Sharon Smith Huff - Lake Michigan Coast

Silver Lake
Dunes
Photos and Story by
Sharon Smith Huff
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Lake
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Lake Michigan Coast Magazine
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Nowhere in the Midwest
can you ride an off-road vehicle
on 450 acres of sand dunes
except for the Michigan State
Park at Silver Lake. For the all
terrain vehicle enthusiasts, the
pristine sands overlooking Lake
Michigan are an ideal venue
for pursing a beloved hobby.
However, for those of us who
prefer silence over the whine
of two-stroke acceleration,
fresh air over the smell of
exhaust, and challenging hikes
over the challenge of dodging
motorcycles and quads, Silver
Lake Sand Dunes has something
for us as well.
Silver Lake State Park is
a 3,000 acre park on the Lake
Michigan coast. It is unique
in that it includes sand dunes,
scrubland, mature forest and
more than four miles of Lake
Michigan shoreline.
DNR
Officer Peter LungBorg is the
friendly and gracious park
manager. He noted the park’s
most
popular
attraction:
“The public comes here for an
opportunity to ride off-road
vehicles. This is the only sand
dune in the Midwest where
people can ride cross country.
It isn’t a trail system. The big
attractions are the high hills
and dune ridges, because it
gives people an opportunity
to do hill climbing. It’s kind of
like skiing uphill and downhill.
People get the thrills they are
looking for.”
The thrill I am looking
for does not have to do with
velocity or horsepower. My
thrill comes from standing
atop an enormous dune, tired
yet exhilarated by the climb,
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observing the panoramic view
of Lake Michigan on one side
and Silver Lake on the other.
Yet the males in my
family prefer the motorized
route. And the faster the
engine, the better.
Every
summer my family takes a
day trip to the Lake Michigan
dunes. Half of my family tears
into the park on four-wheelers;
the other half hikes barefoot
the two mile trek up and down
hills through the hot sand to
Lake Michigan. At the end of
the day, the males complain
their thumbs are sore from
pressing the throttle; and the
women complain about hot
feet, dehydration, and aching
legs. Yet we all have enjoyed
doing what we like best.
“It’s really very family
oriented,” noted LungBorg.
“We have lots of different kinds
of vehicles, full sized trucks,
ATVs, dune buggies, anything
with wheels and a motor, and in
some cases a track. If you don’t
own one, you can just come
rent an ATV or dune buggy
at the nearby businesses.”
Anyone over the age of 12 who
has
taken
an Off Road
Vehicle (ORV)
Safety Course
can
ride,
provided they
are
within
50 feet of a
responsible adult.
My daughters are not yet 12,
so by default they will take the
hike with me. We generally
hike alongside the fenced area
exclusively for ORVs. There
is another more direct route,
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about one mile, across the
sands straight to the lake. But
in order to end up at the ORV
beach, we follow the fence
line. Every so often the boys
ride by waving and gleefully
spraying sand rooster tales in
my direction. It is hot, sticky,
and gritty. And I love it. Half
the fun is experiencing the
scenery, and the other half is
the sense of martyrdom I feel
when I recap the arduous miles
I walked.
This year the guys
planned to take our truck into
the dunes as well as their quads,
and so our day at Silver Lake
started with a visit to
Sandy Korners Jeep
Store. Sandy Korners
stocks
sunglasses,
clothing,
maps,
and the mandatory
orange safety flag
needed for our Dodge
Ram. Ten foot safety
flags are required
of all ORVs so that
every vehicle will be
visible as it crests the
dunes. The congenial
proprietor
Jack
Warfield
installed
the flag on our truck
as he quipped, “My
wife owns the store.
She lets me work for
her.”
Then it was on into the
park to check in. Michigan
vehicles are charged $6.00
per day or $24 for an annual
pass; and out of state vehicles
are charged $8 per day or $29
annually. The day we chose
turned out to be a perfect July
day in Michigan, mostly sunny,
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Lake Michigan Coast Magazine Summer 2010
mid 80’s, a variable breeze
coming off the lake. Trucks,
dune buggies and quads lined
the beachside, each sporting a
10 foot tall pole with a red flag.
