silver Lake Sand Dunes

[660r2a400ex]

im headed up there between may-aug. whats the best time to go.whens the weather the best ? and does anyone have pics from trips up there, whats there to do besides drag racing, also how long are the drag races, any hill climbs? all info is helpful, jumps ? i've never been to the dunes and this will be a 14 hr drive for me, is it worth it ? any wallmarts neer by ? we'll probally sleep in the truck so i was wondering if we can park at a neer by store(walmart) and crash for the night, also can you go swimming right their by the dunes ? please post pictures, any events hosted there, is there a certain time i shouldnt go due to events or over populated ?

[AutoRoc]

Holiday weekends are a madhouse. Long lines, rough sand, accidents...

http://www.silverlakesanddunes.com/

That site is loaded with info on events and surroundings.

I google mapped all of the big name stores like walmart and I don't see any nearby, nor do I remember any. Campsites might be cheap, never checked. Check it out from the satellite view to see the dunes. The upper 40% of the dunes is the rideable area, the rest is foot trails only. Beach access to silver lake and laek michigan are pretty easy. May and June will be nice riding weather for sure 60-70 averages, chilly mornings. July if you like the beach that much.

It's a good weekend trip for anyone even if you don't bring your own toys. You can rent anything on sand or water.

[ATV Chic]

There is a walmart in ludington, 23.69 miles north US 31. Mapquest....

1 Start out going EAST on W 4TH ST/W FOX RD toward N CENTER ST. 0.07 miles

2 Turn LEFT onto N 56TH AVE/N JOY ST. Continue to follow N 56TH AVE. 0.50 miles


3 Turn RIGHT onto W POLK RD. 1.47 miles


4 Merge onto US-31 N via the ramp on the LEFT. 20.50 miles


5 Merge onto US-10/LUDINGTON AVE toward MUSKEGON/LUDINGTON. 1.15 miles


Plus, you really want to check out ludington and Pentwater, they are awesome towns right on Lake Michigan. The dunes are awesome. You have to go to the local camp ground in mears right on silver lake and get your ORV sticker then you can head over to the dunes to ride. I had never ridden that type of terrain until las year and you definately want to take your time feeling it out before you get any speed going. You need to figure out the direction of traffic, etc. alot of sections are specifically directional! It is sooooo fun! If you can, it really helps to have the sand paddles also, at least on the rear. Yes, August is the best time to go; if you want to swim in the lake anyway. Other wise, anytime from June to Labor day is nice. Hope you enjoy it as much as the bf and i do!:D

[660r2a400ex]

all of my quads are geared to top out right at 100yds. should i gear bikes back up or how long are the drags ? 100yds, 200yds, 300yds, ?

[AutoRoc]

It's very easy to top out my 440EX on the beach and on the flats with stock gearing and 20" tires. Racing on the flats can be over 300 yards easily if you want to keep your thumb in it that long. There are a few areas where you can go flat out for a minute or two. The beach has some long flat areas that are usually damp and really fun. The climbs are not giant, a thumper 4 stroke can lumber up them very easily in third.

You can find jumps here and there. Some of the hills are slightly stepped so you can jump up certain hills.

I'd gear it for 100+!! hahaha:macho

23 miles isn't a bad drive for that walmart! there ya go!

[660r2a400ex]

naw, but it might be cheaper to camp out, also how far are the campgrounds from the place ?

[morse250r]

ill post some pics tonight , im set up for 300' everytime i go to silver lake i go from a 14-41 to a 14-38-39 honda 250r so youll wanna make changes as far as campgrounds there within a few miles val due lakes yogi bear state park theres a good site to check out too silverlakefourm.com good info for ya there

[660r2a400ex]

thanks a lot, cant wait to see some pics is it worth 14 hour drive just to ride sat and sun, maybe a little monday ?

[morse250r]

yeah its fun when its new to you what about oklahoma isnt that kinda close for you too working on pics have to resize em lots of racing good hills to climb youll like it

[660r2a400ex]

thought about oklahoma, 20 hr. drive, lots of snakes

[morse250r]

lol was looking at going there or maybe utah this early spring
all well have here are bugs lol

[bigtimeair44]

Oklahoma is worth the extra drive. Silver Lake falls far short of the little Sahara in every aspect (only time you really see a snake is during rattle snake roundup and that's in town). A few positives for Silver Lake is they have an actual sand drag strip right by the dunes, (if you race) and the fact that it is on the water is cool. You can camp right at the dunes in Oklahoma (no loading up each day to go to a campground), and it is about 1400 acres as compared to 450. I live about 3 hours away from Silver lake and I drive about 17 hours to go to Oklahoma a couple times a year just to go to the dunes. It's OK if you don't have any other place to go or you live close, but I wouldn't go out of my way to go there. When it's busy and the parking lot is full, someone has to leave before someone else gets in....the line to wait sucks. Don't get me wrong, it is a decent place to go for a day trip and any dune riding is great, but like I said it fails BIG by comparison. Also, there are a ton of great events at the Little Sahara. Either way I am sure you will have a great time. Probably wouldn't hurt to try them all and form your own opinion.

