Silver Lake State Park — Attraction in Golden Township

Camping at Silver Lake Park 2/5: My friend and I camped at the side of the park with higher numbered sites. First, there was trash in our fire pit and glass pieces all around the site in the sand. This is so dangerous for anyone like us camping in a tent or wearing sandals. Also, the bathrooms and showers never met a custodian. The bathrooms were always disgusting; toilet paper on the ground, mud, hair, blood on the toilet seats, clogged with feces in the bowls- not just backed up. The showers had trash, mud, algae, and the walls were yellow and dirty. We have seen vault toilets cleaner than this building. I have been camping at state parks for 20ish years and never experienced this disregard for cleanliness in a state park. It is my experience, until now, that sites are cleaned before campers arrive and after they leave, or at the very least checked for situations like we had; bathrooms/showers usually close once or twice a day for cleaning too. Unfortunately this park is so poorly managed that I would not recommend it - unless you plan on rustic camping and raking through the site sand/dirt.

Quiet time is all the time 4/5: Realize quiet time being all the time is not going to be the case. However, we did not see DNR enforcing this rule. I'd say this is one of the more quiet parks I have been to. Only complaints were: one dog who yelped like it was dying every time it saw another dog (that is on the owner, not the park); Every now and then some kids would yell after 10pm, and nobody came over and told them to be quiet; some people had music blasting louder than we would have liked. Campers are allowed to arrive and set up at night, but everyone we saw was quiet in doing so. Most annoying part was being blinded by headlights. Lots of large groups camping at this park; looks like a good idea for adults who want to relax with family or friends in a quiet area. Bottom line, come with reasonable expectations on the noise.

The surrounding area 5/5: The park itself is a great spot and the sites are good sizes for tents and campers. Recommend looking at pictures before booking because some sites would not be best for campers due to tree positions. The beaches are crowded but not enough where you can't chill comfortably in your own area. Lake Michigan and the lighthouse were beautiful. The dunes were fun; highly recommend Mac Woods Dune Riding. Silver Lake had a smaller beach area, smaller swim area, shallow... I'd say great for kids. Lots to choose from for ice cream and a couple good shops for keepsakes.

Great trip, just unfortunate the park isn't...

I really enjoyed the experience of this state park. I happened to camp here as well as visit the dunes and visit the lighthouse.

I won't go into too much detail about the campground since I'm reviewing the whole state park (not silver lake state park campground). But I will say that the campground is decent. Off of the main road, there is the check-in with some spots along the beach.

Across the street there is more camping, where the majority of the camping spots do happen to be. The spots are pretty spacious for a state park. They are not too close to one another.

Sliver Lake beach is beautiful. You can see the big dunes on the other side of the lake. While the beach front is not that wide, the swimming area goes out quite far, being pretty shallow all the way to the bouys.

Coming from the campground, one way down the main road will take you to the dunes, the other way will take you to the lighthouse, which is located on a Lake Michigan Beach.

I highly recommend the lighthouse tour if possible. It was only $8 if I recall correctly. You get a gorgeous view of Lake Michigan and the shoreline. If it's hot enough, go for a nice swim in the lake or just walk the beach.

On the other side, going the other way, you can climb the dunes and/or rent dune buggies to ride. I didn't rent dune buggies but did climb one of the dunes. Definitely pretty cool. It feels like being in the desert once you are to the top.

Before you get to the State Park area, the little part of Mears has a lot to offer, especially for children. Around the roundabout, there are little shops, food options, and even a little amusement park.

You are also not very far from Hart and Pentwater, which are cool little cities to check out.

Keep in mind that this state park is not all in walking distance. A vehicle of some sort is probably necessary if you want the full experience.

Overall, between the campground, the dunes, the lighthouse, and the 2 scenic beaches of Silver Lake and Lake Michigan, this State Park is well...

This place is not adult friendly. If you don't have kids and are going with a group of friends don't go here. Quiet time is at 11pm and that means you literally have to whisper or go to bed. We were harassed by the rangers. They literally stood in the dark off to the side of our campsite to wait to yell at us. Apparently quiet time is all the time. We were driving our quads onto the trailer to go to the dunes and they immediately came over and yelled at us for "driving our quads", we explained that we were just loading them on the trailer and the DNR officer said it didn't matter. We also got yelled at for helping our friends who arrived later in the night for setting up their tents, after we were told it was okay for people to arrive at night. The bathrooms and showers were disgusting, hair all over the floor, sand, dirt and the smell of mold filled the air. We were there for 8 days and never saw a cleaning crew, other state campgrounds I've stayed at in Michigan have cleaning crews who shut the bathrooms and showers down for cleaning. I don't know why this one doesn't, especially on a holiday weekend. We ended up leaving our stay early, we couldn't handle it anymore. We hung out with the family across the road from us and they told us they've been coming here for 30 years and after dealing with the dnr and rangers this year they will never come back. The staff and rules at this campground need to be reevaluated or this campground is going to lose all of their customers. If you want a place that is very quiet and laid back, this is the...