Every year over a million visitors make their way up M22 in northern Michigan, passing through the town of Empire to reach Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, a year round destination for campers, hikers, cyclists and those seeking a weekend getaway.

Summer is a popular season as visitors struggle up the 110-foot high Dune Climb or take the leisurely drive along the Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive. But for those able to spend a little extra time hidden corners wait to be explored. 

Four miles north of Glen Arbor and within the northern portion of Sleeping Bear Dunes is the Port Oneida Rural Historic District. Twenty turn of the century farms, barns, cemeteries and schools, scattered along back roads and paths, are all on display allowing visitors a chance to experience what life was like too live without many of the modern day conveniences we take for granted.

Just south of the Port Oneida district and sitting along the shores of Sleeping Bear Bay is the Glen Haven Historic Village. The logging village has been restored to what it looked like in the 1920’s and features a general store, cannery boathouse, and blacksmith shop. 

After exploring Glen Haven head west to the Sleeping Bear Point Coast Guard Station Maritime Museum. Exhibits explain the history of U.S. LIfe-Saving Service and the U.S. Coast Guard along the Great Lakes.

Winding its way through the lakeshore is the park’s newest addition, the Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail. 

The paved, 16-mile non-motorized trail connects Empire with Port Oneida allowing walkers and cyclists access to many of the park attractions along the way. Pending construction includes an additional 11 miles to be added to the trail.

So the next time you have a free weekend, make the drive up to Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, spend the night in a tent, a hotel, or a B&B, and enjoy the rich history of this amazing area. A volunteer works at a forge as she demonstrates blacksmithing skills during a summer afternoon at the restored blacksmith shop in the Glen Haven Historic Village. Located seven miles north of Empire, the village, which was originally called Sleeping Bearville, operated between 1865 and 1931 as a stop for steamships traveling between Chicago and Buffalo. The sun sets as a solitary sailboat cruises along Lake Michigan, off the shores of the Sleeping Bear Dune. In the 1800s shipping was a key part of travel on the Great Lakes. The Manitou Islands, located offshore, provided a stop for commercial ships to refuel which led to the early settlement of the islands as well as the mainland. Storm clouds move in as a chicken coop is reflected in the leaded glass windows of a barn at the Dechow Farm, one of the farms located in the 3000 acre Port Oneida Rural Historic District in the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. The area was farmed for over 100 years with many of the farms being passed down from generation to generation. Don Campbell /HP staff
A lone hiker explores the vast dunes 450 feet above Lake Michigan as the sun sets on a summer evening at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. The bluff, located along the Pierce Stocking Drive, has been disappearing at a rate of about 1 foot per year as waves and wind slowly erode the sand.

