Silver Lake Resort and Campground

What Silver Lake Resort and Campground does

Silver Lake Resort and Campground (legal entity DST Enterprises) is a third-generation, family-owned campground and resort operating on a single site at 1786 North 34th Avenue in Mears, Oceana County, Michigan. The property offers over 200 accommodation units across full hook-up RV sites (back-in 40x60 ft and pull-through 45x65 ft with 20/30/50-amp service), water-and-electric partial hook-up RV sites, tent camping spaces, and newly renovated standard and loft cabins. Pricing is split between transient nightly stays ($60–$118 depending on season and accommodation type) and annual seasonal RV leases ($4,300 plus electric with a $200 non-refundable wait-list deposit), generating concentrated demand during a roughly five-month Michigan outdoor season (May–September) with peak pricing during June–August and holiday weekends.

The core technology stack is non-proprietary: the resort relies on the CampLife third-party online reservation platform for bookings, complemented by phone and text booking channels and standard hospitality property management infrastructure. On-site amenities include a 20x40-foot heated swimming pool, 9,000-square-foot dog park, playground, catch-and-release fishing pond, sports courts (basketball, volleyball, gaga ball, cornhole), a pavilion hosting movie nights, and three bathhouse buildings with 17 private handicap-accessible shower units. Recurring programming includes the SLRC Spooktacular Halloween weekend, Grandma Debbie craft weekends, and Tuesday/Thursday/Saturday outdoor movie nights.

Distribution and go-to-market are direct-to-consumer, anchored on the company's own website (silverlakerc.com) and CampLife booking, with no third-party resellers or channel partners for accommodation distribution. Marketing is conducted through an owned blog with staff-authored local area content, an active presence across Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Twitter, TripAdvisor, Google Business, and Yelp, and a featured listing on the Silver Lake Sand Dunes–Hart Visitor Bureau (thinkdunes.com). The primary customer segment is family vacationers seeking outdoor recreation near the Silver Lake Sand Dunes, with a secondary segment of seasonal and holiday campers driving peak-period demand. The business operates with 11–50 employees, is privately held with no disclosed external funding or M&A activity, and serves only the U.S. domestic market with a regional West Michigan focus.

Name

Silver Lake Resort and Campground

Legal name

DST Enterprises

Website

https://silverlakerc.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Silver Lake Resort and Campground is a third-generation, family-owned campground in Mears, Michigan offering over 200 RV sites, tent spaces, and cabins minutes from the Silver Lake Sand Dunes, serving family vacationers and seasonal campers through direct online and phone bookings.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Outdoor Recreation Lodging

NAICS

RV (Recreational Vehicle) Parks and Campgrounds (721211), Recreational and Vacation Camps (except Campgrounds) (721214)

SIC

Hotels, Rooming Houses, Camps & Other Lodging Places (7000)

akta.pro primary industry

Traditional Campgrounds (Tent & Mixed-Use) (THAMAJAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Campgrounds & RV Parks (Developed Sites) (THAGAOAA)

Keywords

• RV campsite rentals
• Family campground resort
• Cabin rentals
• Seasonal RV sites
• Outdoor recreation lodging

Headquarters

HQ city

Mears

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. RV Campsite Rentals: The primary revenue stream comes from renting RV campsites including full hook-up sites (back-in and pull-through), and water & electric partial hook-up sites. Sites are priced based on peak summer season (June–August and holidays) versus off-season (May & September). Seasonal site rentals are also offered at an annual rate of $4,300 plus electric.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Silver Lake Resort & Campground operates a family-oriented campground in Mears, Michigan, renting more than 200 sites that include full hook-up RV sites (back-in and pull-through), water & electric RV sites, tent camping spaces, and cabin rentals (Standard and Loft). The resort supplements its accommodations with on-site amenities such as a heated pool, playground, dog park, fishing pond, sports courts, pavilion, and camp store, alongside seasonal events like the SLRC Spooktacular and Grandma Debbie Craft Weekends. Reservations are fulfilled through the CampLife booking platform, the resort's website, and phone/text, targeting families and outdoor recreation visitors to the Silver Lake Sand Dunes area.

