Silver Lake Sand Dunes Summer Bucket List

Are you ready for a summer adventure at Silver Lake Sand Dunes? With a mix of speed and relaxation, this list has something for everyone or you can just go do it all like we did!  Here is our summer edition of "Kickin' MI Bucket" from Silver Lake Sand Dunes. Let's go!

• Cruise the ORV Section

This is what the area is most famous for and it is so much fun! There are a lot of ways to get out on the ORV area including different types of rentals and excursions. If you have the right vehicle, you can also bring that with the right equipment and an ORV permit. This area of the dunes is a 450 acre playground!

• Paddle Silver Lake

This is one of the most unique places to paddle in all of Michigan with the dunes as a backdrop. You can paddle up to the dunes to see how massive they really are from the waters edge. It is also a great way to get to the dunes to relax. At 690 acres, there is plenty to see during this paddle!

• Hike the Pedestrian Area and Climb the Tallest Dune

These two can be accomplished at the same time. While the ORV area offers fast paced excitement, right next to that area is the pedestrian area where you can take things a bit slower and experience the dunes. If you are feeling up to it, you can make the hike all the way out to Lake Michigan. If you do this, make sure to have the right sun protection and water! The second part of this is to climb the highest dune. The views are incredible!

• Sand Board

A unique thing that you can do at the dunes is to go sand boarding. Sure, some people have their own, but we rented ours from the The Sand Box right by the dunes. If you snowboard, it has some similarities and is a lot of fun. One difference is that there are no lifts so be ready to climb back up the dune for your next run! 

• Eat at Chicken Shack

The setting of the Chicken Shack is awesome. A massive cafeteria-style seating area where you walk up and order you food is always something we enjoy. We go the wings and that is our recommendation. They are absolutely amazing and we can't wait to go have them again! The location right at Craig's Cruisers provides more entertainment to go along with the food. 

• Golf (Disc or Regular)

We decided to do a bit of a mix of golfing. We played disc golf at Hart Hydro Disc Golf Course. This is a really cool course that sits alongside Hart Lake. We also hit up the driving range at Golden Sands. A cool thing about this driving range is that it is right at the Bucket Bar and they have a bunch of random clubs at the range so even if you don't have clubs with you (like us) you can still have fun on the range. 

• Get a Sweet Treat

There are a lot of options to make this happen. This time we went to Silver Scoops and had the Sand Dune Flurry. You can't go wrong with picking one of the many great shops in the area. 

• Climb Little Sable

We really enjoy lighthouses. Visiting Little Sable itself is a great thing to do. The lighthouse sits right on the beach so it makes for a unique beach going experience. If you want the real experience though, climb to the top of the lighthouse to check out the views of Lake Michigan and the surrounding dunes. 

• Visit Bucket Bar

This is a must for us every time we are in the area. The Bucket Bar has an awesome atmosphere, great food and drinks, golf and is overall a good-time-having place!

• Silver Lake Selfie

Don't miss your chance to get a good selfie with the dunes as a backdrop! We will let you visualize your own selfie here!

Overall, there is so much to do in this area. Beach days. Dune climbing. ORV area. Great food. Check out our full bucket list video below!