Silver Lake State Park (Michigan)

Silver Lake State Park
Silver Lake State Park
	Silver Lake and sand dunes
	Location in Michigan Silver Lake State Park (Michigan) (the United States)
Location	Golden Township, Oceana County, Michigan, United States
Nearest town	Mears, Michigan
Coordinates	43°40′43″N 86°30′40″W / 43.67861°N 86.51111°W
Area	2,936 acres (1,188 ha)
Elevation	656 feet (200 m)
Designation	Michigan state park
Established	1920
Administrator	Michigan Department of Natural Resources
Website	Silver Lake State Park

Silver Lake State Park is a public recreation area covering 2,936 acres (1,188 ha) that border Lake Michigan and Silver Lake, four miles (6.4 km) west of Mears in Oceana County, Michigan. The state park is composed of mature forest land and over 2,000 acres (810 ha) of sand dunes.^[3]

Features

The park is 1.5 miles (2.4 km) wide and three miles (4.8 km) long and is divided into three segments: The northern area is an all-terrain vehicle dunes area where private motorized vehicle may be driven,^[4] the middle of the park is a non-vehicle area (the Walking Dunes), and the southernmost section is leased to a private operator.^[3] The park grounds include the Little Sable Point Light on Lake Michigan and one mile of shoreline on 690-acre (280 ha)^[5] Silver Lake.^[6]

History

The park originated in 1920 when 25 acres on the east side of Silver Lake were donated for park purposes by Carrie E. Mears, the daughter of lumber baron Charles Mears. In 1926, the federal government transferred 900 acres to the state, which became Sand Dunes State Park in 1949. Based upon a 1949 master plan, the two were merged, with Silver Lake State Park seeing its new boundaries dedicated in 1951.^[6]

Activities and amenities

The park's recreational opportunities include camping, hunting, swimming, hiking, boating, fishing, picnicking, and off-road vehicle driving.^[3]^[6] Piping plovers nest in the northern portion of the ORV area.^[7]