Summer is rapidly winding down and I just got finished the other week with the 2015 Berrien County Youth Fair. After covering fairs for almost 15 years, part of the challenge each year is coming up with new and different images. Sometimes you just have to have a little extra patience and look a little closer to make really solid images. Don Campbell / HP staff See more photos:heraldpalladium.mycapture.com
A worker walks past the Magic Maze carnival ride Tuesday, August 18, 2015, at the Berrien County Youth Fair in Berrien Springs. Don Campbell / HP staff See more photos:heraldpalladium.mycapture.com
Miranda Campbell, 14, from Three Oaks, pets a goat Tuesday, August 18, 2015, at the Berrien County Youth Fair in Berrien Springs. Don Campbell / HP staff See more photos:heraldpalladium.mycapture.com
Children make their way through a net maze Wednesday, August 19, 2015, at the Berrien County Youth Fair in Berrien Springs. Don Campbell / HP staff See more photos:heraldpalladium.mycapture.com
Visitors can view dozens of John Deere tractors, courtesy of the Michiana Two-Cylinder Club, this week at the Berrien County Youth Fair in Berrien Springs. Photo taken Tuesday, August 18, 2015. Don Campbell / HP staff See more photos:heraldpalladium.mycapture.com
Children take to the skies on the Vertigo Tuesday, August 18, 2015, at the Berrien County Youth Fair in Berrien Springs. Don Campbell / HP staff See more photos:heraldpalladium.mycapture.com
Ethan Devries, 8, joins his grandfather, Bob Devries, from Glendora, as they take a spin on the Typhoon Tuesday, August 18, 2015, at the Berrien County Youth Fair in Berrien Springs. Don Campbell / HP staff See more photos:heraldpalladium.mycapture.com
Janis Young, 18, from St. Joseph, grooms her Arabian horse, Tony, Tuesday, August 18, 2015, at the Berrien County Youth Fair in Berrien Springs. Don Campbell / HP staff See more photos:heraldpalladium.mycapture.com
A rider leads his horse back to a stall Tuesday, August 18, 2015, at the Berrien County Youth Fair in Berrien Springs. Don Campbell / HP staff See more photos:heraldpalladium.mycapture.com
Garrett Brewer, 10, from Eau Claire, shows his palomino "Skip" Tuesday, August 18, 2015, at the Berrien County Youth Fair in Berrien Springs. Don Campbell / HP staff See more photos:heraldpalladium.mycapture.com
Clouds move in as a visitor takes shelter under an umbrella Tuesday, August 18, 2015, at the Berrien County Youth Fair in Berrien Springs. Don Campbell / HP staff See more photos:heraldpalladium.mycapture.com
Haylee Legault, 7, right, from Buchanan, joins her brother, Caden Legault, 9, left, as they groom their hogs for auction Friday, August 21, 2015, at the Berrien County Youth Fair in Berrien Springs. Don Campbell / HP staff
Comedian Craig Tornquist performs Thursday, August 20, 2015, at the Berrien County Youth Fair in Berrien Springs. Don Campbell / HP staff See more photos:heraldpalladium.mycapture.com
Emma Schmidt, 13, from Bridgman, shares a moment with her llama, Picasso, Tuesday, August 18, 2015, at the Berrien County Youth Fair in Berrien Springs. Don Campbell / HP staff See more photos:heraldpalladium.mycapture.com
Reise Bulat, 9, from Watervliet, struggles to put on a t-shirt during a frozen t-shirt contest sponsored by The Herald-Palladium Tuesday, August 18, 2015, at the Berrien County Youth Fair in Berrien Springs. Bulat finished first in the 5-9 age group. Don Campbell / HP staff See more photos:heraldpalladium.mycapture.com
Kaeden Lies, 10, from Stevensville, races to put on a t-shirt during a frozen t-shirt contest sponsored by The Herald-Palladium Tuesday, August 18, 2015, at the Berrien County Youth Fair in Berrien Springs. Lies finished in second place in the 5-9 age division. Don Campbell / HP staff See more photos:heraldpalladium.mycapture.com
Jessica Lenardson photographs her daughter, Jalynn Lenardson, 10, from Stevensville, on her prize winning horse "Blueberry" Friday, August 21, 2015, at the Berrien County Youth Fair in Berrien Springs. Don Campbell / HP staff See more photos:heraldpalladium.mycapture.com
Hogs stay cool as they doze in the swine barn Friday, August 21, 2015, at the Berrien County Youth Fair in Berrien Springs. Don Campbell / HP staff See more photos:heraldpalladium.mycapture.com
Children visit the rabbit barn Wednesday, August 19, 2015, at the Berrien County Youth Fair in Berrien Springs. Don Campbell / HP staff See more photos:heraldpalladium.mycapture.com
Rabbit judging takes place Tuesday, August 18, 2015, at the Berrien County Youth Fair in Berrien Springs.

From food pages to candlelight vigils to gay marriage rallys it's been a productive last few weeks with a lot of assignments making for long days and nights. So enjoy just a few of my favorites.

