Silver Lake State Park (Michigan)
| 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) |
| Established | 1920[1] |
| Administered by | Michigan Department of Natural Resources |
| Designation | Michigan state park |
| Website | Official website  |
Silver Lake State Park is a 2,936-acre (1,188 ha) public recreation area bordering 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. Park grounds include the Little Sable Point Light and an off-road vehicle (ORV) area for driving on the sand dunes.[2]
History
[edit]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.[3]
Features
[edit]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.[2]
The park encompasses the entire 1.6-mile (2.6 km) western shoreline of Silver Lake, a 690-acre (280 ha) kidney-shaped natural lake approximately one mile inland from Lake Michigan.[5] The Silver Lake shore includes the park's active dune complex and an emergent wetland area adjacent to the lake in its southwestern corner.[5]
The discovery of Piping plovers in the northern portion of the ORV area during nesting season has led officials to create buffer zones from time to time to protect the federally endangered species.[6]
Activities and amenities
[edit]The park's recreational opportunities include camping, hunting, swimming, hiking, boating, fishing, picnicking, and off-road vehicle driving.[2][3]
References
[edit]- ^ "When were Michigan state parks and recreation areas established?" (PDF). Michigan Department of Natural Resources. Retrieved April 27, 2020.
- ^ a b c "Silver Lake State Park". Michigan Department of Natural Resources. Retrieved November 18, 2024.
- ^ a b "General Management Plan for Silver Lake State Park" (PDF). Michigan Department of Natural Resources. 2012. pp. 6, 57–58. Retrieved March 17, 2018.
- ^ "Silver Lake-ORV Scramble Area". Michigan Department of Natural Resources. Retrieved March 17, 2018.
- ^ a b Tonello, Mark A. (2020). "Silver Lake" (PDF). Status of the Fishery Resource Report. Michigan Department of Natural Resources. Retrieved March 18, 2018.
- ^ Bingham, Emily (May 26, 2022). "Michigan ORV spot restricting small area to protect endangered plovers". Mlive. Retrieved May 27, 2022.
External links
[edit]
Silver Lake State Park.
- Silver Lake State Park Michigan Department of Natural Resources
- Silver Lake State Park Map Michigan Department of Natural Resources
