What you can ride

The rules that apply to everything

Whatever you bring, these do not change: an ORV licence, an ORV trail permit, and a Recreation Passport, a rectangular orange safety flag standing 10 feet above the ground, and an exhaust that measures under 94 decibels. Fail the sound check and the vehicle is restricted from the park for 48 hours, which in practice means the weekend is over.

The rules that do not

Seat belts, operator age, passenger rules, and required gear differ between vehicle classes, and the differences are large enough that carrying assumptions over from one class to another is a real risk. Someone who has ridden a quad here for years genuinely may not know the rules that apply to the side-by-side they just bought.

Quads and ATVs

The traditional dune machine and still the most common thing in the bowl. Light enough to float on soft sand with modest power, and forgiving of a rider who is still learning how throttle and weight transfer work on a surface that moves underneath them.

Side-by-sides and UTVs

The fastest growing class here, and the one most likely to be carrying passengers who are not drivers. That changes the calculation on blind crests considerably: you are making decisions for people who cannot see what you can and cannot brace the way you can.

Dune buggies

Purpose-built for exactly this, and the class most at home in soft sand. Long-travel suspension and a wide track make short work of terrain that bogs down heavier vehicles.

Motorcycles and dirt bikes

The lightest option and the most agile, with the least margin for a mistake on a blind crest. Also the hardest thing in the bowl for a truck driver to see, which is exactly why the flag requirement is not negotiable.

Jeeps, trucks, and full-size 4x4s

Silver Lake genuinely takes full-size vehicles, which is unusual and is a large part of why people travel here. It also means the heaviest things in the bowl are sharing sand with the lightest.

• Weight is the enemy in soft sand, so airing down matters more here than for any other class
• Four-wheel drive goes on before you enter, without exception
• Stiffer sidewalls handle soft, puffy sand noticeably better
• Stopping distance is far longer than anything else out there, which is your problem to manage rather than theirs
• A recovery strap and a shovel are not optional at this weight

Fat-tire bikes, in winter only

From December 15 through March 15 the dune field opens to fat-tire bikes. No engine, no permit stack, and a completely different surface once snow packs over sand. See the off-season guide for what that window actually involves.