tbred wrote:
Fortunately, due to Dh's job he can request weekdays off and it doesn't really matter if we go in June, July or Aug. So hopefully booking won't be too much a concern although I plan to book as soon as we can figure out the atv rules. Website in not helpful at all.
We will bring our tt and carry our Atv in the bed but friends who we will be camping with carry 3 atv's in toyhauler, can't bring flatbed also. Just trying to figure out logistics getting atv's from State park campground to trails without too much hassle.
During the week will be much less hassle to get a spot in the parking lot, which is probably what you'll have to do to get to the ORV area without using two truck beds. You can only load/unload in the ORV parking lot. There is no campground or trail that connects to the ORV area. You have to drive a street legal vehicle to it, or pull one toy behind your truck.
Do your friends have a pick up? If so, you can each put an ATV in the bed and each pull an ATV behind you. You can leave your trucks in the parking lot (voucher needed for the weekend or holidays and that can be a PITA if you've never done it before). You can't pull a string of multiple ATVs, just one. You need a driver for each truck and one for each ATV.
If your friends don't have a pick up, then you either have to make two trips with your truck to the dunes to drop off your ATVs in the ORV parking lot, or take the toy hauler to the parking lot.
Let me know if you have another other questions. We've gone annually for the past 18 years.
We don't stay at Silver Lake state park, but at Yogi. We typically book in February and have no problem getting a FHU site. State park will be a different matter and you'll need to book early even for a weekday, although Monday-Wednesday shouldn't be too difficult to find an opening. I prefer Yogi as opposed to any other in the area. Some of our kids are teenagers and they can walk to the arcade or go-carts on the strip while we hang at the fire.
I find the State park campground doesn't have anything special compared to other campgrounds in the area. You are on Silver Lake and can see the Dunes, it's beautiful to look at. However, the dunes aren't remotely connected to the campground, and you're not on Lake Michigan, which is where we like to be when we go to the beach at Silver Lake.
Some pics for ya. ;)
Not ours, but it basically explains the atmosphere of the area.
No trails here really. Once you get over the entryway, it's mostly open sand.
There's a pedestrian area as well. My kids seem to favor the exit hill pedestrian area. Sometimes we bring saucer sleds. Tons of fun.