[660r2a400ex]

yea, i can take a week off work and go to oklahoma, but none of my boys have vacation time yet, so were going to leave friday and come back monday. but all that was alot of help, and as far as staying on the dunes in oklahoma, well be taking a 2 wheel drive sierra pulling a 24 footer with 5 quads, i dont think its gonna be able to go on the sand

[bigtimeair44]

That's the great thing about Waynoka. You don't actually stay on the sand like at glamis. There are camp grounds at both entrances to the dunes. They don't close each day like Silver Lake either. You rent a spot, set up camp and go right from your camping spot into the dunes via your ATV (24 hours a day). If your time is limited no better way to take full advantage! The night riding through the trails is a rush (can't get that at Silver Lake).

[660r2a400ex]

which place is more orientated towards flat out getting it wide open drag racing ? is there any place you can hold it open for a mile or two ?

[bigtimeair44]

I don't think either place really has a good spot to keep it pegged quite that long. The spot at Wayonka where everyone usually drags has the potential to be the longer of the two runs as compared to where they usually drag at Silver Lake. Both places are long enough to easily get through all the gears though. On most any weekend when it's nice out there will be people lined up and running all day at either place although the groups at Oklahoma seem to be a little larger. They both have some open runs, but again Waynoka being bigger has more area to hit it hard.

[660r2a400ex]

sweet, so it sounds like waynoka is worth the extra 8 hours !?! what month is a good time to go, i dont want to drive all the way down there to find out i can ride, camp, etc(special events). also do i need any special license like silver lake, have to buy orv registration and others. ?

[660r2a400ex]

what months are normally in the 70-85 degree days, dont want to go cold and rainy or hot as !-!3LL

[660r2a400ex]

sorry also do i need to reserve camp site ? do a lot of people ride at nite? drags? jumps? trails?

[bigtimeair44]

You don't need any special tags or permits like Silver Lake. You pay to camp and ride by the day. It is $7 a day to ride and the camping rate varies. You get a wrist band that is good from 9am in the morning to 9am the next day to ride. As far as camping I know we have usually paid around 16 a night for a spot with power and water. They have several camp grounds there, both state and private. I think you can get a spot with no power etc. for a tent for around $8 a night. On a busy weekend like rattlesnake round-up if you don't get there a week early you probably can't get a spot. They do have an online reservation system at one of the grounds. I would have to find the site again. It runs around $20 and up a spot. They are pretty good sizes and have power. The weather question is about like Michigan who knows, but realistically anytime from March to June you can see those temps and then again after August. Here is a site to check out for some real good info (photos and a weather link). http://www.waynoka.com/littlesahara/cgi-bin/index.cgi
You should also be able to find the info about reserving camp sites there. I do know the state campgrounds are first come first serve. Alot of people drag race and there are a few weekends specifically set up for that. Nights aren't quite as busy out there, alot of people stay in the campgrounds and party it up. Just like anywhere it depends on the weekend or events going on on how busy it is. I'll probably make it down at least 3 times this year and right now I am just watching the weater for a good opportunity myself. Rattlesnake round-up is probably out for me this year because the reserve spots are all gone , but I will make it down for at least one big weekend. Since you are driving such a long way it might not be a bad idea if you plan on going when it is busy to reserve a spot just for piece of mind. I haven't been there and not gotten a spot myself, but it could be possible. I usually get there on a Wednesday or Thursday though so obviously I usually beat the weekend rush. If it isn't a calender event weekend you should be fine otherwise just showing up.

[660r2a400ex]

thanks, that was good info, also, can u drive to local stores on quad in ok?

[bigtimeair44]

I think there is an atv trail that goes to town. You would probably have to post on that other site to find out the rules. I know there were some issues with it at one time. There is a super walmart in a town on the way there that we usually stop and load up at. I can't think of the town off hand might have been in Alva ( I'd have to check a map). Its roughly 30 miles out. Waynoka is only about 4 miles away so we run into town and grab a pizza every once in a while but we always just took the truck. There is also a store that sells gas and some food right at the dunes.