Don Campbell / HP staff See more photos:heraldpalladium.mycapture.com
Regina Albrecht, from Union Pier, holds her great-granddaughter, Zofia Heward, as they participate in an aqua tots swim class Tuesday, May 26, 2015, at Bridgman High School pool. The class, designed for toddlers to three-year olds, helps children to be more comfortable in the water. MEMORIAL DAY PARADELincoln Elementary School students wave American flags Friday, May 22, 2015, during a Memorial Day parade along Lake Boulevard in St. Joseph, Mich.(AP Photo/The Herald-Palladium, Don Campbell) Don Campbell / HP staff
Luca, a three to four month old male kitten is available for adoption at the Humane Society of Southwestern Michigan. Photo taken Tuesday, June 23, 2015. DRUNK DRIVING SIMULATIONBerrien Springs Oronoko Township Community/Resource Officer Rick Smiedendorf rides with Berrien Springs High School junior Edavion Miller as they drive a GEM (Global Electric Motors) car through an obstacle course Thursday, May 7, 2015, at Berrien Springs High School, in Berrien Springs, Mich. Students took the opportunity to drive and ride in the vehicle while wearing goggles simulating various levels of alcohol use. The car is part of the Berrien Springs Oronoko Township Police Department's IDDEA (Intoxicated, Distracted, Driver Education Awareness) program designed to teach students about the dangers of drunk and distracted driving.(AP Photo/The Herald-Palladium, Don Campbell) CHARLESTON SHOOTING MICHIGANBeulah Wade, 70, from Benton Harbor, Mich., holds a candle during a vigil held for victims of the A.M.E church shooting in South Carolina Thursday, June 18, 2015, at the Union Memorial A.M.E. Church in Benton Harbor, Mich.(AP Photo/The Herald-Palladium, Don Campbell) CHARLESTON SHOOTING MICHIGANParishioners gather during a vigil held for victims of the A.M.E church shooting in South Carolina Thursday, June 18, 2015, at the Union Memorial A.M.E. Church in Benton Harbor, Mich.(AP Photo/The Herald-Palladium, Don Campbell) CHARLESTON SHOOTING MICHIGANRev. Minnie Autry prays during a vigil held for victims of the A.M.E church shooting in South Carolina Thursday, June 18, 2015, at the Union Memorial A.M.E. Church in Benton Harbor, Mich.(AP Photo/The Herald-Palladium, Don Campbell) US SUPREME COURT GAY MARRIAGE MICHIGANKarin Valenti, left, and her spouse, Deb Hammermeister, back, both from Hagar Township, Mich., hug their friend Karen Steinke, from Stevensville, Mich., Friday, June 26, 2015, at the OutCenter in Benton Harbor, Mich. Valenti and Hammermeister are celebrating their two-year anniversary after getting married in New York. The US Supreme Court ruled Friday that same-sex couples have the right to marry in all 50 states.(AP Photo/The Herald-Palladium, Don Campbell) US SUPREME COURT GAY MARRIAGE MICHIGANKarin Valenti and her spouse, Deb Hammermeister, both from Hagar Township, Mich., hold hands as they talk to the media, Friday, June 26, 2015, at the OutCenter in Benton Harbor, Mich. Valenti and Hammermeister are celebrating their two-year anniversary after getting married in New York. The US Supreme Court ruled Friday that same-sex couples have the right to marry in all 50 states.(AP Photo/The Herald-Palladium, Don Campbell) MICHIGAN DAILY LIFETim Mosher, from Three Oaks, Mich., stops his 1991 Buick Roadmaster hearse as he joins thousands of vehicles during the 27th Annual Car Show held at Lane Automotive in Watervliet, Mich., Saturday, May 23, 2015.(AP Photo/The Herald-Palladium, Don Campbell) Don Campbell / HP staff
Three-year-old Charlie Fry, from St. Joseph, enjoys an afternoon at the Whirlpool Compass Fountain Tuesday, June 23, 2015.      Don Campbell / HP staff See more photos:heraldpalladium.mycapture.com
Stevensville Post 568's Chase Potter tags out Three Oaks Post 204's Dennis Jordan at second as Noah Fratzke backs up the play during the first game of a doubleheader Thursday, June 25, 2015, at Riverview Park.