Volunteers at Sleeping Bear Dunes provide safety guidance, water and first aid to help prevent rescues

By Lindsay Moore
mlive.com

EMPIRE, Mich. — Michigan’s towering, 450-foot drop from the top of a sand dune down to Lake Michigan is famous for its views. It’s also infamous for its rescue stories—and hefty fee.

The dune climb at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore is notorious for luring in tourists and Michiganders who love to run top speed toward the water only to turn around and realize they can’t get back to the top.

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Just look at British TikTokers Josh and Jase, who regretted their sunset descent when it meant they were crawling up on all fours in the dark.

Visitors have probably seen the stark white signs at overlooks #9 and #10 warning people that the rescue service comes with an equally steep fee of $3,000.

Glen Lake Fire Department explained the number of personnel and wear on gear involved in the rescue is taxing on the department.

A decade ago, the local fire department was responding to rescue calls at Sleeping Bear Dunes’ #9 Overlook daily, sometimes multiple times per day, said Lieutenant Nate Perdue.

“I can personally recall performing a rescue on the #9 Overlook and before we made it back to the ambulance staging area, we received a second 911 call on the overlook, Perdue said.

In 2014, the nonprofit Friends of Sleeping Bear Dunes stepped in with a solution.

The Preventive Search and Rescue program, funded through donations and staffed by volunteers, stations helpers at high-impact areas of the park like the Dune Climb and 9 & 10 overlook sites.

Each summer, a park ranger trains 15-20 volunteers on preventive search and rescue.

Since the program started, the rescue responses have “dropped drastically,” Perdue said.

The Preventive Search and Rescue program received the highest awards bestowed by the National Park Service for outstanding visitor safety.

“Their efforts reduced preventable injuries within the park. Visitors were more empowered and equipped with knowledge to safely enjoy the park’s beautiful landscapes, while coordinated emergency response was greatly improved for when injuries did happen,” the NPS statement said.

This summer, the volunteers offered guidance, water, and first aid to more than 32,000 visitors at the Dune Climb and key overlooks.

Per week, they average more than 2,200 preventive contacts, according to Sleeping Bear Dunes data. Volunteers also conducted 51 hiker assists and responded to only 13 land-based search and rescue missions.

The Director’s Visitor Safety Achievement Award recognized the program’s efforts in 2025 when only eight calls were made all summer, according to Friends of Sleeping Bear data.

That’s a dramatic decrease from their benchmark of 56 major emergency calls at the Dune Climb and Lake Michigan Overlook from Memorial Day to Labor Day in one summer.

The NPS award also acknowledged the program “strengthened timely and unified emergency response with neighboring local agencies.”

When a visitor can’t make it back up the steep dune on their own, it takes all on-duty personnel from both Glen Lake fire stations, as well as several National Park Service rangers to pitch in on the rescue.

When it’s all hands on deck, first responders from outlying communities have to fill in if there is another local emergency while Glen Lake firefighters tend to a park rescue.

There are three different levels of rescue charge. These charges are calculated based on complexity of the rescue.

So far this year, rescue call numbers have been similar to previous years, Perdue said. He notes the department has responded more to the Dune Climb at this point than in past years.

For visitors who want to run down the dune, it’s recommended to arrange a ride and take a short half-mile walk south to be picked up at the North Bar Lake Access.

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