P1000 Silver Lake, Mi

[hopeicanaffordthis]

Hey all, wanting to take my family out there this year (we live near Cleveland, Oh) and have zero experience on dunes. We would be brining a 1987 trx250 and Pioneer 1000. We have a winch but that's about it for performance mods. A few questions for the group: Worth a long weekend (w a family of four with the littlest being two years old)? I figured the lake would be fun for the family and the dunes would be fun for the adults. Also, will we need any special equipment; i.e. Paddle tires or filter covers? Thanks in advance.

 

[Admin]

 

[Blownzuki]

You have to get a flag to mount to the front of your buggy, and one on the back of the quad. Buy the flags there at apple tree automotive or the place across the street. Permit’s can be pricey, the parking lot is small. Sometimes you have to wait to get a parking spot. Air your tires down. It’s not really that big of a place, about the only fun is watching all the other people. Horsepower is king. I won’t waste my time taking the talon there. Save your money and go to the takeover.

 

[Remington]

Hey all, wanting to take my family out there this year (we live near Cleveland, Oh) and have zero experience on dunes. We would be brining a 1987 trx250 and Pioneer 1000. We have a winch but that's about it for performance mods. A few questions for the group: Worth a long weekend (w a family of four with the littlest being two years old)? I figured the lake would be fun for the family and the dunes would be fun for the adults. Also, will we need any special equipment; i.e. Paddle tires or filter covers? Thanks in advance.

Being a veteran of that place in My home state and use to go there 2 times a year up till 10yrs ago. I would say the kind of fun times your looking for and with a 2 yr old is over. I wouldnt go. I stopped cuz its become a Poo Poo Fire Trap RZR crazy rider frenzy and lots of jeeps last few times I went. Highly recommend paddle tires if u go cuz of the monster hills, the rig just rides better that way their. As mentioned u will need a whip flag on each rig also.
I would recomend going to the
michigan.gov/DNR site and look up trails in the state. Plenty to ride and explore and towns to see. You can also ride out of many motels in the area. If u have a TH there are plenty of UTV friendly campgrounds as well.
Again, just my opinion.

 

[trigger]

Hey all, wanting to take my family out there this year (we live near Cleveland, Oh) and have zero experience on dunes. We would be brining a 1987 trx250 and Pioneer 1000. We have a winch but that's about it for performance mods. A few questions for the group: Worth a long weekend (w a family of four with the littlest being two years old)? I figured the lake would be fun for the family and the dunes would be fun for the adults. Also, will we need any special equipment; i.e. Paddle tires or filter covers? Thanks in advance.

I'd ride it one day just to check it out, if you've never been there. As for the long weekend, spend the other days on the Baldwin trail system. Supposed to be the best in the state.

 

[Remington]

I'd ride it one day just to check it out, if you've never been there

@hopeicanaffordthis you can try that too as well. Go during the week day. Deff best time to go fo sho.

 

[P1K5Dave]

MI lifer here. Silver Lake Dunes are certainly something to see and experience. The dunes are cool to check out. Prepare for a lot of waiting and a highly controlled environment.

That said, it's not my idea of fun. We have a billion more miles of incredible riding up here that's free and open, and isn't dune.

 

[906UP]

I would advise against it unless you're going midweek. The weekends are a sausage fest of azzhats trying to out do each other and it usually ends up with someone getting a helicopter ride to a hospital in Grand Rapids. It's definitely not somewhere I'd take young kids unless it was before Memorial Day or after Labor Day. Is it worth the drive from Cleveland?..... IMHO.... HE11 NO

 

[Todd627]

We were there last year and unless your rig is street legal (MI standards) you cannot get to the dunes from hotels or campgrounds. Like everyone else said…it is a s***show for sure. After a few hours you can pack it up and move on. And the lake will be cold no matter when you go.

 

[ChadD]

Hey all, wanting to take my family out there this year (we live near Cleveland, Oh) and have zero experience on dunes. We would be brining a 1987 trx250 and Pioneer 1000. We have a winch but that's about it for performance mods. A few questions for the group: Worth a long weekend (w a family of four with the littlest being two years old)? I figured the lake would be fun for the family and the dunes would be fun for the adults. Also, will we need any special equipment; i.e. Paddle tires or filter covers? Thanks in advance.

Uh... first we need pictures of the 250 😉 and maybe the pioneer 😁.

I live in the thumb and have never been there. Friends go and tell me I need to go but I have no interest.

 

[hopeicanaffordthis]

I love this forum. May skip the dunes and stick to the trails. Any Drummond Island fans out there?

 

[hopeicanaffordthis]

 

[Stateboy]

The dunes are broken into three parts. One part is private and you can pay to ride (not drive) an open roof station wagon type vehicle. That company is called Mac Dunes. The second part is the area that sparks your interest to go riding with everyone else. The third part is only open to pedestrian traffic to walk the dunes. That's an experience itself when you realize that the little trees that are sometimes not much taller than you are are actually the tree tops of rather large trees that have been covered by sand over the last hundred years or so. Houses have been gobbled up and continue to be gobbled up on the east side of the dunes at the north end of Silver Lake. You'll drive right by them or at least one of them that you can still see if things haven't changed in the last few years since I've been there.

