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Dune weather summary: Aden Hills Off-Highway Vehicle Area, 93°, 7 mph. Alkali Lake OHV Area, 95°, 8 mph. Amargosa Big Dune, 95°, 9 mph. Aurora Open OHV Area, 84°, 23 mph, active alert: Flood Watch. Bangs Canyon OHV Trails, 88°, 8 mph. Barnwell Mountain Recreational Area, 95°, 6 mph, active alert: Heat Advisory. Blue Creek OHV Area, 91°, 11 mph. Boulders OHV Staging Area, 98°, 3 mph. Buttercup Valley, 101°, 9 mph, heat caution: HIGH HEAT - HYDRATE. Cameo Cliffs/Hook and OHV Ladder Trail System, 82°, 5 mph. Chappie/Shasta Off-Highway Vehicle Recreation Area, 70°, 0 mph. Cinder Hills OHV Area, 82°, --. Copper Basin Dunes OHV Area, 86°, 17 mph. Coral Pink Sand Dunes, 61°, 7 mph, active alert: Flood Watch. Crescent Sand Dunes, 75°, 21 mph. Cross Bar Ranch Off-Road Park, 102°, 10 mph, active alert: Heat Advisory. Crossroads OHV Area, 89°, 17 mph. Dove Springs OHV Area, 67°, 1 mph. Dumont Dunes, 81°, 0 mph. Dunes Off-Highway Vehicle Area, 84°, 6 mph. El Mirage OHV Area, 68°, 8 mph. Escondido Draw Recreational Area, 91°, 14 mph. Fort Sage Off-Highway Vehicle Area, 71°, 22 mph, active alert: Lake Wind Advisory. Fossil Creek OHV Trail, 70°, 7 mph. Gemini Bridges, 84°, 0 mph. Glamis / Imperial Sand Dunes, 96°, 12 mph. Glenwood Open OHV Area, 84°, 23 mph, active alert: Flood Watch. Gordon's Well, 101°, 9 mph, heat caution: HIGH HEAT - HYDRATE. Grand Valley Open OHV Area, 88°, 8 mph. Greater Sand Dunes SRMA, 79°, 6 mph. Hackberry Lake Off-Highway Vehicle Use Area, 95°, 8 mph. Hayfield Draw OHV Area, 93°, 3 mph. Haystack Mountain Off-Highway Vehicle Area, 81°, 11 mph. Head Canyon OHV Recreation Area, 84°, 6 mph. Hog Canyon OHV Trail System, 61°, 7 mph, active alert: Flood Watch. Hot Well Dunes Recreation Area, 91°, 4 mph. Hungry Valley SVRA, 58°, 11 mph. Jawbone Canyon OHV Area, 59°, 1 mph. Johnson Valley OHV Area, 69°, 4 mph. Killpecker Sand Dunes Open Play Area, 79°, 6 mph. Knolls Off-Highway Vehicle Special Recreation Management Area (SRMA), 86°, 15 mph. Little Sahara Recreation Area, 79°, 23 mph. Little Sahara State Park, 99°, 10 mph. McCullough Peaks OHV Area, 79°, 11 mph. Mescalero Sands North Dune Off-Highway Vehicle Area, 81°, 11 mph. Millican Valley OHV Trail System, 59°, 0 mph. Moon Rocks OHV Area, 69°, 11 mph, active alert: Lake Wind Advisory. Nellis Dunes OHV Area, 82°, 16 mph. North Sand Hills OHV Area, 73°, 7 mph. Northwest OHV Park, 98°, 7 mph, active alert: Heat Advisory. Oceano Dunes / Pismo Beach, 74°, 7 mph, active alert: Beach Hazards Statement. Ocotillo Wells SVRA, 87°, 4 mph. Pipestone OHV Area, 61°, 8 mph, active alert: Red Flag Warning. Poison Spider / Gold Bar, 87°, 6 mph. Rabbit Creek OHV Trail, 70°, 7 mph. Radar Hill OHV Area, 54°, 15 mph. Rasor Off-Highway Vehicle Area, 70°, 8 mph. Red Sands Off-Highway Vehicle Area, 90°, 5 mph. Rice Canyon Off-Highway Vehicle Area, 64°, 20 mph, active alert: Lake Wind Advisory. Robledo Mountains OHV Trail System, 93°, 7 mph. Rosita Flats OHV Area, 91°, 11 mph. Samoa Dunes, 63°, 2 mph. Sand Flats Recreation Area, 87°, 6 mph. Sand Mountain Open Off-Highway Vehicle Area, 79°, 17 mph. Sand Mountain Pipeline Designated Dispersed Camping Area, 79°, 17 mph. Sand Mountain Recreation Area, 73°, 5 mph, active alert: Red Flag Warning. Seep Springs OHV Area, 88°, 9 mph. Shoshone OHV Trail System, 72°, 5 mph. Shotgun Creek OHV Staging Area, 50°, 7 mph. Silver Lake ORV Area, 75°, 10 mph. South Cow Mountain OHV Management Area, 63°, 10 mph. St. Anthony Sand Dunes, 79°, 11 mph. St. Helen Motorsport Area, 75°, 9 mph. Standard Wash OHV Area, 86°, 17 mph. Stoddard Valley OHV Area, 68°, 6 mph. Table Mesa Recreation Area, 99°, 5 mph. Virtue Flat Off-Highway Vehicle Area, 63°, 0 mph. Weiser Dunes, 68°, 0 mph. Whitewash Sand Dunes Open OHV Area and Trail System, 84°, 0 mph. Winnemucca Sand Dunes, 72°, 6 mph.

