Mac Wood's Dune Rides
8899-8801 Dunes Vista Dr, Mears, MI
Mears, MI
A classic, seat-of-the-pants ride in open buggies that roar and swoop over the Silver Lake dunes between the lake and the woods.
Mac Wood's Dune Rides is a piece of Michigan roadside history, a guided ride that has been carrying visitors over the Silver Lake sand dunes since the 1930s. Passengers pile into open-air buggies built to handle deep sand, and a driver-guide takes them swooping over the dunes, along the Lake Michigan shore, and back, part thrill ride and part narrated tour.
The Silver Lake dunes are a strange and wonderful landscape, a stretch of rolling sand pinned between Silver Lake on one side and Lake Michigan on the other, unlike almost anywhere else in the Midwest. Mac Wood's is the classic way to experience them without driving your own vehicle, an outing that has delighted road-tripping families for the better part of a century.
What Guests Love
- Racing over rolling dunes in open-air buggies with the wind and spray of sand
- Wide views of Lake Michigan opening up from the tops of the highest dunes
- A friendly, funny driver-guide who narrates the ride and the area's history
- An old-fashioned attraction that has entertained families for generations
Worth Knowing
- The rides are seasonal, running from spring into fall, so check ahead
- Buggies are open-air, so expect sun, wind, and blowing sand; bring sunglasses
- This is the guided-tour side of the dunes, separate from the off-road vehicle area
- Rides are popular on summer weekends, so it is wise to arrive early or reserve
Details
Mears, MI
Learn about Mac Wood's Dune Rides
A ride nearly a century old
Mac Wood's traces its start to the 1930s, when a local man began taking curious visitors out onto the dunes in modified vehicles. What began as a novelty grew into an institution, and generations of Michigan families have taken the ride as a summer rite of passage, handing the tradition down from grandparents to grandchildren.
The buggies have evolved over the decades, but the spirit of the ride has not: an open-air scramble over the sand, a bit of speed and a few drops and turns, and a guide who mixes the fun with local lore. It endures as one of the state's beloved old-fashioned roadside attractions.
The Silver Lake dunes
The dunes here are part of a rare coastal dune system, sand piled up by wind off Lake Michigan over thousands of years into a shifting desert of hills and hollows. Silver Lake lies just inland, so the dunes form a narrow band of sand separating the two waters, an unusual and dramatic setting.
The larger dune area is divided among different uses: a section for off-road vehicles, a section set aside as a natural pedestrian area, and the guided-tour route that Mac Wood's operates. The tour lets visitors reach the highest, most scenic ground safely, with the big lake spreading out below from the crests.
What the ride is like
The buggies are open to the air, so the ride comes with sun, wind, and a bit of flying sand, which is half the fun. The route climbs and drops over the dunes, runs a stretch near the Lake Michigan shore, and pauses at high points where the view opens up across the water.
The driver-guides are known for their good humor, narrating the geography, the history of the rides, and the quirks of the dunes as they go. It is a short outing that suits all ages, from small children to grandparents, and it works well as one stop in a beach-and-dune day around Silver Lake.
The Silver Lake area and the seasons
Silver Lake State Park and the surrounding area make a full summer destination, with a swimming beach, the off-road vehicle dunes, boating on Silver Lake, and a scattering of ice cream stands, mini golf, and family lodging. Mac Wood's fits right into that easygoing vacation rhythm.
The rides run through the warm months, from spring into fall, and are at their busiest in the heart of summer. Autumn offers cooler air, thinner crowds, and clear light over the lake, a fine time to ride if the season is still open. Always check current operating dates before you plan around it.
Closest Boutels
The closest Boutel™ stays, so you can turn this stop into an overnight. Each is an independently owned, editorially selected place to stay.
Things to Do Near Mears
Silver Lake State Park
About 1 mile
A state park spanning dunes, beach, and lake, with a designated off-road vehicle area and a natural pedestrian dune section.
Little Sable Point Lighthouse
About 6 miles south
A tall, red-brick lighthouse rising from the dunes along a wild stretch of Lake Michigan beach, open seasonally to climb.
Pentwater
About 8 miles north
A charming Lake Michigan resort village with a walkable downtown, a marina, and a sandy beach.