Silver Lake State Park is a public recreation area covering that border Lake Michigan and Silver Lake, west of Mears in Oceana County, Michigan. The state park is composed of mature forest land and over of sand dunes.
Features
The park is wide and long and is divided into three segments: The northern area is an all-terrain vehicle dunes area where private motorized vehicle may be driven, the middle of the park is a non-vehicle area (the Walking Dunes), and the southernmost section is leased to a private operator. The park grounds include the Little Sable Point Light on Lake Michigan and one mile of shoreline on Silver Lake.
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.
Activities and amenities
The park's recreational opportunities include camping, hunting, swimming, hiking, boating, fishing, picnicking, and off-road vehicle driving. Piping plovers nest in the northern portion of the ORV area.