Product overview

Silver Lake Resort & Campground is a family-owned campground offering multiple accommodation options including full hook-up RV sites, partial hook-up sites, standard cabins, and loft cabins, with over 200 spacious sites available. The resort provides on-site amenities such as a heated swimming pool, playground, dog park, fishing pond, sports courts, pavilion area, and camp store. The property also hosts seasonal events including the SLRC Spooktacular, Grandma Debbie Craft Weekends, and outdoor movie nights. Reservations are managed through the CampLife third-party booking platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Full Hook-Up RV Sites Spacious RV campsites featuring 20/30/50-amp electrical service, water, and sewer hookups, available as back-in or pull-through configurations and rented nightly to RV-owning families and travelers.
• Water & Electric RV Sites Partial hook-up campsites with 20/30/50-amp electrical service and water hookup, ideal for RV campers who do not require sewer connections and rented on a nightly basis.
• Standard Cabin Rental 12x12-foot cabin accommodations featuring 1 full bed and 3 twin beds with indoor/outdoor lighting, electric outlets, and basic furnishings, rented nightly to families seeking a cabin experience near the dunes (no running water, A/C, microwave, or refrigerator; 5% lodging tax applies).
• Loft Cabin Rental Cabin with an additional loft area accessible by ladder, featuring 1 full-sized bed with mattress and 1 set of bunk beds with 2 twin mattresses, providing more space and privacy than Standard Cabins (5% lodging tax applies).
• Seasonal RV Site Leases Annual seasonal RV site rentals priced at $4,300 plus electric for repeat guests who want a reserved site across the full camping season, with a $200 non-refundable deposit to join the wait list.
• On-Site Heated Swimming Pool In-ground 20x40-foot heated swimming pool with a large deck and lounge chairs, available to resort guests from Memorial Day through Apple Festival.
• Dog Park 9,000 sq ft off-leash dog park with separate fenced areas for large dogs (25+ pounds) and small dogs (less than 25 pounds), located at the back of the resort and available to guests.
• SLRC Spooktacular Halloween Event Family-friendly Halloween weekend event held seasonally, featuring costume contests, scarecrow decorating, pumpkin carving and painting, crafts, trick-or-treating, and Halloween movie nights for resort guests.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 200 campsites across multiple accommodation types
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Silver Lake Sand Dunes – Hart Visitor Bureau (ThinkDunes)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerThe resort is prominently featured and recommended on the official Silver Lake Sand Dunes – Hart Visitor Bureau's website (thinkdunes.com), which serves as the primary tourism marketing platform for the region. This partnership drives referral traffic to the resort from visitors researching the Silver Lake area. The resort also links to and promotes the bureau's resources on its own attractions and events pages.
• LovePentwater.comminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSilver Lake Resort & Campground references LovePentwater.com alongside the Hart Visitor Bureau as a resource for additional local things to do. This cross-promotional link provides additional content for prospective guests researching the area.
• Apple & BBQ Cook-Off FestivalminorGTM or Marketing PartnerThe resort promotes the Apple & BBQ Cook-Off Festival (applebbqfestival.com) as a major fall event for guests, with the festival website linked from the resort's events page. The resort benefits from being a base camp for festival attendees from outside the immediate area.
• Silver Lake State ParkcoreOthersSilver Lake Resort & Campground is positioned as a lodging partner for visitors to Silver Lake State Park, which encompasses the Silver Lake Sand Dunes ORV area. The resort provides guest guidance on ORV requirements, state park access, and recreation passes. This is an operational relationship where the resort helps guests access the state park.
• Ferris State UniversityminorOthersSilver Lake Resort & Campground offers a Hospitality and Tourism Internship Program in partnership with Ferris State University. University students gain hands-on experience in hospitality and tourism. The resort accepts resumes and recruits through this university partnership. A blog post by Aliyah Orr references her business major at Ferris State University.
• Grandma Debbie's Craft WeekendsminorOthersGrandma Debbie runs seasonal craft programming at Silver Lake Resort & Campground on select weekends throughout the camping season. Crafts are offered to guests at $3 per item. The program provides family entertainment and is promoted as a key resort activity.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Lake Rudolph Campground & RV Resort: Family RV and cabin campground in Santa Claus, Indiana with full hook-ups, deluxe cabins, waterpark amenities, and seasonal event programming (Halloween, Christmas). Very comparable to Silver Lake's mix of RV sites, cabins, and themed family events in a Midwest destination setting.
• Kampgrounds of America (KOA): Largest family campground franchise network in North America offering RV sites, tent camping, and cabin rentals at thousands of franchised locations. Direct product/category and customer overlap with Silver Lake Resort, scaled via franchise infrastructure rather than single-property independence.
• Outdoor Resorts at Lake Conroe (Outdoor Resorts of America): Membership-driven RV resort featuring full hook-up sites, premium cabins, swimming pools, and family event programming. Closely comparable to Silver Lake on the RV/cabin mix and family-vacation positioning, with a similar occupancy model.
• Thousand Trails: Membership-based network of RV resorts and campgrounds across the U.S. with annual membership fees and stay access. Directly comparable to Silver Lake's seasonal RV subscription model ($4,300/year), scaled nationally with cross-property stay access.
• Jellystone Park Camp-Resorts (Yogi Bear's): Family-focused franchise of campgrounds with on-site amenities (pools, mini-golf, crafts) and themed character programming. Closely comparable to Silver Lake's Grandma Debbie craft weekends and Spooktacular family events in the family-vacation niche.
• Camp Cedar: Premium family camping resort in Lebanon, Ohio offering luxury cabins, RV sites, pools, and event programming targeting family vacations, reunions, and group getaways. Comparable scale and amenity portfolio to Silver Lake in the Midwestern family-campground segment.
• Camp Margaritaville RV Resort & Lodge: Margaritaville-branded family RV resort in Breaux Bridge, Louisiana with full hook-ups, premium cabins, pools, and themed entertainment. Directly comparable to Silver Lake on destination RV/cabin mix and family-vacation positioning, with comparable scale.

Broad incumbents

• Disney's Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground: Disney-operated family RV/cabin resort with pools, organized activities, and event programming. Identical product mix and family-vacation target market as Silver Lake, though owned by Disney at substantially larger scale with theme-park demand adjacency.
• Equity LifeStyle Properties (ELS): Public REIT that owns and operates a national portfolio of RV resorts and manufactured-home communities, including the Thousand Trails and Encore brands under the Sun Outdoors umbrella. Operates in the same space as Silver Lake at portfolio scale and with permanent real-estate ownership advantages.
• Sun Outdoors: Large-scale owner/operator of RV resorts and manufactured-home communities across North America, which now includes Thousand Trails and Encore. Broad incumbent in the same space as Silver Lake, but runs an extensive multi-property portfolio rather than a single destination.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/SilverLakeRC
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/silverlakerc
• Facebookfacebook.com/silverlakerc
• Instagraminstagram.com/silverlakerc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Silver Lake Resort and Campground