silver lake ????'s

[dave2005]

Hello,

My buddies and I are looking at going for a long weekend trip to the dunes at silver lake. My question is, where is a good place to stay? We would like either a cabin or hotel, but will settle for camping if the other two choices are going to break the bank (we are poor college kids after all).
Also, what sort of tips can anyone give me (first time at silver lake), for the dunes. I will be taking my crf 450. I am looking at getting a paddle tire with 8 paddles. Any tips for the bike and myself would be awsome.

Thanks,

Dave

 

[Asrith]

You will need to purchase a flag pole and mount for the rear axle. Far as a place to stay, I would google it up or call Triple A or something. Also, you have to have a spark arrestor to enter the park and a ORV sticker.

 

[allthingsdirt]

I'm planning the same trip with a buddy of mine this summer. We've booked a cottage that I found on this site.. http://www.thinkdunes.com/lodging-10/

As the other fellow said, you'll need a quiet pipe with a spark arrestor, a 10 foot pole with a rectangular flag (you can buy these at David Allen Racing right at the entrance to the park) and a couple of other permits that you can buy right at the park.

I've never been but I've heard from others that long weekends are NUTS!!. Arrive early and be prepared to wait. here's the DNR site. http://www.thinkdunes.com/sand-dunes-7/

Have fun!!

 

[MXGirl230]

We've never been, don't care to go...but look out for the idiots.

As far as places to stay Hart has the nearest motel/hotels. Pretty sure there is nothing in Mears except a campground oh and it seems like there is a "resort", which is probably out of the question.

Hart has Budget Host Inn, a comfort Inn and a couple of Ma Pa type of motels. The main two are off of Polk road on the right hand side. Comfort Inn sits off of the road on the South side of Polk and Budget Host is Just East of there.

If you take Polk road East to Oceana drive and turn Left (North) down a few miles is Gateway Motel. That will be on the left hand side of the road. The only thing on the right is homes and farmland.

Places to eat, McDonalds, Subway, La Fiesta (good Mexican food), Pink Elephant (homecooking) both of those are downtown Hart and then there is Hart Pizza .Mickey Ds, Subway and Hart pizza are all on Polk. Plus there are a couple of grocery stores too.

 

[Steve St.Laurent]

I've gone for years although never on a bike. There is a hotel about a mile from the entrance but it'll already be booked for all the holiday weekends this year probably. There are a number of campgrounds in the area. I'd highly suggest not going on one of the holiday weekends on a bike (or quad). Literally every holiday weekend I've ever gone someone has died on a bike or quad. It's usually their fault too - the hill section of the dunes is all one way traffic - no cross the hills, no coming back down (unless you get stuck on the way up), etc. Usually what happens is the bike or quad rider are either riding back up the back side of one of the hills or they are riding across the hill on the back side and a truck comes over the top and they hit. The other thing is if your taking bikes in you'll have to get into the parking lot with your truck which can be a hassle. There's a ticket system in place now and you get your tickets for a set time to get into the park down the road, but if you need to leave a vehicle in the parking lot then you have to be there VERY early. We used to get in line the night before in order to get a parking spot in the lot - once it's full noone else gets in until someone leaves. I'd call the park and ask about the ticket system and figure out how it works before you go. I'd suggest a non holiday weekend or even better mid week if you want to ride without a ton of traffic.

 

[2TrakR]

Silver Lake had several motels in town, just a few blocks from the dune entrance, looks like they are still there: http://www.thinkdunes.com/hotels,-motels--resorts-21/

We used to camp at Silver City II (every warm holiday weekend from 1990-2001). I hear they no longer exist.

Back in the Day (as the old folks say), it was not unusual to spend 8-10 hours in the entrance line. Towards the end of our trips there they implemented the voucher system, which let us sit in line for 4-5 hours to get vouchers, so we could then sit in line for "just" a couple hours.

I hear the wait in line stuff is not much of an issue any more (and never really was on non-holiday weekends).

Paddle tire is not mandatory, especially if you are cash strapped.

 

[Asrith]

I cannot imagine going there this weekend, just be careful and patient.

 

[E_Langen]

Back in the Day (as the old folks say), it was not unusual to spend 8-10 hours in the entrance line.

Before "Back in the day" we would go during the week, no flags, no permits, no lines, no fence and sometimes no one else there.

 

[70 marlin]

Back in the Day (as the old folks say), it was not unusual to spend 8-10 hours in the entrance line. Towards the end of our trips there they implemented the voucher system, which let us sit in line for 4-5 hours to get vouchers, so we could then sit in line for "just" a couple hours.

