Sand, Sun, Sand, Jeeps, Sand, Water, Sand, Quads, Sand, Trucks, Sand, Sand and more Sand!

That's how I'd describe the Silver Lake Sand Dunes except for adding "You gotta go!"

If you haven't ventured out to the Silver Lake State Park then you're missing one of the best 4x4 experiences that Michigan has to offer. This place is a Jeeper's dream.

The park is located on the western shore of Michigan, about 30 minutes north of Muskegon on route 31. Look for Silver Lake and you'll find it.

Our trip involved the usual gang that we Jeep with, minus a few. (Is Jeep a verb? Now it is!) The gang included Jim, Shannon, Tyler and Jesse in the red Jeep and Dale, Julia, Jordan and Gavin in the black Jeep.

This article is really written for first- time visitors, since there are a few things you need to know. This was my first trip to the dunes, but I had the benefit of knowing lots of friends that have been there before, and having Jim and Shannon along, who had spent the week vacationing there with their Jeep.

For starters, the first thing you are going to need is a flag.

The flags need to reach 10' tall and there is a pole that you pass under as you enter the park to prove that your flag is tall enough. An operator stands at the entry way and checks everybody. Also, there are no alcoholic beverages allowed in the dunes and they do check - so don't risk it.

For connecting the flag, you can make your own bracket or you can buy one. My friends all made their own, I chose to buy mine. The following picture shows what a purchased flag mount looks like. The length is needed so that when you're driving down the road the flag doesn't whip back and hit your Jeep's grill. If you're making your own, just drill a 1/2" hole and you should be set. If you plan on buying a mount, just bring along your star wrenches so you can connect the bar to the front bumper.

Once you get to the park, you can purchase your flag. On the picture below you can see that the shops don't have any shortage of flags to sell. While we were leaving the dunes, I noticed another Jeep in the parking lot attaching their flag, so this is pretty typical.

Once you've got your flag you can drive up to the guard shack and pay your entry fee. Since this is a state park, the fee is like any other state park. I believe we paid $6.00 for the day, but if you have an annual membership you can go right through.

Once you're past the guard shack, there is a parking lot where everybody hangs out before going out onto the dunes.

Before venturing off into the dunes, you'll need to air down your tires.

The standard suggestion is to air down to 10 lbs. My tires are normally aired to 45 lbs and I was concerned about taking them down that far. This wasn't Jim's first time and he assured me this was the way to go. He was right. So, go ahead, air down, but don't email me if your tire falls off the rim. I'm just explaining what I did! (But I can recommend that you don't take any hard turns with your tires this low:)

Here's what the tires looked like at 10 lbs:

Once you've done all of these steps, you're ready for the dunes. The picture below shows what the entry way looks like. The 15 mph speed limit sign isn't even needed. In a Jeep, you're hard- pressed to go 10 mph because of the bump action. This was one of the kids' favorite parts!

When you first arrive in the park, you are confronted with what is called "Test Hill". This is one mammoth hill of sand. You can go around the hill, but really, why? We went up the hill first thing. The hill might not look like much on a web page, but you'll see. The sequence below shows us going up the hill. I was probably doing 35 to 40 mph on the bottom of the hill which was really a bit much, but I made it. For my first attempt, I kept the Jeep in 4x4 High. Later on in the day I learned that 4x4 Low and shifting the gears is much better.

The trip isn't done yet. Go on to the next page!

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