Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore received delivery of a mobile visitor center to the park — just in time for its 50th anniversary today. If weather permits, park staff and the mobile visitor center will be popping up throughout the park today, Wednesday, October 21. If you spot the new visitor center out in the wild, park staff ask that you photograph and share it using the hashtag #SleepingBearOnTheRoad. 

Eventually, this custom-designed van will help park rangers reach people who don’t usually get to visit the National Lakeshore. According to a press release, park interpretive staff will be able to visit underserved communities throughout the state to bring them a bit of Sleeping Bear Dunes. The goal is to allow staff to help new audiences learn about the park, build their excitement to visit someday, and to understand the park's spectacular scenery, amazing geological and biological resources and maritime, agricultural, and indigenous history is all within their reach. Park staff will use this new tool to serve park visitors and people elsewhere in Michigan and neighboring states once it is again safe to do so.