Silver Lake Sand Dunes

Sun, sand, surf. What's not to like?  Silver Lake Sand Dunes has been one of our favorite summer getaways for over a decade now.  Located between Muskegan and Ludington on the shores of Lake Michigan, it is a mecca for those who love to challenge the sand dunes on a dirtbike, atv or 4-wheel drive. Or fish. Or stroll the beach. Or go for a refreshing dip in Lake Michigan or Silver Lake.  You get the idea.  For summer fun, this is the place to go.

You know that you are getting close to where a good time is to be had when you see this in a nearby town.  I think every town should have this on their water tower. :-)

Even though Silver Lake is known primarily as a place for hitting the sand with dune buggies and such.  If you do not have an ATV, don't let that stop you.  You can either pack a cooler and bring an umbrella and stroll the dunes and take time out and relax on the beach.  Or there are several places in town to rent jeeps or to sign up for a tour.  Places like this...

And if you need souvenirs, look for shops such as this one....

Their motto is, "Come in a bug us!". Get it?  Volkswagon bug.  Bug us.  Oh-kay...moving on....

Here is the sandy corridor as you enter the dunes.....

And here is the view when you enter the dunes.  I love seeing the endless blue horizon of Lake Michigan and acres and acres of sand dotted with trees and drift wood here and there. It is like one giant sand box.

This motley crew was itching to see if they could make it up "test hill".  It is the tallest dune in the park and those with nerves of steel and no common sense make this climb.  If you go to YouTube you will find dozens of videos of people making this attempt.

And their off!  Can they make it?  Do their machines have the ability to make it up such a steep grade? Stay tuned.....

Hurray!  They did it!   On the first attempt!  They are such showoffs!  My hubby and I are old geezers, so we played it safe and went directly to the beach.  My son and our friends spent most of the day exploring the dunes and testing their machines to see what hills they could climb and if that area of really soft sand could be passable.  They had a blast!

In the next few days, I'll be sharing more pictures of the beach and camping stories. :-)

Thanks for looking in!:-)