Hilarious video shows masses of beachgoers trying – and failing – to climb up notoriously tricky Michigan sand dunes where rescues cost $3K
- Hilarious footage saw dozens of beachgoers struggling to climb notoriously slippery sand dunes
- The dunes are found in the Sleeping Bear Dunes national park in Michigan, which receives over a million visitors every year
- A hefty $3,000 rescue fine lies in wait for any revelers not strong enough to make it up the sandy slopes
Hilarious footage captured the moment notoriously steep sand dunes wreaked havoc on beachgoers in Michigan.
Dozens of revelers were seen struggling to traverse the infamously slippery ‘Sleeping Bear Dunes’, which warn of a $3,000 fine if they can’t climb the 110ft wall of sand.
While many viewers remarked the slopes didn’t appear difficult to ascend, the TikTok video showed one man resorting to climbing on all fours as he struggled to make it up.
Over 1million people visit the national park every year, with many making their way to the dunes just to try their luck against the sandy challenge.
#sleepingbeardunes
A sign waits at the top of the dunes warning people that if they get stuck on the slope, it will cost them $3000 to be rescued by authorities
The viral TikTok video, which has been viewed over 4.5 million times in a week, opens with an ominous sign warning people they will be fined if they fail the climb.
‘Warning: Avoid getting stuck at the bottom!’ the sign reads, adding that ‘the only way out is up.’
Rescues cost a staggering $3,000 for those who get stuck on the hill, but the hefty fine has done little to deter people as climbing the dunes remains one of the most popular activities in the park.
A picnic area has also been set up at the bottom to lure families to the base of Glen Lake, while the national park also offers a trail to Lake Michigan, one of the largest lakes in America.
‘There’s virtually no beach left,’ Glen Lake Fire Chief Bryan Ferguson told MLive.com in 2019 when the fines were a mere $2,280. ‘There’s no driving down to the beach, and that was our primary way of getting people off the face of the overlook.’
Crews must now use a rescue boat or send 1,400 feet of rope down the cliff to hoist victims up to safety.
The National Park Service warned that ‘climbing to the top of the Dune Climb is strenuous but rewarding,’ and ‘if you get tired before you get to the top, you can just come back down to the picnic area – gravity is on your side on the return.’
The Sleeping Bear Dunes park covers over 32,000 acres, with the popular sand dunes covering approximately four miles. It was made a national park in 2014 by President Barack Obama.
Hilarious footage showed dozens of beachgoers trying their luck against the tricky dunes
One climber was seen in the footage resorting to using his hands and knees as he couldn’t make it up the 110ft wall of sand
Despite a sign being installed warning over the dangerous climb, viewers were quick to question how hard the sand dunes really were.
‘Am I the only one who doesn’t think it looks that hard?’ said one.
Another commented: ‘My toxic trait is thinking I could get up without struggling.’
However, people who attempted the climb admitted it wasn’t as easy as it looks, saying: ‘I made the mistake as a teen running to the bottom… I was fit and it still took over an hour and questioning life.’
‘I can bike 50+ miles a day with 25+ pounds of cargo and wasn’t able to make it up that dune,’ added another.
Some also took issue with the hefty $3,000 fine, feeling that the outlandish cost would dissuade them from even wanting to be rescued.
‘3K?? Bro just leave me there,’ said one commenter, with another joking they would offer $100 rides in their ATV to turn a profit off the climbers instead.
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