My husband, my parents and myself have been planning a trip to Mears Michigan so we could visit the dunes at Silver Lake State Park for over a year. We had been looking forward to seeing all the park has to offer for so long and the views alone exceeded our expectations beyond measure. Do keep in mind that the sand can get extremely hot so come prepared to create a barrier between your feel and the sand. If you are a fan of visiting state parks, Silver Lake is a must stop. I am so grateful I was able to visit. read more

Silver Lake State Park - Parks Near Me - Mears, Michigan

This review is for the campground only. Campsites are irregularly sized, spaced and oriented and since it's almost all bare dirt, it's very difficult to identify where each begins and ends, resulting in people setting up and parking kinda wherever they want. Power poles are shared with four sites almost requiring that you have at least 50' of power cord to reach the one for your site. We had to switch sites twice before we got one that our standard 25' cord would reach. Only two dump drains and 2 bathhouses for 205 sites - not enough. Many sites with multiple vehicles, ORVs, boats, etc. so it's just extremely busy. Definitely not worth the nearly $62 a night it cost (includes $12 daily use fee, but not the $8 reservation fee) for electric only hookup. We won't stay here again. read more

Unique experience! If you love off-road riding this is a place you have to give a try. There are rules and permits needed if you bring your own vehicle to ride. We rented so we were able to have that setup and ready for us when we arrived. The dunes are easy to navigate once you are out there. Review the map ahead of time so you are aware of the one way sections. Check out the pictures! read more

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It is breathtaking here. So beautiful. Way too much fun. You will need to air down and get into 4L, they provide free air stations on the way out, the line seems long but it goes by fast. Also you will need a 10foot pole attached to the front bumper. They sell them there. I suggest getting the year pass, you will want to come back and play in the sand, trust me. I don't suggest coming here on a busy weekend. The non Jeep people have zero discipline. Almost got hit by a couple of ATV's, why? Because they don't care, unlike us, these Jeeps are our daily drivers. Not rentals. SO just be aware and check alot before you go fast up a hill. The beach is stunning and the water is beautiful. Anyway too much fun!!! read more

I camped at Silver Lake State Park this past summer and it was delightful! We camped in the part of the campground that is on the opposite side of the road from Silver Lake and the campground spots were a bit smaller than we were accustomed to at other State Parks, but understand that it's probably because this park is one of the more popular, highly trafficked ones given all the activities that can be done here! There were tons of people here with their ATVs/ORVs to climb the dunes, which was something unique! There's a series of small town shops around the Silver Lake area that you can patron at if you want to stay close. Overall, it's a great spot to come to for day trips, but I don't think that I'd ever camp here again. Instead, I'd probably look for a cute AirBNB or something nearby to stay at for a little more space to vibe, but visit the state park for the dunes and hikes! I'd also probably visit here in a non-summer month as well so it's not as many people because the beaches we went to were definitely chock full of people, so much so that we decided to go to a different part of Silver Lake State Park (not the campground area) to lay out by the lake. We didn't try to summit too many of the dunes this time, especially given the hot weather, but know that there's acres upon acres still left to be explored! read more

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Stopped into silver lake sand dunes to check it out for maybe a possible summer activity. I am a big fan of all things motorized so this would be the place for me. The town is definitely shut down because of the off season and I see a bunch of places to rent but scrolling online found they range from a few hundred to a few thousand so it's definitely a trip to plan for if you want to make an adventure out of it. read more

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I look forward to going to Silver Lake Sand Dunes every summer! There's always things going on- drag races, test hill, swimming, and you can't beat the beautiful sunsets from the top of the dunes. I love that it sits right on Lake Michigan, so you can take a break from riding and have some beach time. Definitely family friendly, lots of kids around and a ton for them to watch The only complaint is the bathrooms are not running water, they're vault restrooms. read more

One more Cool place for a day trip in Michigan. After checking out the light house decided to trek these Sand dunes and it was one hell of a work out under the Sun. It took close to 3hrs trekking almost all the dunes. It was exhausting but fun and the visuals are great. Pros: ------- Amazing Visuals Buggy Rides /Motor Bike rentals Good spot for trekking four-mile Lake Michigan beach, inland Silver Lake, wooded hiking trails, campground with boat launches Visitors may cruise up and over the expansive dunes in their own 4x4s provided they're outfitted with an ORV sticker and a ten-foot orange flag. Alternatively, travelers can rent off-road vehicles specially equipped to handle the unique challenges of driving on sand. The Silver Lake Sand Dunes are the only sand dunes east of the Mississippi River where visitors are allowed to drive private motorized vehicles over the shifting landscape. read more

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Great park with unique dunes that allow people to drive on. I don't know of a place like this anywhere in the region. Positives: -Awesome dunes for people to hike and 4x4 to drive on. We brought our Jeep Wrangler Rubicon and loved it. Negatives: -Campsites are very crowded. Space is at a premium. -Rednecks. Lots and lots of proud, loud, in-your-face rednecks. There were as many Confederate flags as American flags on the Redneckmobiles. I lived in Michigan for ten years and was not aware that Michigan was part of the Confederacy until I went to Silver Lake State Park. read more

