Silver Lake State Park Pedestrian Dune Access

Beautiful day in early March to adventure out on the dunes. Highly recommend visiting this park early in the season for those who want to enjoy the silent beauty of the dunes.
There are no maintained trails at this entrance (dunes entrance), but there are three very distinct dunes that are visible from any point in the park. Closer to the shoreline, there are trail ride pathways that are very easy to follow and navigate.

What an incredible day trip to Silver Lake Sand Dunes! The wonderful August weather made the experience even more memorable. The dunes stretch as far as the eye can see, providing an amazing backdrop for some thrilling adventures. The walk-up of the dunes is slightly challenging but short. Whether you're a thrill-seeker or simply want to enjoy the natural beauty, Silver Lake Sand Dunes is a must-visit destination. Can't wait to return for another adventure!

Amazing MI Dunes! Short steep hike to Dunes with great views. Can walk to beach if willing to hike back uphill.

Great dune buggies racing over dines. Nice place for a sunset.

Beautiful sand and topography of trees buried in sand.

Take the buggy ride! Worth the $

This place is amazing. We travel here as often as possible. The kids love playing on the dunes. If you're feeling up to it, you can even walk all the way to Lake Michigan! I highly recommend coming after the heat of the day to play and then stay to view the sunset!

Be prepared to HIKE UP the backside of the dunes! There's no type of handhold going up so it's an effort.
The wind blows the sand & that can sting on the skin if wearing shorts/short sleeves.
Be prepared to have shoes full of sand when you come back down. I changed into my water shoes before going up because I didn't want to wear sandy shoes all day.

But it was totally worth it! The views are amazing. It was so quiet & peaceful. The ATVs running didn't take away from the atmosphere. Definitely a must see wonder of nature.

So fun! Highly recommend doing this if you're in the area! We paid $11 for a non-resident state park access pass for the day, and we felt like it was well worth it. We hiked up the dunes and watched the ORVs race around from afar and enjoyed the beautiful views.

Silver lake is definitely a weekend spot for family fun! There’s plenty picnic tables. There’s also restrooms, showers, and if you have a boat you could access the other side of the lake where the dunes are.

Great spot to walk up the sand dune. Once up there the view is amazing and expansive! It's a hard climb on the lungs so if you use asthma inhalers make sure you bring it.

Highly recommend going here. The hike is a little steep to get onto the dunes, but once you get up the view is amazing. If you are up for a bit of a hike, you can go all the way from the pedestrian access point out to the lake and back and the hike is about 2.5 miles up and back, but remember this is also a hike across sand and up and down dunes so it feels more like 4-5 miles. I made the journey across the dunes in about 40 minutes but this included running for some parts since a storm was rolling in. I've been to other dunes before, but these are by far the best I have been to.

This was an amazing place to go to in Michigan! All you see is sand everywhere! In the distance you can see Lake Michigan! It's amazing if you have never seen the dunes! Make sure you plan your visit especially if your going to rent dune buggies or 4 wheelers. I want to let you know to it's hard to get up the dunes.Takes a few minuets just make sure you take your time.

SO MUCH FUN. We found out about this only recently and it was a BLAST. The dune riding mixed with sand boarding made our vacation 10x better

Gorgeous!!! Kids had a blast!! Running and rolling down the dunes. We stood and watched some of the off ORV’s messing around as well. Definitely worth the hike up the dune!!

Very unique landscape you can see on the western part of Michigan. This is inside the state park so you will need Recreation Passport.

You can either climb a steep hill on sand or rent ORV to drive up. Either option will open up a vista that would be waiting to reward you.

This is the only area where you can hike the dunes, this is also the same, primary location for the dunes, on Google Maps for Silver Lake State Park. Silver Lake State Park and Silver Lake State Park Pedestrian Dune Access, are the same location. Unless you are arriving by helicopter, would be the only way to exactly get to Silver Lake State Park. I attempted to park at the other entrance, thinking the off-road and pedestrian areas are linked... But they are not! Convenient stairs lead to the dunes. Once you get to the top of the stairs you will see on/off ramp on your right where off-road vehicles go, but your adventure begins to the left. The dunes at first will look too steep to climb (for some with handicap, your final destination may be at the top of the stairs at the base of the dunes. If you have someone to help you to the top, and if you think you can put effort into the climb, it is worth it!).

I had my bathing suit and towel ready, but I was disappointed to learn there is no beach anywhere. However you can see Lake Michigan glistening on the horizon, best viewed near sunset, but worth the trip at other times, too.

Note on gas stations. There is only one Marathon located in the area. Otherwise you have to drive back to Hart.

Natural places like this are only as good as the people who use it. I was very surprised to only find one or two areas with broken glass and really no other trash. My family and I walked barefoot from the pedestrian access all the way to Lake Michigan without incident! Parking was simple and there are restroom facilities right in the parking lot although they desperately needed some upkeep. If you're looking for a unique outdoor experience and are physically able to traverse sand while walking up and down steep inclines, I would highly recommend checking these dunes out!

Incredibly beautiful! I've never seen anything quite like it. We arrived about an hour before sunset. Because it was rather late, it wasn't very busy but it is such a large area it can accommodate a lot of people without seeming crowded.

I parked at the state park next to the ORV access site. Climbed the stairs part way up the dunes and then the rest of the way to the top. Wow, one step up, and you slide two steps back. My heart was pumping hard, but I made it. There, I watched a storm coming across Lake Michigan. It was blowing hard, and sand was sandblasting my face. The view was well worth the pain. Took a few selfies and slowly walked back down the hill. Stopped at a picnic table to empty my shoes of gathered sand.

The dunes themselves are awesome. This access point is brutal! Your choices are a steep, sandy hill, or steep stairs and then a sandy hill. We took the stairs on the way in, and then we just slid down the sandy hill when we left. What a fun day!

The welcome center was unavailable to get our DNR permits pre-entry but the DNR people were easy to find once inside the gates. Great time of year - early October- to come as the place was practically empty. Tons of huge crests to try, stayed clear of the standing water, views from the top were gorgeous. Tons of variety - ATVs, side by sides, Jeeps, trucks - all out there riding the dunes.

Visited both sleeping bear ( near traverse city, MI ) and silver lake dunes. I can say both of them are worth to visit but we can climb and get down to beach side of dunes at silver lake dune easily rather than sleeping bear dunes. Sleeping bear dunes are lengthy to cover.