Silver Lake Knowledge

[xaugievike]

Planning a trip to silver lake in the next handful of weeks. Im aware of the needed passes and required flag. Biggest question I have is if these are available on site or if I should procure before arrival. Any other local knowledge of the place is appreciated. This is going to be my first off-road experience..im a bit wet behind the ears.

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[jetpuck73]

Here you go.


What stickers or permits do I need to get onto the dunes?
All Vehicles are required to have an ORV and Trail Sticker placed on the rear of the vehicle and a Recreation Passport or Non Resident Sticker.
These stickers are available at the Silver Lake State Park Welcome Center located at 8505 W Fox Rd, Mears, MI 49436
Stickers are also available at select retailers state wide, click the link below for more information.
License Agents
Stickers are also available online at:
http://www.mdnr-elicense.com/Welcome/Default.aspx
Stickers by mail may take up to 14 days to arrive.

 

[Offroad]

There is a nice little off road shop right at the entrance to the park that sells compliant flags and any other necessaries.

 

[wibornz]

On the dunes, crest hills slowly, mind you fast enough to get over, not so fast that you jump and flip your jeep over. The dunes change from day to day. The top of the dunes may be a nice roll over the top one day and the next day it can be a knifes edge that will high center you and get you stuck.

Water holes. some are shallow and can easily be driven threw. Others can put your entire Jeep under water. If you want to drive through them, walk them or watch others drive through first. Mind you I have pulled a couple of kids out of a water hole in a lifted s10 blazer where the kids were calf deep in water while standing on the roof of the blazer. They were diving off the roof into the water! The one kids swam down to hook up the tow strap.

Okay, now if going to Silver Lake, plan to stay until sunset. They line up on a sand dune facing Lake Michigan to watch the sunset. I travel a lot an would tell you that the sunsets on the dunes rivel Key West Florida sunsets and Orange Beach Alabama sunsets. So sunsets at the sand dunes are in the top three for places east of the Mississippi river.

Here are a couple pics of sun set at the dunes.

If you like wings, OMG this place has incredible wings.
https://goo.gl/maps/xLEeQAh5BrBbyMK29

In the same strip of buildings, there is an ice cream shop at the other end that has fantastic ice cream.

I have been going to the sand dunes since the late 80s.

 

[xaugievike]

There is a nice little off road shop right at the entrance to the park that sells compliant flags and any other necessaries.

Do you know the name of the shop?

 

[wibornz]

Do you know the name of the shop?

There is this one.
https://g.page/DuneLand?share

and across the street there is this one.

https://goo.gl/maps/RVhn4kCwMztnDTYe9

 

[xaugievike]

Thanks for this info guys. Im going to give Silver Lake a shot Friday.

 

[xaugievike]

Had a fun day on the Dunes for my first ever "off road" experience. it was really cool seeing the different kinds of vehicles out there

 

[JLAFAKASI]

Had a fun day on the Dunes for my first ever "off road" experience. it was really cool seeing the different kinds of vehicles out there

For this kind of driving is it 4hi or 4 lo? Im new to jeeping I see more of this stuff instead of rock crawling

 

[xaugievike]

For this kind of driving is it 4hi or 4 lo? Im new to jeeping I see more of this stuff instead of rock crawling

Both. For most of the main thoroughfares and open places in the park I was in hi. to get momentum up some of the larger dunes as well. in some of the wooded areas with more undulating places I crawled in lo.

 

[Coops4284]

For this kind of driving is it 4hi or 4 lo? Im new to jeeping I see more of this stuff instead of rock crawling

I stay in 4hi everywhere up there, but I turn off traction control and ESC. To turn off ESC first press the traction control button. Release then repress and hold until you hear a ding sound and then the dash screen will say ESC disabled.

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