Glen Haven Road | ||||
Route information | ||||
Maintained by MDOT | ||||
Length | 0.543 mi [1] (874 m) | |||
Existed | 1920s [2] –June 5, 1995 [1] | |||
Major junctions | ||||
South end | M-109 near Glen Haven | |||
North end | Coast Guard Life Saving Station in Glen Haven | |||
Location | ||||
Country | United States | |||
State | Michigan | |||
Counties | Leelanau | |||
Highway system | ||||
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M-209 was a state trunkline highway in the Lower Peninsula of the US state of Michigan. It was located in Leelanau County in the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. Until it was decommissioned, it was Michigan's shortest state highway. M-209 started at M-109 and went just over 1⁄2 mile (about 956 yards [874 m]) to Glen Haven. In 1995, M-209's designation was "abandoned", and the road was turned over to the jurisdiction of the Leelanau County Road Commission. [1]
M-209 was the short connector route from M-109 to the Glen Haven unit of the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore west of Glen Arbor. [3] The southern terminus of the highway was at the intersection with M-109 south of Glen Haven, a restored logging village on the shore of Lake Michigan on the Leelanau Peninsula. The roadway ran north from this intersection where M-109 made a 90–degree corner through the south and east legs of a four-way intersection with M-209 and Dune Valley Road. M-209 ran past such attractions as the restored General Store and Blacksmith Shop. Also located in Glen Haven is the former Glen Haven Canning Co. building. This building was first used as a warehouse and later as a cannery for cherries in the 1920s. It has since been restored as the Cannery Boathouse housing historic wooden boats used in the Manitou Passage between Glen Haven, Glen Arbor and the North and South Manitou islands. [4] The northern terminus of M-209 was located in front of the former US Coast Guard Life Saving Station, now restored as a maritime museum. [5] The museum is located at the intersection of Glen Haven Road and Sleeping Bear Dunes Road. At the time of decommissioning, M-209 was a two-lane, paved road.
Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore is a United States National Lakeshore located on the "little finger" of the Lower Peninsula of Michigan in Leelanau and Benzie counties. The park covers a 35-mile (56 km) stretch of Lake Michigan's eastern coastline, as well as North and South Manitou islands. [6] The park was authorized on October 21, 1970. [7]
From its inception in the 1920s, M-209 was Michigan's shortest highway. [2] It connected the small community of Glen Haven to M-109 just south of the community. Glen Haven was founded as a settlement called Sleeping Bearville with a sawmill [8] and an inn, the Sleeping Bear House, in 1857. [9] By 1881, there were 11 buildings in the community. The lifesaving station was built in 1901 and moved to its present location in 1931 before closing in 1941. [8]
M-209 was first assumed as a state trunkline in the 1920s. [2] A newspaper article in 1957 noted that that M-209 provided access to Sleeping Bear Dune, the country's largest moving sand dune. The article also noted that if it wasn't for the tourists visiting, that thee dune would probably have swallowed up the roadway that was "so small the road maps don't even show it". [10] It would later serve the national lakeshore when the park was created on October 21, 1970. The Park Service purchased all of the village by the mid-1970s. The highway was turned over to Leelanau County control on June 5, 1995. [1] It is now known only as Glen Haven Road. [11] Since the transfer, M-212 in Cheboygan County is now the shortest highway in the state. [12] A 1967 newspaper article noted that Business Spur Interstate 375 had opened that year and took the title as shortest highway in the state, [13] although that highway is not been signed. [14]
The entire highway was in Glen Arbor Township, Leelanau County.
mi [1] | km | Destinations | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
0.000 | 0.000 | M-109 – Empire, Glen Arbor | |
0.543 | 0.874 | Coast Guard station access road | |
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi |
Leelanau County is a county located in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 22,301. Since 2008, the county seat has been located within Suttons Bay Township, one mile east of the unincorporated village of Lake Leelanau. Before 2008, Leelanau County's seat was Leland. Leelanau County is included in the Traverse City Micropolitan Statistical Area of Northern Michigan. The largest settlement in Leelanau County by population is Greilickville, itself a suburb of Traverse City.
Empire Township is a civil township of Leelanau County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 764 at the 2020 census. On the shores of Lake Michigan, Empire Township contains a substantial amount of land within the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore.
Glen Arbor Township is a civil township of Leelanau County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 757 at the 2020 census. However, the population of the town expands rapidly during the summer months as a result of it being a summer colony.
Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore is a United States National Lakeshore located along the northwest coast of the Lower Peninsula of Michigan in Leelanau and Benzie counties near Empire, Michigan. The park covers a 35-mile-long (56 km) stretch of Lake Michigan's eastern coastline, as well as North and South Manitou islands. This Northern Michigan park was established primarily because of its outstanding natural features, including forests, beaches, dune formations, and ancient glacial phenomena. The lakeshore also contains many cultural features including the 1871 South Manitou Island Lighthouse, three former stations of the Coast Guard and an extensive rural historic farm district. In 2011, the area won the title of "The Most Beautiful Place in America" from Good Morning America. In 2014, a section of the park was named the Sleeping Bear Dunes Wilderness by the United States Congress.
M-25 is a state trunkline highway in the US state of Michigan. The route follows an arc-like shape closely along the Lake Huron shore of the Thumb in the eastern Lower Peninsula between Port Huron and Bay City. It serves the lakeshore resorts along Lake Huron and Saginaw Bay and generally lies within sight of the lake and the bay. All is surface road and generally scenic, except for the freeway segment near the junction with Interstate 75 (I-75) and connection into the US Highway 10 (US 10) freeway.