Aden Hills Off-Highway… 93° 7 mph Alkali Lake OHV Area 95° 8 mph Amargosa Big Dune 95° 9 mph Aurora Open OHV Area 84° 23 mph Bangs Canyon OHV Trails 88° 8 mph Barnwell Mountain… 95° 6 mph Blue Creek OHV Area 91° 11 mph Boulders OHV Staging Area 98° 3 mph Buttercup Valley 101° 9 mph Cameo Cliffs/Hook and OHV… 82° 5 mph Chappie/Shasta Off-Highway… 70° 0 mph Cinder Hills OHV Area 82° -- Copper Basin Dunes OHV Area 86° 17 mph Coral Pink Sand Dunes 61° 7 mph Crescent Sand Dunes 75° 21 mph Cross Bar Ranch Off-Road Park 102° 10 mph Crossroads OHV Area 89° 17 mph Dove Springs OHV Area 67° 1 mph Dumont Dunes 81° 0 mph Dunes Off-Highway Vehicle Area 84° 6 mph El Mirage OHV Area 68° 8 mph Escondido Draw Recreational… 91° 14 mph Fort Sage Off-Highway… 71° 22 mph Fossil Creek OHV Trail 70° 7 mph Gemini Bridges 84° 0 mph Glamis / Imperial Sand Dunes 96° 12 mph Glenwood Open OHV Area 84° 23 mph Gordon's Well 101° 9 mph Grand Valley Open OHV Area 88° 8 mph Greater Sand Dunes SRMA 79° 6 mph Hackberry Lake Off-Highway… 95° 8 mph Hayfield Draw OHV Area 93° 3 mph Haystack Mountain… 81° 11 mph Head Canyon OHV Recreation… 84° 6 mph Hog Canyon OHV Trail System 61° 7 mph Hot Well Dunes Recreation Area 91° 4 mph Hungry Valley SVRA 58° 11 mph Jawbone Canyon OHV Area 59° 1 mph Johnson Valley OHV Area 69° 4 mph Killpecker Sand Dunes Open… 79° 6 mph Knolls Off-Highway Vehicle… 86° 15 mph Little Sahara Recreation Area 79° 23 mph Little Sahara State Park 99° 10 mph McCullough Peaks OHV Area 79° 11 mph Mescalero Sands North Dune… 81° 11 mph Millican Valley OHV Trail… 59° 0 mph Moon Rocks OHV Area 69° 11 mph Nellis Dunes OHV Area 82° 16 mph North Sand Hills OHV Area 73° 7 mph Northwest OHV Park 98° 7 mph Oceano Dunes / Pismo Beach 74° 7 mph Ocotillo Wells SVRA 87° 4 mph Pipestone OHV Area 61° 8 mph Poison Spider / Gold Bar 87° 6 mph Rabbit Creek OHV Trail 70° 7 mph Radar Hill OHV Area 54° 15 mph Rasor Off-Highway Vehicle Area 70° 8 mph Red Sands Off-Highway… 90° 5 mph Rice Canyon Off-Highway… 64° 20 mph Robledo Mountains OHV Trail… 93° 7 mph Rosita Flats OHV Area 91° 11 mph Samoa Dunes 63° 2 mph Sand Flats Recreation Area 87° 6 mph Sand Mountain Open… 79° 17 mph Sand Mountain Pipeline… 79° 17 mph Sand Mountain Recreation Area 73° 5 mph Seep Springs OHV Area 88° 9 mph Shoshone OHV Trail System 72° 5 mph Shotgun Creek OHV Staging Area 50° 7 mph Silver Lake ORV Area 75° 10 mph South Cow Mountain OHV… 63° 10 mph St. Anthony Sand Dunes 79° 11 mph St. Helen Motorsport Area 75° 9 mph Standard Wash OHV Area 86° 17 mph Stoddard Valley OHV Area 68° 6 mph Table Mesa Recreation Area 99° 5 mph Virtue Flat Off-Highway… 63° 0 mph Weiser Dunes 68° 0 mph Whitewash Sand Dunes Open… 84° 0 mph Winnemucca Sand Dunes 72° 6 mph