There are ways to have fun there, you just have to be careful. The only time I rode those dunes was with a rented Jeep. A few of us that paid to rent our own Jeeps followed a tour guide for the first hour and then cut us loose for the second hour. We had to return back to the rental shop on our own. You can drive right up to the lake but not in it because they have that fenced off, causing you to have to get out to walk to the actual shoreline.

Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk

 

[trigger]

I love this forum. May skip the dunes and stick to the trails. Any Drummond Island fans out there?

We've ridden it. Lots of rocks and water. Wasn't a real friendly place to ride in a P5, hit a rock in a water hole and smashed my bash plate and plow bracket. The P1's did alright.

 

[906UP]

I love this forum. May skip the dunes and stick to the trails. Any Drummond Island fans out there?

We've ridden it a few times, if you've never been there it can be enjoyable, try to pick a wkd (or mid-week) when there isn't a Jeep thing going on. 15 yrs ago it was fun on quads, in the last 5-10yrs the place has been overrun by the Jeep crowd which makes it hard for quads & small SxSs. That said I won't go back, we have better trails locally that I can ride from my house.

 

[Remington]

I love this forum. May skip the dunes and stick to the trails. Any Drummond Island fans out there?

Lots of fun, better than the dunes.
Like @trigger said, little rough on a P5 in spots. I was there with him that day.

 

[Slurugger]

hey guys, digging this up as I'm taking the family to MI this summer for the first time and we're bringing the P1K-5. We are spending 5 days near Silver Lake and thought we'd stop in at the dunes a couple times. We are noobs to the off road dunes so looking for any tips or recommendations. We are looking to cruise around the dunes during the week and are NOT looking to be racing jumping, etc. Kids are 8, 9, and 10. Appreciate any inputs.

I did find this for the requirements:

https://thinkdunes.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/SLSD-ResourceGuides_2024_DuneReadyGuide.pdf

Aside from those requirements, what other recommended items should we be thinking about - i.e. goggles for kids?

 

[Remington]

hey guys, digging this up as I'm taking the family to MI this summer for the first time and we're bringing the P1K-5. We are spending 5 days near Silver Lake and thought we'd stop in at the dunes a couple times. We are noobs to the off road dunes so looking for any tips or recommendations. We are looking to cruise around the dunes during the week and are NOT looking to be racing jumping, etc. Kids are 8, 9, and 10. Appreciate any inputs.

I did find this for the requirements:

https://thinkdunes.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/SLSD-ResourceGuides_2024_DuneReadyGuide.pdf

Aside from those requirements, what other recommended items should we be thinking about - i.e. goggles for kids?

Id say read the thread again before going.
And yes any of our trails ware some goggles cuz its sandy and dusty AF when dry.
Personally, Id skip the dunes and look at our many other trails a little bit north. Alot more to see there. More than just a bunch of now wild Poo Poo’s and jeeps on the shoreline. At your own risk!
A buddy that use to go there every yr with when we where kids till we were early 20’s before the nut jobs started showing up, decided to go back for a weekend with his Pioneer. Said its not what it use to be. Busy and no respect from others just alot of on the “band wagon” got to have a sxs crowd. Said hes not going back. Take it for what its worth.

 

[Slurugger]

Id say read the thread again before going.
And yes any of our trails ware some goggles cuz its sandy and dusty AF when dry.
Personally, Id skip the dunes and look at our many other trails a little bit north. Alot more to see there. More than just a bunch of now wild Poo Poo’s and jeeps on the shoreline. At your own risk!
A buddy that use to go there every yr with when we where kids till we were early 20’s before the nut jobs started showing up, decided to go back for a weekend with his Pioneer. Said its not what it use to be. Busy and no respect from others just alot of on the “band wagon” got to have a sxs crowd. Said hes not going back. Take it for what its worth.

Thanks, we'll try it one day and maybe it won't be for us. We picked Silver Lake area because of the beach and other activities, dunes aren't the sole reason for our trip. We are also staying in the Munising and Mackinac areas if there are trails you'd recommend. Just trying to be somewhat prepared as we've never been there.

 

[Remington]

Thanks, we'll try it one day and maybe it won't be for us. We picked Silver Lake area because of the beach and other activities, dunes aren't the sole reason for our trip. We are also staying in the Munising and Mackinac areas if there are trails you'd recommend. Just trying to be somewhat prepared as we've never been there.

There are alot of trails in those areas. You cant really go wrong with any in the UP or northern lower. I know this sounds bad, but its really a good sorce for trails in the areas your going to be at. Go to the states DNR site and there are orv maps to download for your areas.

 

[906UP]

Thanks, we'll try it one day and maybe it won't be for us. We picked Silver Lake area because of the beach and other activities, dunes aren't the sole reason for our trip. We are also staying in the Munising and Mackinac areas if there are trails you'd recommend. Just trying to be somewhat prepared as we've never been there.

Check out this link, it's an interactive map of MI that shows trail, roads that are open to orvs, etc. I partial to riding in the U.P. but I live their so..... The area between Munising and I-75 has a lot to offer as far as variety and doesn't seem to get as busy as places in the lower, probably due to the sheer area that's open vs a lot of riders in a small areas like the L.P. offers.

ArcGIS Web Application

midnr.maps.arcgis.com