Skip to main content

Maps of Critical Dune Areas

Counties with Critical Dune Areas
Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy

Maps of Critical Dune Areas

The maps of critical dune areas were approved by the Michigan legislature in 1989.  A total of 265 miles of shoreline and about 74,000 acres of public and private lands are regulated on the shores of Lake Michigan and Lake Superior.

The legislature found these dunes and adjacent lands are a unique, irreplaceable, and fragile resource that provides significant recreational, economic, scientific, geological, scenic, botanical, educational, agricultural, and ecological benefits to the people of Michigan. 

If, after using one of the sites to determine if your property is in a critical dune area, there are questions about whether the property is in a critical dune area please contact local EGLE staff. For questions about permitting visit Michigan.gov/CriticalDunes.

Contact

Information on specific sites:

District Permit Staff

Sources

Atlas

The Atlas of Critical Dunes is organized by county and township and identifies the critical dune areas. Select the county/township map and locate your property on the map. Properties in the hatched or shaded areas of the map are in a critical dune area.

Open Critical Dune Atlas

Map showing Critical Dune Areas

MiEnviro

MiEnviro Site Map Explorer is used to view regulatory maps, and documents of past and pending applications and permits in Michigan. Zoom into your area on the map or type in the property address and click Show map. On screen right click on the Layers button. Under Map Layers choose Coastal and then choose Critical Dune Area. Click Done. The critical dune areas are shown in red. If your property is in the red area, it is in a critical dune area. Refer to the guidance for using MiEnviro Site Map Explorer for more help.

 

Open MiEnviro Portal

MiEnviro Portal words with arrow through a green leaf

Wetlands Map Viewer

Wetlands Map Viewer assists users in identifying regulated features including critical dune areas. Choose Text Search or Map Search to locate the property. Click on Coastal Data then choose Critical Dune Areas. The critical dune areas are shown in red. If your property is in the red area, it is in a critical dune area.

Open Wetlands Map Viewer

Logo for Wetlands Map Viewer

GIS

Geographic Information System users can load the shapefile of the critical dune area boundary into their projects from the Michigan Open Data Portal.

Open Data Portal

Maps & Data webpage banner
a Critical Dune Area in Laketown Twp.
a Critical Dune Area in Laketown Twp.

Shifting Sands: Michigan Critical Dune Areas Story Map

Learn more about the Diversity, quality and functions of the largest freshwater dune system in the world. 


Launch the Story map

Gallery of Critical Dune Areas

Berrien County Forested Dune

Berrien County Forested Dune and Stream

Van Buren County Foredune

Van Buren County Migrating Dune

Allegan County Foredune

Ottawa County Foredune

Muskegon County Barrier Dune

Oceana County Barrier Dune

Mason County Open Dune

Manistee County Barrier Dune

Benzie County Forested Dune

Leelanau County Perched Dunes

Antrim County Foredune

Charlevoix County Beaver Island

Emmet County Barrier Dune

Mackinac County Barrier Dune

Schoolcraft County Wooded Dune Swale

Chippewa County Barrier Dune

Luce County Barrier Dune

Alger County Barrier Dune

Keweenaw County Great Sand Bay

Related Programs

Related Information