This is the west-Michigan dune weekend we give away as a sample PDF: Ludington State Park, the walk to Big Sable Point Light, and Silver Lake State Park near Mears. The PDF is the printed sample. This page is the sourced web version. Hours, fees and which trails are open belong on the park pages, not here.

Ludington State Park

The park sits between the 5,000-acre Hamlin Lake and about 7 miles of Lake Michigan beach, with 21 miles of marked trails and a mile of the Big Sable River. 1 Plan a day around three things the DNR actually lists: the Lake Michigan beach house and swim area, a paddle or swim on Hamlin Lake, and the 1.8-mile sand-and-gravel walk to the light. 1

The main entrance is at the end of M-116. The DNR does not recommend large vehicles on Piney Ridge Road. 1 Start at the historic Lake Michigan beach house when the visitor center is open. Buoyed swim areas are on both lakes. 1

The lighthouse path leaves from the Pines Campground, between sites 58 and 59. It has little shade. You can return the same way or, if water levels allow, along the Lake Michigan shore. 1 Tours and the tower climb are May through October; the park lists a fee without posting the amount here. 1

Silver Lake State Park

Silver Lake is the dune park just down the shore, near Mears. The DNR lists nearly 3 miles of Lake Michigan beach, about 2,000 acres of dunes, an inland lake and the 450-acre ORV area. 2

If you are not riding, stay in the pedestrian dunes. Two-thirds of the sand is for people on foot. There are no marked hiking trails. Pedestrian parking is at the end of North Shore Drive. 2 Inland Silver Lake has the day-use beach, a buoyed swim area and a boat launch that does not reach Lake Michigan. 2

Little Sable Point Light is in the south end of the park, an 1874 tower more than 100 feet tall with its original third-order Fresnel lens. Tours run mid-May to October. The climb is 130 steps; the park lists a fee without the amount. 2 That light is not Big Sable. They are two different towers on the same coast.

ORV hours, permits and the parking-voucher system are on the ORV area page. The DNR posts that season as April 1 through October 31. 3

How to get there

Ludington: follow M-116 to the end. 1 Silver Lake: 9679 W. State Park Road, Mears, Michigan, 49436. 2 A Recreation Passport is required for motor vehicles at both parks. 4 This page does not invent a drive time between them.

Tips

  • Read both park pages the morning you leave. Trail work at Ludington can close a loop for more than one season. 1
  • Bring water for the lighthouse walk and for the open dunes at Silver Lake. 12
  • Pets: at Ludington, most of the Lake Michigan shore is closed to them; a pet stretch sits between the beach house and the Big Sable River. At Silver Lake, pets are allowed on the Lake Michigan shore and on inland Silver Lake except the designated swim beach. Six-foot leash at both. 12
  • The free sample PDF is on /bonus/, no email.

Safety

Lake Michigan currents, heat on sand and ORV traffic are the hazards the DNR names. This page does not report today's flags, water level or which ramps are open. Check Ludington State Park, Silver Lake State Park and the DNR beach safety page before you go. 125