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Silver Lake ORV Area

Ride the Lake Michigan dunes

LocationSilver Lake State Park, Mears, Oceana County, Michigan
Entry points1 verified
Size450 acres of open sand dune
Conditions75° · 10 mph

Trip check

Before you go

  • Permit required — 🔴 Three separate things must be on the machine: a Michigan Recreation Passport, an ORV license, and an ORV trail permit. On summer weekends and holidays you also need a parking voucher.
  • ⚠️ These are live coastal dunes and they move; faces change between visits and drop-offs are not where they were last season.

Guide

About this area

The only place in Michigan where you can legally ride the Lake Michigan sand dunes. 450 acres of open dune inside Silver Lake State Park, in Golden Township about four miles west of Mears. One of the best-known dune riding destinations in the country and the eastern equivalent of Glamis or Dumont.

At a glance

Quick facts

Best season
ORV season runs 1 April to 31 October
Managing agency
Michigan Department of Natural Resources
Permit status
Permit required

Access

Getting there

  • Silver Lake ORV entrance — via the DNR Welcome CenterEntrance

    Off US-31 in Oceana County, about 43 miles north of Muskegon and 28 miles south of Ludington. Head to the DNR ORV Welcome Center at 8505 W Fox Rd, Mears, and buy your permits there or online beforehand — they are not sold at the ORV entrance itself.

    Verified by Full Throttle Trader

Rules

Rules

Specific to Silver Lake ORV Area

  • 🪖 Michigan requires helmet and eye protection for every operator and passenger, any age; both must be DOT approved.
  • ⚠️ Michigan requires an ORV license from the Dnr to ride anywhere other than private property, about $26.25 a year.
  • ⚠️ Michigan also requires an ORV trail permit, about $10, to use state-designated trails, routes and areas; you need both.
  • The license year runs 1 April to 31 March, no matter when you buy it; buy one in February and it expires at the end of March.
Show all 15 area-specific rules
  • 👶 Michigan requires that nobody under 10 may operate a four-wheel ATV on public land.
  • 👶 Michigan riders aged 10 to 15 need both direct visual supervision by an adult and a valid ORV safety certificate.
  • 👶 Under-16s must have taken an approved ORV education course and must carry the certificate.
  • 🔴 Permits are no longer sold at the ORV entrance; buy your license and trail permit ahead of time online, on the Dnr app, or at the Welcome Center.
  • ⚠️ A 10 foot safety orange flag is required on every ORV, rectangular; check your whip height before you leave home.
  • ⚠️ Stay inside the orange boundary markers; riding outside the marked dune area is not permitted.
  • 🚫 No northbound traffic in the high dune areas; traffic runs one way up there.
  • 🚫 No passengers on any ATV or motorcycle inside the ORV area.
  • 🚫 Alcohol is prohibited in and around the ORV area all year.
  • 🎫 On summer weekends and holidays, mid-May to mid-September, you also need a parking voucher.
  • Source: Michigan Dnr — www.michigan.gov checked Aug 2026.
Standard OHV rules (1)

