North Bar Lake is a small inland lake in Leelanau County, inside Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, about 2 miles north of the village of Empire. The National Park Service manages it. The lake sits in what used to be a bay of Lake Michigan, and only a low strip of dune and a sand bar now separate the two. Depending on rainfall and storms, a shallow channel cuts through that bar and drains the lake into Lake Michigan, then gets sealed off again by waves and blowing sand. It is one of the few lakes in the region with an open connection to the big lake.

From M-22, turn west on Voice Road, then north on North Bar Lake Road (County Road 689), and follow the signs onto Larahr Road to the paved lot at the end. There are restrooms by the lot. From there, a flat, hard-packed trail of about 760 feet leads down to the north end of the lake. Pets are not allowed at North Bar Lake at all, including the access trail and the beach here.

The swimming happens along the sandy north shore, where the trail meets the water. The lake is shallow and clear over a sand bottom, with a shelf of wading-depth water near shore before it drops off. Because it is small and shallow, it warms up much faster than Lake Michigan, and on windy days when the big lake has real waves it stays calm. Kids love the outlet channel, which park staff say ranges from a two-inch trickle to a stream three feet deep and 20 feet wide. Cross the low dune in a couple of minutes and you are on the Lake Michigan beach, which is colder and rougher. No lifeguards are on duty along the Lake Michigan shore in the Lakeshore, and none are posted at North Bar Lake either, so you swim at your own risk.

There is no separate charge for the lake, but it is inside a fee area of the national lakeshore and everyone needs a park entrance pass. As of October 2026 the standard pass is $25 per private vehicle and is good for 1 to 7 days. It is $20 for a motorcycle and $15 per person 16 and older arriving on foot or by bike. The Sleeping Bear annual pass is $45, and America the Beautiful passes are accepted. The park is cashless, so pay by card or buy online, and leave the pass on your dashboard. The Lakeshore is open 24 hours a day.

Lake Michigan beside the bar can have rip currents and conditions that change quickly, so check the weather and the park's swim risk level before going in on that side. Parts of the low dunes between the lakes have eroded badly and are fenced off for restoration. Stay out of the signed areas. Shipwreck timbers that storms uncover on the beach belong to the State of Michigan, so leave them alone.

North Bar Lake is also a carry-in paddling spot. You can launch a canoe or kayak from the sand, cross about 400 feet of lake and make a short portage to Lake Michigan. Motorboats are banned from April 1 through October 31, and the rest of the year motors are limited to 2 horsepower. Walk north along the Lake Michigan shore for a view up at the steep bluffs below the Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive. For the view the other way, stop #11 on that drive, the North Bar Lake Overlook, looks straight down on the lake, the sand bar and Empire Bluff.