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Absolutely love this place. It has to be one of the most unique places in the country if not the world. Orv section 500 acres of off road mayhem. Dirt bikes dune buggy four wheelers trucks anything that will go good in sand read more

Silver Lake State Park - A beautiful view of the state park the off-road vehicle section as probably the only kind of it in the country - Parks Near Me - Mears, Michigan

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So much fun! To the newbies who want to hit the dunes...make sure you have your MI State Park sticker (you can get one for the day or year. I renew mine with my license so I can't think of price). You will also need a flag(ranges from $25+), a trail pass(free), an ORV trail sticker from the dnr($10). You also need a regular ORV sticker(I think $15). You go through a bunch of checkpoints to get I the trail...one checks stickers. Next one checked passes. Next did a seatbelt check. Then we were off! You come up to the test hill. It's lined on both sides with a shit ton of Jeeps and trucks and buggies. If you can make it up this hill, you're good. It's a good time watching people make it or fail it. We spent about 4 hours here...blazing through huge puddles and up dunes. We had our jeep loaded with leftover food from vacation(this was our last stop before home) and had to toss everything...we had smashed cookies, crumbled fresh donuts, and broken eggs from bouncing so much. It almost brought this fat kid to tears to throw all of that good food away. We even watched a van try to be an ORV and it's back sank into a huge puddle and got stuck. Someone had to bail them out. I can't wait to go back! read more

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Camped here with our friends who were married on Saturday with the rest of the bridesmaids/groomsmen, within 15 mins of check in our camp was encircled by two dnr officers and a local police officer. Who proceeded to harass us about what we were doing there and not only check but run each and every single one of our id's (which btw made us miss our reservation for a dune ride that we paid 500 dollars for, luckily the dune ride place stayed open for us to still get a ride) for no reason, they had no probable cause, we were literally doing nothing wrong. (Not a single violation was served, and trust me they were looking to give us anything they could have) I felt not only extremely unwelcome, but violated with their aggressive scare tactics. 25 of us will NEVER return which is a shame too we really liked the camp ground and it's facilities. read more

The dunes were beautiful to walk on and hike out to lake michigan. This is why you should goto this state park. It's tainted by the noise and air pollution of the ORV. Although they section this off, the noise is obnoxious and keeps you from hearing the peaceful lakes. On the upside they do give the ORV section a considerable less amount of space to enjoy the dunes than the hikers. I would suggest finding a small town near by with less tourist trap crap to ruin the beauty of the dunes to camp at. Soft serve places, tshirt shops and go cart type stuff, oh and one restaurant that served crappy beer on the outskirts of town.....no other restaurant served beer. Dumb. The camp ground was just ok, it was people stacked on top of eachother in a small section of the "woods". The silver lake view is very pretty and if you are lucky to get a site close to that, take it. read more

We went here this past weekend for 4 nights and were very dissapointed in the lack of respect of quiet hours and the speed which people drive around the park. We stayed in the portion of the park across the street where you dont have to show your campground sticker to enter the park (which seems strange). We stayed with another family and had a total of six kids with us and I feared that the someone would get hurt with the people driving around. The area outside of the campground is great though. We spent much of the time outside of the campground, since the beach in the campground was pretty small and filled with swan droppings. I would recommend the area and the park, but not the campground. read more

The sand dunes are the best. In my opinion they are better than Sleeping Bear. There is so much to love about the dunes. On Fourth of July my family came here and soldiers came to celebrate. You have to be the legal driving age to ride the dunes and the fun is to die for. read more

This is our families favorite nearby vacation destination. We head up here about 5 times a year to go Off-Roading! It's great - the campground is always clean and the DNR staff is always friendly!!!! read more

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I'm ashamed I've never known about the sand dunes. I Travel often and always proclaim my love for being a Michigander and a Detroiter. But hey I found the sand dunes and the experience was awesome. The area was filled with friendly , nice folks! Some of the best views I've ever scene of Lake Michigan. I was in awe of the area the whole time. I'm so quick to catch a flight to the Caribbean, west coast, east coast ect. when I've never taken the time to explore Michigan. The price of renting a dune buggy is steep. 750. But it's worth it. It's pretty safe at the dunes if u follow directions. You won't need a tutorial everything is very simple... Be safe have fun... Simple. To enter the park uis pretty cheap. Don't remember the price per car. But all u need is a state park pass which is like 10 bucks a year. No alcohol allowed. Family friendly read more

Silver Lake State Park - Parks Near Me - Mears, Michigan

Nice park. Very friendly staff, clean bathrooms and showers. Beach is clear and sandy. Will diffently stay here again. read more