I hear the wait in line stuff is not much of an issue any more (and never really was on non-holiday weekends).

Paddle tire is not mandatory, especially if you are cash strapped.

The voucher is for a parking place for your tow vehicle and trailer. If you dune toy is street legal you can buy your day pass and drive straight to the dune entrance have a sound check & Orv sticker inspection and up the hill you go. At least this was the way it was for me a couple of years ago. I don't think they have a quota they set for entrance on to the dune yet? Last time I was up there wifey dropped me and the boy's off at the dune area. And we pushed the bikes into the parking lot to get the day pass then to the parking area and off we went!

 

[2TrakR]

The voucher is for a parking place for your tow vehicle and trailer.

Must have changed it (good thing) since I was there. It was a screwed up deal when they first started, seemed to get better towards the end (that being when we stopped going). Our rigs were street legal (well, we had plates on them) and we drove from the campground to the entrance, but still had to have the vouchers.

At the time, again I'm assuming this is fixed or much better now, the vouchers were for specific slots of time to get in line. Like you could get an 10 to 10:30 AM voucher, I forget the exact details/times, and that voucher would let you get into line at that time. This wasn't for the parking area, just the main entrance, parking had a separate voucher with specific hours, seems like they were real early times too. Been 7-8 years since we were there.

 

[2TrakR]

Warning - no bike content...

Ok, I had to go dig this one up. This is Labor Day weekend in 1994. It's Sunday. Yes, that's a pink hat and those are pink wheels. And that is a pirate flag in the back.

Pretty sure it's Sunday 'cause I scattered the front axle on Saturday, so I planned to "2-wheel" it by borrowing my buddy's paddles (hence the non-matching rear tires). Seems like his motor popped on Saturday, which made his paddle tires available.
We are 1 mile from the dune park entrance, waiting in line. The day before was one of those 8 hour waits to get in.

 

[dave2005]

thanks for the heads up everyone. NO WAY were we going to go up this weekend. I was thinking a weekend in July. Now I am thinking a Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. Would I be better off with a paddle tire or can I really get away with my knobby tire?
Again, thanks a ton.

Dave

 

[TJC510]

they have a dune ready voucher for street legal rigs, AND a parking lot voucher for your truck and trailer. i have never needed a parking lot voucher so im not sure exactly how those work. the dune ready voucher tells you when to get in line, its a 2 hour window, like 10-12.

2traker, nice looking 79. must have been a 3/4 ton if you scattered the front axle. i blew mine up there last time i took my truck, decided to play in 2wd the rest of the day. there was only one hill i couldn't climb in 2wd, test hill. everything else was no problem, i probably could have made test hill in 2wd if i didn't blow my built 350 the week before. i had to swap the stock one back in to make that trip.

you can get away with a knobby, but you need to get it spinning before you start to go anywhere. i took my cr500 up there with a knobby and i didn't start to really move till i hit 3rd gear.

 

[2TrakR]

must have been a 3/4 ton if you scattered the front axle.

Yup. Dana 44 with a True-Track (probably spelling it wrong). Loved to snap inner axles. Sucked a lot of cash/parts before I went with the permanent fix (Dana 60).

 

[YZMAN400]

As others have said you will need

1) a safety flag (duneland at entrance)

2) flag bracket (duneland again)

3) state park sticker for the bike, or day pass

4) orv sticker

5) spark arrested exhaust that will pass 94db (not sure how close they monitor the sound though)

If you go with a paddle (recomended) make sure your chain is long enough to slide the adjusters all the way back so you dont contact the front of the swingarm. Many peeps will remove the shock guard so it dosn't get tore up from the paddle. You can run a knobby out there if its good and fresh. But youll have more fun with the paddle.

if its busy they run the voucher system. But if its not you can roll right in. I used to put the bike in the back of the truck ie no trailer and drive the truck and bike right into the dunes and park at the beach. That way you are considered Dune ready and will get in quicker as you dont have to wait for parking to open up. if you do drive the truck into the dunes with the bikes make sure to tie the back tire down in the back otherwise it will bounce all over the place.

 

[Higgsy]

Sierra Sands Family Lodge. 7990W Hazel Rd. Silver Lake
It's clean, close to dunes, very reasonable priced rooms and good people to deal with.

 

[SLEDNECK]

I went to the dunes last year, me and a couple buddies day tripped it up their. We drove about 4 hrs up their ( we ended up getting lost some how, i was sleeping) and we almost didnt get in. The whole parking lot deal is messed up. But once you get in it is awsome. Nothing better then sitting on test hill looking out over lake michigan. It was a long day but i would do it all over again if i had the chance.