Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore 2024 Visitor Use Study: Description of Users and Use Characteristics

Perry EE , Dvorak R, Kiewra LA , Krzemien S, Marocco SA. 2025. Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore 2024 Visitor Use Study: Description of Users and Use Characteristics. National Park Service

The 2024 Visitor Use Study at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore (SLBE) was conducted to better understand visitor characteristics, patterns of use, experiences, and perceptions across multiple sites within the park. This work builds upon a 2014 study, particularly at the Crystal and Platte Rivers, and provides a ten-year comparison of changes in visitation, motivations, and crowding perceptions. The study was also shaped by important contextual shifts: the park’s federal wilderness designation, a significant increase in visitation, and broader recreational changes associated with the COVID-19 pandemic.

Type
Unpublished Report
Authors
Perry, Elizabeth; Dvorak, Robert; Kiewra, Lydia; Krzemien, Sarah; Marocco, Shelby
Date of Issue
2025-11
Publisher
National Park Service
Units
SLBE
Subjects
Ecological Framework: Human Use | Visitor and Recreation Use | Visitor Use
License
Public Domain

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