Where to stay in Silver Lake Sand Dunes area. Cottages???

Hello;

I%26#39;m trying to plan a summer trip to the Silver Lake Sand Dunes area. My husband and I have a 6 year old boy and our other boy will be about 8 months old (at the time we want to go).

I%26#39;m reading a lot of fun things in the Silver Lake area, but need some advice on where to stay. We%26#39;d like to rent a cabin/cottage (preferably close to the beaches) so we can just make our lunches/dinners there (and save some money!!). Any suggestions??

Also, can anyone tell me the travel times from Silver Lake to:

Ludington

Pentwater

Hart?

Thanks so much!!

Pam

Where to stay in Silver Lake Sand Dunes area. Cottages???

Pam, I found a link for you. http://www.oceanacounty.net The Silver Lake sand dunes are located in Oceana County. Try to search for Mears MI, which is the mailing address for most of the Silver Lake area. I noticed that on this web site there are some links for cabins, cottages, etc.

As far as diving distances, downtown Hart is probably 10-15 minutes from Silver Lake. Pentwater maybe 30 minutes if you take the highway. Ludington

maybe 40-50 minutes, maybe a bit less. Ludington also has a very large cottage/cabin availablity. The state park is one of the best in the state! One thing to remember about Silver Lake. If you are going for the dune experience, it can get crazy busy. Unless you have a boat it is a huge hot walk from the public parking lot, up over the dunes to where the dunes fall into the lake. The drop off is very severe. You actually can walk 3 feet from the dune shore and be in 30+ feet deep water. Anywhere else on the lake would be fine. Shallow water goes out for ever, its a geat place for the little ones. There is a wondeful channel swimming area on Lake MI west of Silver Lake. It is where the Silver Lake channel empties into Lake MI. There is some free parking by the channel and also a pay parking lot down the road just a bit by the lighthouse. Silver Lake is not usually a quiet lake type experience. Most people in the state park are there with dune buggies. Depending on where you stay, expect a lot of noisy dune buggies on the street heading to the dunes. The closer a cottage would be to the dunes, especially on the main road, the more noisy it would be. Be sure to ask where the cottage is located. You do not want to be crossing the main road to the dunes with your little ones.

Where to stay in Silver Lake Sand Dunes area. Cottages???

Pam,

My husband is from the Ludington area, and I grew up not far away. I would say that Ludington is about 30 min from Silver Lake. Both the city park and the state park in Ludinton have great beaches, with very gradual slopes into the water, which is great for little kids. In fact, there%26#39;s a nice stretch of beach between Ludington and the state park that has free access, and is less crowded than either location. Just take US 10 into town, turn right when you hit the city park, and follow the road until you come to the dunes along the shore. There are many places to pull off the road, and you can often find a stretch of beach to claim for yourself. It can require some hiking over the dunes, and there are no facilities, but we have always enjoyed the privacy. Hope you enjoy your trip.

For cottage rentals, try this site. Lots of cottages listed in Silver Lake.

vrbo.com/vacation-rentals/usa/michigan#7547

Ken

www.lakem.com

Look under ';Silver Lake';

Happy Vacationing!

Our family is into the 4th generation of going to Silver Lake. We have rented a variety of cottages over the years. Many rental cottages have disappeared and have been replaced by individual homes. However, we have rented for about the past 5 years from Cottages on Silver Lake--http://cottagesonsilverlake.com/. The rates are a bit on the high side, but the cottage has evolved and not include many amenities that are hard to do without--cable TV, AC, wireless internet, gas BBQ grills. They also have a shared laundry site which comes in handy. Guests are expected to bring their own linens and supplies. Pontoon rentals are also offered. They have a variety of sizes of cottages and this is great for a family reunion or a group of friends.

We have stayed in WuzGonna, 3-bedroom/2 bath, Putzin 4-bedroom/2 bath, Bug A Boo, 2-bedroom/1 bath (a bit more rustic).

A typical week would include a day or two on the Dunes, a day at Lake Michigan beach, sunsets at the Little Point Sable Lighthouse, Mac Woods Dune Rides, Whippy Dip for nightly ice cream fix, nightly campfires on the beach, day trip to Pentwater, and to the movies in Ludington if we happen to have a rainy day.