Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive

Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive
Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive
	Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive highlighted in red
Route information
	Maintained by NPS
Length	7.4 mi (11.9 km)
Existed	1967–present
Restrictions	Open to vehicular traffic April–November, 9:00 a.m. to 30 minutes after sunset
Points of interest
From	M-109 near Empire
	Covered Bridge; Lake Michigan Overlook; Sleeping Bear Dune Overlook;
To	M-109 near Empire
Location
Country	United States
Counties	Leelanau
Highway system
	Scenic Byways; National; National Forest; BLM; NPS;

The Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive is a scenic route within Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, in western Northern Michigan in the United States. The roadway, with its "scenic vistas and gentle curves",^[3] is located off state highway M-109 between Empire and Glen Arbor. It runs for 7.4 miles (11.9 km) through forest and dunes areas, providing access to scenic overlooks of the Lake Michigan shoreline and the surrounding park land. Interpretive markers along the roadway are keyed to the National Park Service's printed guide to the drive. Over 80,000 vehicles make the trip, in addition to bicyclists, hikers and skiers who use the road each year.

The road was built in the 1960s and finished in 1967 by Pierce Stocking. A lumberman with road-building experience, he wanted to share the beauty of the area with others. He operated the facility until his death in 1976; afterwards it was purchased by the National Park Service and added to the park. In the 1980s, a two-year program reconstructed the roadway and added a number of features for visiting tourists. In 2011, the morning show Good Morning America named the Sleeping Bear Dunes, and Pierce Stocking Drive, as the "Most Beautiful Place in America" after a viewer poll on its website; publicity since the award has increased traffic along the roadway.

^ Cite error: The named reference dufresne was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ Cite error: The named reference weeks was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ Schmidt, William E. (June 5, 1988). "Michigan: Between the Lake and the Bay, the Leelanau Peninsula". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. OCLC 1645522. Archived from the original on November 17, 2015. Retrieved September 12, 2011.

[dufresne-1] Cite error: The named reference dufresne was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[weeks-2] Cite error: The named reference weeks was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[schmidt-3] Schmidt, William E. (June 5, 1988). "Michigan: Between the Lake and the Bay, the Leelanau Peninsula". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. OCLC 1645522. Archived from the original on November 17, 2015. Retrieved September 12, 2011.

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