Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
Borneo orangutan
Malaysia • 12 days, 11 nights
Wild Borneo: Secrets of an Ancient Rainforest
from
Pastel de nata
Portugal • 8 days, 7 nights
Portugal: A Culinary Adventure from Porto to Lisbon
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
Rococo staircase to the musicians’s gallery.
Biscari Palace
Statues of Qin Hui and Lady Wang.
Qin Hui Statue at Yue Fei Temple
The Salt Canyon.
Salt Canyon
Rembrandt’s Christ on the Cross
Rembrandt’s Christ on the Cross
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
The sign declares this the number-one gumbo shop in town.
Gumbo Hut Shioya
The pavlova comes crowned with jewel-like fruit.
Central Park Boathouse
The Village Tavern of Long Grove - exterior.
The Village Tavern
Hunter House Hamburgers
L’Escamoteur
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
 Fenway Park at night
How Was Your First Trip With Your Significant Other?
about 5 hours ago
Ivan the Terra Bus
The Bus, the Myth, the Legend: Ivan the Terra Bus
1 day ago
Pigeons were included in a series of 1891 illustrations entitled “Household Pets.”
What Makes a Pest a Pest?
2 days ago
Burros Alfa and Beto, seen here with Luis Soriano in 2008, have been helping the teacher deliver books for more than 20 years.
How One Man and His ‘Biblioburro’ Spreads Literacy in Rural Colombia
4 days ago

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All the United States Michigan Mears Silver Lake Sand Dunes

Silver Lake Sand Dunes

An unlikely beach paradise of giant sand dunes lies between two lakes just a few minutes from Michigan's cherry country.

Mears, Michigan

Added By
Becca Byrne
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
Footprints on the dunes.   Rebecca Byrne / Atlas Obscura User
Footprints on the dunes.   Rebecca Byrne / Atlas Obscura User
Dried tree on the dunes.   Rebecca Byrne / Atlas Obscura User
Sliver of vegetation separating the dunes from the beach.   Rebecca Byrne / Atlas Obscura User
Another skeletal tree.   Rebecca Byrne / Atlas Obscura User
Dunes leading down to the forest.   Rebecca Byrne / Atlas Obscura User
Riding Dunes on a Dunebuggy   Aisforacid / Atlas Obscura User
View from Silver Lake   Aisforacid / Atlas Obscura User
  Aisforacid / Atlas Obscura User
  Aisforacid / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

Nestled between Silver Lake and Lake Michigan is a stretch of dunes that looks more like the Middle East than the state of Michigan. The 2,000 acres of sand known as the Silver Lake Sand Dunes State Park is shockingly incongruous with the verdant forests and cherry farms that border this geological oddity.

Here, Michiganders and tourists alike kayak, paddleboat, fish, sandboard, race OTRs, picnic, smoke shisha, and lounge around in an improbable Midwestern beach paradise. A major factor behind these dunes’ popularity with recreation-seekers is the sand itself, which was formed from quartz deposited by glaciers from what is now Canada. Ground quartz is comparatively soft and does not absorb much heat, making it relatively cool and comfortable to walk on. After the glaciers melted, wind swept the sand against the grasses, shrubs, and plants along the lakeshore, resulting in these dramatic dunes.

Coniferous trees and wild grapevines form a thin green border between the dunes and Lake Michigan, extracting what nutrients they can from the sandy soil and providing food for the local fauna. The blanched skeletal husks of less fortunate trees line a small valley between two dunes farther inland, evoking the "Spaghetti Western" trope of bleached cow skulls baking under the sun. Looking at this, it can be hard to remember that two lakes are less than a mile away.

The road to the state park is lined with small restaurants offering everything from freshly caught fish to standard diner food. Several soft-serve ice cream shops and hotdog stands are interspersed among these restaurants to serve those who are just looking for a quick bite. Thanks to the appetite people work up while climbing the tall dunes, these eateries are a welcome presence. 

Related Tags

Beaches Dunes Lakes Geological Oddities Geology Landscapes Parks Water

Know Before You Go

This is very much a seasonal location as this area of Michigan gets fairly cold during winter. It's better to go in late spring, summer, or early fall. Some areas and activities are only open during certain months; for example, the Off-Road Vehicle Area is open from April 1 through October 31.

Community Contributors

Added By

Rebecca Byrne

Edited By

Osage, Aisforacid

  • Osage
  • Aisforacid

Published

March 7, 2019

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • https://www.michigan.org/hot-spots/silver-lake-sand-dunes
  • http://geo.msu.edu/extra/geogmich/coastal_dunes.html
  • https://www.michigan.gov/documents/deq/PA07_304669_7.pdf
  • https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-2001-11-18-0111180048-story.html
Silver Lake Sand Dunes
9679 W State Park Rd
Mears, Michigan
United States
43.650817, -86.516036
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Cherry Point Farm and Market Lavender Labyrinth

Shelby, Michigan

miles away

Lake Michigan Triangle

Manitowoc, Wisconsin

miles away

National Baby Food Festival

Fremont, Michigan

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Michigan

Michigan

United States

Places 271
Stories 29

Nearby Places

Cherry Point Farm and Market Lavender Labyrinth

Shelby, Michigan

miles away

Lake Michigan Triangle

Manitowoc, Wisconsin

miles away

National Baby Food Festival

Fremont, Michigan

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Michigan

Michigan

United States

Places 271
Stories 29

Related Stories and Lists

10 'Deserts' Hiding Where You Wouldn't Expect to Find Them

List

By Kerry Wolfe

Related Places

  • The salt lake becomes colorful in warm temperatures because of algae growth

    Yuncheng, China

    Yuncheng Salt Lake

    Rainbow-hued in the summer and crystalline in the winter, this salty lake has inspired battles, temples, and plenty of awe.

  • Painted Dunes from the top of the adjacent cinder cone.

    Old Station, California

    Painted Dunes

    Sunset-colored dunes of volcanic ash make taking a poor photo impossible.

  • Carcross Desert

    Carcross, Yukon

    Carcross Desert

    This tiny square mile of Canadian sand was once considered the world's smallest desert.

  • A view of the perfectly round Lac Pavin.

    Besse-et-Saint-Anastaise, France

    Lac Pavin

    This volcanic crater lake is renowned for its perfectly round shape, stunning blue-green waters, and unique geological properties.

  • Scoria cone in the Waw an Namus caldera.

    Libya

    Waw an Namus

    Surrounded by a smudge of dark earth, this isolated volcano sits in stark contrast to the surrounding Sahara.

  • Lake Posta Fibreno

    Carpello, Italy

    Lake Posta Fibreno

    This serene, turquoise lake in an extraordinary nature reserve showcases a rare natural phenomenon.

  • Prelate, Saskatchewan

    Great Sand Hills

    These little-known sands dunes are a geological anomaly in Saskatchewan's southern prairies.

  • Chapel Rock on the shore of the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore.

    Shingleton, Michigan

    Chapel Rock

    This lone tree and dramatic sandstone outcropping are so beloved by Michiganders they can be found on one of the state’s coins.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.