The beach was clean and free
of glass and plastic. In fact, the
entire dunes were litter-free
and immaculate except for
tire ruts which quickly fill in
when the wind blows. Visitors
to the park are all ages and
backgrounds, but I found them
all to be friendly. Michael and
Jake Wolfe, father and son
from Cleveland, Ohio, were
first time visitors to the dunes.
“This is heaven,” enthused
Michael. “I don’t
think I can pull my
son away from here.”
Later I spent a few
moments chatting
with a pleasant
woman in a blue
jumper who filled
me in on everything
I didn’t know about
the dunes.
I was eager for a
photo opportunity
from the top of the
highest dune, and
by necessity my
plans today included
a ride into the ORV
section of the park.
Park
Manager
LundBorg
had
assured me, “There are all
levels of experience in terms
of riders.” I would be at the
low end of amateur. This was
not my idea of fun. I prefer
canoes to speedboats, skies to
snowmobiles, and hikes to dirt
bikes. Nevertheless I strapped
on a sweaty helmet
and followed my oldest son
into the dunes.
It took a moment to
adjust to driving on sand.
I crested a small rise and
stopped to survey the area and
promptly stalled the engine.
My son came roaring back to
look for me and I restarted the
engine just in time to avoid the
embarrassment of looking like
the amateur I was. “Mom,”
Scott shouted, “We’ll go to the
second highest dune first. If
you can make it up that one,
you can make it the tallest one.
But you have to shift up. You
have to get going fast enough
to be in third gear.”
Alas, Scott had failed to
mention the need to downshift.
In retrospect, I would have had
a better chance at had I pushed
the quad up the hill. In third
gear I was doomed to fail. The
ATV bucked and stalled five
yards from the top. I had a
death grip on the handbrake to
prevent the quad from sliding
backwards down the nearly
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Silver Lake State Park
vertical angle. “Turn around
and try it again,” Scott shouted
from the top. “No way!” I
shouted back. “I can’t let go
of the brake!” As it turns out
I needn’t have worried about
sliding since I had dug down
into about a foot of sand.
Suffice it to say I didn’t attempt
the tallest dune.
Much later in the day,
after recovering my pride at
the beach, eating sand and
peanut butter sandwiches, and
drinking copious amounts of
sports drinks, my daughters
and I began the walk back
to the parking lot. The path
winds through a mile of scrub
land with distinct vegetation.
Dune grass, bearberries, and
junipers help to hold the
dunes together. Stunted oaks
are found slightly inland. The
scrubland path gives way to
a mile of sandy dunes. As we
reached the midpoint of the
hike, a kindly family in a navy
blue pickup truck drove up to
the fence line and asked if we
needed a ride. “No thanks,” I
replied, “We’re doing this to
ourselves voluntarily.” Three
hills later, I was rethinking that
answer. Sweat had saturated
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our hair and was dripping into
our eyes, already burning from
the bright sun reflecting off
white sand. Then unexpectedly
a truck drove close, and out
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Lake Michigan Coast Magazine Summer 2010
bounded the friendly woman
in the blue jumper, carrying
bottles of ice cold water. “I
was so worried about you
when you said you were going
to walk all that back!” she
exclaimed. “Would you like
some water?” Her kindness was
so heartwarming. Refreshed,
we were able to tackle the last
dune nearest to the parking lot
for one final spectacular view.
Back at the entrance, the
summer rangers thoughtfully
supplied me with tourist
information.
Silver Lake indeed has
something
for
everyone.
Whether your sport is hiking
or ORVing, you can find your
niche. Whether you are there
for the beauty of the Lake
Michigan coast or for the thrill
of ascending Mount Baldy, you
can pursue your heart’s desire
at the Silver Lake dunes.
My most endearing
memories of the park are the
likable people I encountered.
You, too, are sure to meet likeminded people who are friendly
and helpful. There is nothing
like doing what one loves to
bring out the best in people.
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