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Very nice state park campground. located right on Silver Lake. within walking distance of the village. can see sand dunes across lake. only a two mile drive to sand dune ORV access point. modern facility w/ regular toilets, showers, etc. fishing boat launch. same prices as every other state run campground. reservations at 800-44PARKS. (info only at direct # above.) was quiet when we visited the week before memorial day. your milage may vary if visiting in season. it is a tourist hot spot at that point, so bare that in mind. the village has built up a lot in recent years, so it is becoming more of a family minded tourist location rather than merely geared for adrenaline junkies (or as a breeding ground for drunk/high teenagers). DNR was friendly in campground. i've heard on the dunes they are sticklers though (which is to be expected with the amount of arrogant dumbasses out there). no complaints. good place, good people. 5 stars. read more

Probably my favorite camping trip ever. Despite a series of torrential storms, this place was the best. Our campsite was lake front with a gorgeous view of the dunes. I will say the sites aren't very secluded but that is typical for this type of place. Driving my wrangler on the dunes was a blast! Still can't believe how large the area is, about 2000 acres I heard. Cute little town as well, with all the accommodations you will need. I will definitely be back for more camping/off-roading! If you have a 4x4 and you don't go here, you are missing out! read more

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The dunes are a blast but don't stay in the campground unless you enjoy going to bed at 10 p.m. and DNR staff that are on a complete power trip. They made sure to let us know that quiet hours are all day and even our kids received warnings. When you walk the roads at 11 p.m, you will notice that there is not one campfire lit because everyone is sent to bed like you are staying at the Jellystone Park. In the bathroom, you will find a group of people talking inside because they are trying to have a little conversation without being issued a warning to get kicked out. If you have a group of more than 2 campers, watch out because you are automatically on their list to get booted. Beautiful view and fun-filled day ruined by power hungry DNR that clearly was never taught how to interact with others. There's also a playground by the beach that is a death trap for younger kids. Anyone under the age of 6, just enjoy watching the older kids play because the only option to go down the slide is to balance little feet through ropes. Oh and if you have any need for phone service, don't count on it because nobody gets service. Not helpful when there is an emergency at home and you can't be reached. Used to come here and love it but will NEVER go back. read more

This is definitely a beautiful place! Huuuge play ground if you have lifted cars, jeeps and 4x4s! Make sure you have your rec sticker taken care of one less thing to hold you up. Plus during the holidays the line to enter to go visit the dunes can get backed up. Prepare to hike a lot of you wanna get in the dunes to go swimming, of course unless you have some sort of water craft. Don't waste your time at any of the places surrounding for food, use your camp fire I promise what ever you cook will taste better and save you a lot. Quite a few places to camp in the area Plus spots for campers! read more

Wonderful beach area, great for kids. A dune to climb, great wave action. Great sandy lake entry. The kids and adults were happy. We swam by the lighthouse. read more

It's so much fun. Our family spends all day here when we come and we never get bored. Running down the dunes is really fun, as is hiking through them. If you're looking for a really long walk, you can hike to Lake Michigan fairly easily, although it's a little bit like a maze. I've noticed that they don't have good bathrooms, just the smelly outhouses which were terrible. Apart from that, the park was absolutely fantastic and worth your time. read more

I expect state parks to have trails and adventures so was slightly disappointed with Silver Lake State Park. The campground was also very noisy at night - yelling at 3am. The bathrooms were messy and the outhouses stinky. The area was crowded with dune buggies acting as if every road was a drag strip. Not my favorite place to camp but close enough to Ludington to stay a night and not stay at Silver Lake during the day. read more

Beautiful scenery. To say this is a busy area would be an understatement. It's nice to have Silver Lake and Lake Michigan to access along with the huge stretch of dunes, but....if you're not interested in all of the off roading going on, you may want to venture out somewhere else. Personally, there was too much testosterone in this area for me..8 out of 10 vehicles have the little flags on them ready to climb the dunes.. I was far more interested in a laid back, quiet time at the beach - Ludington fit that bill.. read more

DIRTY! The bathrooms at this place, wow. At any time of the day these bathrooms are even too dirty for a pig to lay. The sink areas are always so covered in bugs it's hard to see what color they are. Sites are small and close, typical to all Michigan state parks....best part of this park is the beach area for kids. read more

Off roading on sand dunes was awesome! The campground is kinda plain, the bathrooms and showers were nice, the showers had hot water and decent water pressure. Bring a sturdy tent because storms get kinda bad. Last time i went there was a storm and it knocked down most of the tents. I woke up to a battle zone of broken tents and all the campers abandoned their sites. The lake grossed me out there it was kinda nasty looking from all the boats there were in it. read more

Went for five days and had a blast. You need to have your own toys to use it to full potential. Could use some food on premise. Even when it rains it fun here. Decent beach and great dunes. We will be back again next year. Keep in mind the town around it is a little slow and closes up early. read more

We did not stay at the State Park but worked with the administration to hold our daughter's wedding at Little Point Sable. The administrators and their staff were very helpful and friendly, making planning the wedding so much easier. Thank you Josh, Cheryl, and Sue. read more