Automated electric bus tours coming to Sleeping Bear Dunes

• In pilot program, an automated electric bus will take visitors through the Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive at Sleeping Bear Dunes
• Temporary tour program funded through a $250,000 grant
• Other grant to fund electric vehicle chargers at Keweenaw National Historical Park and Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore

Visitors to northern Michigan’s Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore will soon have the chance to tour the iconic Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive without actually having to drive — or operate any vehicle for that matter. 

They’ll be able to take an automated electric bus instead – but only for a limited time, at least for now.

It’s a 45-day pilot program that should begin later this month, park Superintendent Scott Tucker told Bridge Michigan.

The 7.4-mile Pierce Stocking loop includes dramatic views of Lake Michigan, the Glen Lakes and, of course, the dunes.

The project is part of a larger effort by the state and federal government to expand access and mobility at national and state parks in Michigan. It will be made possible by a $250,000 grant to ADASTEC, an East Lansing based software company that will deploy the full-size automated bus.

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“Every Michigander should be able to enjoy the incredible natural resources we are blessed to steward,” said Lt. Gov. Gilchrist in a press statement. “These grants represent a key milestone in our efforts alongside the National Park Service to pioneer future mobility in our state and national parks.”

ADASTEC will spend two weeks programming the automated bus through Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive. By mid-August, park visitors should be able to begin scheduling tours on the bus, up to a week in advance. 

“This project is going to test out an autonomous electric bus and really put the technology to the test in a recreational outdoor setting,” Tucker said. 

The automated bus will be able to reach speeds up to 25 mph on the 7.4-mile trail. On some days, the tour will run on a shorter trail, which is about 4 miles. 

“ADASTEC, the company that is running the bus, they are going to create a website that will have free reservations for visitors that want to participate in the research project and use the bus to facilitate their visits,” Tucker said. 

Funding for the project comes from the first round of grants under the National Park Service Mobility Challenge Program, which challenges organizations to improve mobility at Michigan’s parks. 

Other grants announced this week: 

• Superior Watershed Partnership and Land Conservancy is getting $240,000 to install multi-modal electric vehicle chargers at Keweenaw National Historical Park and Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, as well as in Marquette.  
• The Michigan Department of Natural Resources received $10,000 to deploy off-road wheelchairs at Muskallonge Lake State Park in the Upper Peninsula, part of the DNR’s larger campaign to expand outdoor wheelchair access at state parks. 

Gov. Whitmer announced the National Park Service Mobility Challenge Program last year as an attempt to attract more businesses and residents to Michigan’s national and state parks. Mobility companies and public agencies proposed projects that would expand accessibility. 

"The National Park Service is looking forward to the exciting innovations the Michigan Mobility Challenge will bring to the transportation needs of our visitors and gateway communities," Bert Frost, National Park Service Midwest regional director, said in a statement this week.