Common equipment, registration and trail-use rules still apply.

  • ⚠️ Ride to the highest safety standard, not the legal minimum; wear a helmet, eye protection, a flag and proper gear.

Permits

Permits & registration

Permit required

Day pass
ORV license ~$26.25/yr + ORV trail permit ~$10 + Michigan Recreation Passport

🔴 Three separate things must be on the machine: a Michigan Recreation Passport, an ORV license, and an ORV trail permit. On summer weekends and holidays you also need a parking voucher.

Where to buy

  • Michigan Dnr e-License — buy online before you travel — https://www.michigan.gov/dnr/buy-and-apply
  • Michigan Dnr Hunt Fish mobile app
  • Silver Lake ORV Welcome Center, 8505 W Fox Rd, Mears MI
  • Dnr license agents and dealers
Michigan Department of Natural Resources official page (current closures & alerts)

Permit rules change. Confirm with the managing agency before you ride.

Trip support

Fuel, food & local help

Pump gas & diesel

  • Mears / Hart, MI — the local resupplyfuel

    FOUR MILES EAST of the dunes · Closest fuel and supplies to the ORV area. Hart is a little larger and sits on US-31.

  • Services can be found in Muskegon or Ludingtonfuel

    ON US-31, 28 to 43 miles either side · If you are towing in from a distance these are the last big towns on US-31 north or south.

Marketplace

Rigs and vehicles

Elsewhere

These listings are not nearby and their sellers have not said they ride here.

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Polaris RZR 200 EFI

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FOR SALE: 2025 Polaris RZR 200 EFI – 50 Hours $7000.00 Excellent RZR 200 EFI with only 50 hours. Well set up, runs great, and has a ton o...

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2 seat Potter Sandcar LS2/2d

2006Prescott, AZ
StandardUsed
SaleDune Buggy

This has been a great car! Got it in 2015-2016 Potter is still in business, had someone call them recently and ask about a 930 to 934 conve...

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J&J aluminum sand car

1987Victorville, CA
StandardUsed
SaleDune Buggy

Aluminum A-arm J&J sand car with bench seat. Recently rewired, new Tach, console and gauges, rear disk brakes. Trans has close ratio gears...

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2008 Sand Limo Squirt

2008Hooper, UT
StandardUsed
SaleSand Cars

2008 Sand Limo Squirt sand car NO TRADES! I can help with delivery to ID, CA and NV $16K -Powered by a 2.2 Ecotec motor from CBM w...

Sand Cars1 month ago
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2024 Can-Am Maverick R XRS

2024Mesa, AZ
StandardUsed
SaleSXS/UTV

2024 Can-Am Maverick R EVO E85 setup (pump, tubes, exhaust etc) TMW shorty cage TMW Bumper Triple R Lights (bumper, hood, pillar, light ...

SXS/UTV1 month ago
List a vehicle that rides here

Agency & verification

Managing agency

Michigan Department of Natural Resources

8505 W Fox Rd, Mears, MI

Hours: Dunes open to ORVs 1 Apr – 31 Oct. 1–30 Apr 9am–8pm · 1 May – 15 Sep 9am–10pm · 16 Sep – 31 Oct 9am–8pm. Access closes half an hour before.

Ranger station official pageMichigan Department of Natural Resources official page (current closures & alerts)

Area information is informational only and may be inaccurate or out of date. Verify access, weather, closures, permits and hazards before and during any trip. See Terms.