The Leelanau Peninsula is a peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan that extends about 30 miles (50 km) from the western side of the Lower Peninsula of Michigan into Lake Michigan, forming Grand Traverse Bay. It is often referred to as the "little finger" of the mitten-shaped lower peninsula. The peninsula is a tourist hotspot, especially due to the popularity of Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, which adorns the southwestern coast of the peninsula. The peninsula is also largely agricultural, and is a production hotspot for cherries and wine.
M-22 is a state trunkline highway in the US state of Michigan. It is 116.7 miles (187.8 km) long and follows the Lake Michigan shoreline of the Leelanau Peninsula, making up a portion of the Lake Michigan Circle Tour. It also passes through the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. The highway is U-shaped as it rounds the peninsula running through tourist areas in Leland and Suttons Bay in addition to the national lakeshore.
M-204 is a state trunkline highway that runs across the Leelanau Peninsula between Leland and Suttons Bay in the northwestern Lower Peninsula of the US state of Michigan. The trunkline runs through a rural section of Leelanau County, connecting two villages with the county seat. Originally a gravel road in 1933, it was later paved within the first three years of existence. Segments were realigned to straighten curves in the late 1930s and early 1970s near the villages of Lake Leelanau and Suttons Bay.
M-77 is a state trunkline highway in the Upper Peninsula (UP) of the US state of Michigan. It starts at US Highway 2 (US 2) near Blaney Park north of Lake Michigan. The highway borders the eastern edge of the Seney National Wildlife Refuge and passes through the community of Germfask. At Seney, it overlaps M-28 to cross the Fox River before returning northward. The northern half has been designated as a Scenic Spur of the Lake Superior Circle Tour. M-77 runs along the eastern end of the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore and terminates in Grand Marais north of H-58 near Lake Superior. Originally designated by 1919, the highway has not been changed much in its history. By the late 1950s, the highway was paved, completing the modern M-77 highway.
M-221 is a short state trunkline highway in the Upper Peninsula (UP) of the US state of Michigan that connects M-28 with the community of Brimley and Brimley State Park. The highway was originally part of M-28 until the 1940s when it was briefly a local road. It has been a state highway again since it was designated as M-221 in 1945.
M-72 is a state trunkline highway in the US state of Michigan, running from Lake Huron to Lake Michigan across the northern part of the Lower Peninsula. The highway connects M-22 in Empire with US Highway 23 (US 23) in Harrisville. It is one of only three Michigan state trunklines that cross the Lower Peninsula, shore to shore. In between, M-72 runs across Northern Michigan woodland, agricultural areas of the Leelanau Peninsula near Traverse City, and the Au Sable River watershed. The trunkline also provides access to Camp Grayling, a National Guard training facility near the city of the same name. Traffic levels along the highway vary from approximately 800 vehicles a day on the east end to over 32,000 vehicles near Traverse City.
Glen Arbor is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Glen Arbor Township, Leelanau County, Michigan, United States. A small tourist town, Glen Arbor lies on an isthmus between Lake Michigan and Glen Lake. It is adjacent to Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore.
M-203 is a north–south state trunkline highway in the Upper Peninsula of the US state of Michigan. It connects McLain State Park with US 41 on each end in Hancock and Calumet. The trunkline has existed since commissioning in 1933 except a period of time when it was temporarily decommissioned.
M-212 is a state trunkline highway in the US state of Michigan. It provides access from M-33 to the community of Aloha on Mullett Lake's eastern shore and Aloha State Park, where the highway ends. It is shorter than all other signed highways in the state, including M-143 at 0.936 miles (1.506 km) and the business route, Business M-32 in Hillman at 0.738 miles (1.188 km), which is about 32 feet (9.8 m) longer.
M-109 is the designation of a state trunkline highway in the Lower Peninsula of the US state of Michigan that runs between Empire and Glen Arbor. The highway is a loop connected to M-22 at both ends that allows tourists access to Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore and the Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive located on a section of sandy forest land between Lake Michigan and Glen Lake. The trunkline traverses an area named the "Most Beautiful Place in America" by Good Morning America, the morning show on ABC. The highway was designated by 1929 and fully paved in 1939.
M-110 was the designation of a former state trunkline highway in the US state of Michigan. The highway was a 1.715-mile-long (2.760 km) spur that provided access from US Highway 31 (US 31) to Orchard Beach State Park. The highway was designated in 1927 and lasted until 2003.
M-201 is a state trunkline highway in the US state of Michigan that serves as a spur route for the village of Northport near the northern tip of Leelanau County. The trunkline zig-zags through to provide a path through the village, connecting with the county road that provides access to Leelanau State Park. The highway was first shown on state maps in the late 1940s, and remains unchanged since.
M-116 is a 7.018-mile-long (11.294 km) state trunkline highway in the US state of Michigan that begins in Ludington at an intersection with US Highway 10 (US 10) at James Street and Ludington Avenue. The road travels northward, much of it along the shore of Lake Michigan before reaching its terminus at the entrance to Ludington State Park. The roadway has been in the state highway system since the late 1920s. It has been realigned a few times, most recently in the late 1990s.
Glen Haven is a restored port village on the shore of Lake Michigan on the Leelanau Peninsula within the now Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. Attractions include the Lake Michigan beach, a restored General Store and Blacksmith Shop. The unincorporated community is located in Glen Arbor Township.
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", 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.