May join you guys as well. Is it still a pain is the a$$ to get an early dunes pass? I remember having to park in the pass line overnight to get on the dunes early. My first day there last time was a waste because of a late dunes pass. - Mike
This is some of the reason it is best to get there on Thursday night or early on Friday. You don't need a voucher for Friday but you need one for Saturday and Sunday. Usually it is not that hard to get a voucher. Here is the information from the Michigan DNR website.
VOUCHER DISTRIBUTION TIMES:
The voucher distribution point on Fox Road will open at 12 noon on Fridays for Dune Ready Vouchers and at 9 p.m. for Parking Lot Vouchers. The Voucher Center will be open as traffic and use require until at least 11 p.m. Fridays and re-open at 7 a.m. on Saturdays, Sundays and Holidays. You may also purchase your State Park and ORV permits at the same location, which will help speed up entry into the ORV Area.
VOUCHER TIME PERIODS:
Parking Lot Vouchers will be for two periods: 7 a.m. to 8 a.m. or 8 a.m. to 9 a.m. Parking Lot Stand-by Vouchers will be distributed once parking spaces for those periods are exhausted. There are five Dune Ready Voucher periods: 9 a.m. to 11 a.m., 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. and 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. No Dune Ready Vouchers are required after 7 p.m. Dune Ready Vouchers for both Saturdays and Sundays, and/or the Holidays will be given out at the same time. In order to give people the opportunity for the limited parking spaces, Parking Lot Vouchers will be available at 9 p.m. the day before they are to be used.
Once the days Parking Lot Vouchers are all given out, visitors may choose to be placed on the Parking Lot Stand-by Voucher list for the following day. There may be times when Parking Lot Vouchers will be required, but Dune Ready Vouchers are not, such as on some Holiday weekends.
LATE ARRIVALS:
Dune Ready Voucher holders that arrive late for their entry time frame will need to secure a new voucher for a later time period during the day. Parking Lot Voucher holders are guaranteed entry for either the 7 a.m. to 8 a.m. or the 8 a.m. to 9 a.m. time frame, but not both. If you arrive after your voucher entry time frame, you will need to secure a Parking Lot Stand-by Voucher for later in the day. No parking lot spaces will be guaranteed after 9 a.m. nor can space be held for someone to arrive later. Persons may not use their validated/punched Parking Lot Voucher to trailer-in additional or new off-road vehicles after they originally gain entry at the ORV Area Entrance Gate unless prior arrangements are made with Park Officials and noted on the validated Voucher.
LEAVING AND RE-ENTERING THE STATE PARK:
Once you have entered the park, you may stay as long as you like until the normal closing time. The vouchers only specify the arrival time. Dune Ready and Parking Lot Voucher holders that leave the sand dunes and/or the State Park will be required to go to the end of the waiting line to re-enter. Those attempting to "cut" in ahead of other visitors waiting to enter will be turned away. Vehicles leaving the parking lot will not be guaranteed space upon returning. Be sure your voucher slip is validated (HOLE-TYPE PUNCHED) when you arrive at the ORV Area Entrance Gate for the first time, on any particular day.
THE NUMBER OF VOUCHERS THAT ARE GIVEN OUT EACH DAY:
Over two thousand Dune Ready Vouchers are distributed each day or between 300 and 500 per two-hour time frame. The number of available spaces in the lot controls the number of Parking Lot Vouchers. Inclement weather, no-shows, early or unplanned departures, space sharing, and similar actions allow for additional room on occasion. Parking Lot Stand-by Vouchers are used for these unexpected events.
PICKING UP A VOUCHER FOR SOMEONE ELSE:
Two Dune Ready Vouchers or one Parking Lot Voucher can be obtained by an individual adult park visitor. These voucher slips will require the addition of the user's name and main vehicle license number, in ink, prior to validation. The person picking up the Vouchers will need to know the names, license plate numbers and the intended time frame for entry. The voucher forms must be completed, in ink, prior to embossed or stamped validation at the time of application at the Voucher Center Office. Voucher slips will again be validated with a distinctive hole-type punch upon arrival at the ORV Area Entrance Gate. This hole-type punch will be required if re-entry is requested later during the day.
VOUCHER CENTER PARKING LOT:
The Voucher Center Parking Lot will be used for Parking Lot Stand-by Voucher stacking or cueing line purposes during regular business hours. There will still be a wait with a Parking Lot Stand-by Voucher, since there is no guarantee when parking spaces may occur, but the visitor will be better able to make the best use of their time. Dune Ready Vehicles will need to check back during the day for the possibility of entry prior to 7 p.m. Owners of vehicles in the Voucher Center Parking Lot must be in attendance, trailers or extra vehicles may not be stored or parked there, and there is no overnight parking allowed. The Voucher Center Parking Lot is used as a landing zone for emergency medical helicopters and may need to be cleared within minutes, at any time.
Here is the full website if interested.
http://www.michigan.gov/dnr/0,4570,7-153-10365_15070-34760--,00.html#voucher
Henry
