A National Lakeshore is a protected area of lakeshore in the United States. National Lakeshores are similar to U.S. National Parks in that they are maintained and protected by the U.S. National Park Service. Currently, there are four National Lakeshore areas in the United States, all of them on lakes Michigan and Superior of the Great Lakes in the upper Midwest in the U.S. states of Michigan, Indiana, and Wisconsin.

National lakeshores

• Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, near Munising, Michigan, on Lake Superior. Pictured Rocks is the largest National Lakeshore by area. Authorized in 1966, the park was the first National Lakeshore in the United States.
• Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, in northwest Indiana, near Michigan City, on Lake Michigan. Authorized in 1966, soon after Pictured Rocks. By most estimates, this park is the most popular National Lakeshore, probably due to its proximity to Chicago and other large Midwestern cities.
• Apostle Islands National Lakeshore, in northern Wisconsin on Lake Superior. Authorized in September 1970.
• Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, in Leelanau County Michigan, on Lake Michigan. Authorized in October 1970.

External links

• Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore
• Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore
• Apostle Islands National Lakeshore
• Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore

Protected areas of the United States | United States National Park Service