple forest, passes a few open clearings, and ends on a boardwalk overlook high above the lake. From the top you can follow the shoreline north toward the dunes and Pyramid Point, look down on the turquoise shallows and the calm waters of South Bar Lake, and, on a clear day, spot the Manitou Islands floating on the horizon.
The colors locals talk about
Ask anyone who has stood on the bluff and they will describe the same three things: the sand, the water and the flowers. In summer the shallows turn a Caribbean shade of turquoise that surprises first-time visitors who never expected a lake to look like that. The bluff itself is covered in grasses and wildflowers that sway in the breeze off the water, and in autumn the forest below lights up in red, orange and gold.
Tourists come for the view. Michiganders come back for it, year after year, with kids, grandparents, dogs and cameras. “Up north” is more than a direction in Michigan, it is a feeling, and Empire Bluff is one of the places that defines it.
The legend of the Sleeping Bear
The dunes take their name from an Anishinaabe legend. A mother bear and her two cubs swam across Lake Michigan to escape a great fire. The mother reached the shore and lay down on the bluff to wait. Her cubs never made it, and the Great Spirit raised two islands where they were lost: North and South Manitou. The mother bear still watches over them as the Sleeping Bear. Once you know the story, it is hard to look out from Empire Bluff without searching the horizon for the islands.
Proud to be a Michigander
Michigan is the Great Lakes State, the only state made of two peninsulas, and home to people who will hold up a hand to show you exactly where they live. That pride shows up everywhere: on the dashboard, on the fridge, on a jacket at a football game, on the key ring of a student heading off to college.
The Michigan state flag carries the state coat of arms on a deep blue field, with an elk and a moose standing guard and the word Tuebor, “I will defend”. The Great Seal adds the state motto: Si quaeris peninsulam amoenam circumspice, “If you seek a pleasant peninsula, look about you.” Standing on Empire Bluff, it is easy to see what they meant.
Take a piece of Michigan home
At Worldwide Souvenirs we make keepsakes with the official Michigan state flag and the Great Seal of Michigan, the perfect way to remember a trip up north or to show your Michigan pride wherever you live.
- Michigan state flag pin and Michigan state seal pin, for jackets, hats and backpacks.
- Michigan flag mug and Michigan seal mug, for that first coffee looking out at the lake.
- Round, square, vertical and horizontal Michigan flag magnets.
- Metal keychain, acrylic keychain and wristlet keychain.
- Bottle opener magnet, lanyard and woven wristband for summer weekends.
- Cufflinks and tie clip for proud Michiganders in a suit.
- Purse mirrors and buttons in flag and seal versions.
For shops, park stores and visitor centers
Run a gift shop in Traverse City, a park store near the Lakeshore or a visitor center anywhere in the Great Lakes State? Every Michigan design is available at wholesale, in the same formats as all 50 states, so you can build a Michigan wall that sells all season. Plan your Michigan wall or ask for a wholesale quote.
Before you go
Empire Bluff is part of a national park, so check the National Park Service website for current conditions, entrance passes and trail updates before your visit. Bring water, wear good shoes, stay on the trail and boardwalk to protect the fragile bluff, and plan to linger at the top. Sunset is spectacular, and so is a bright sunny afternoon when the water is at its bluest.
And when you get there, look around. As the motto says, you have found your pleasant peninsula.
Stock this in your store
Wholesale quotes for gift shops, museums and visitor centers.
Are you a retailer? Wholesale orders: orders@theworldwidesouvenirs.com
