Holly Oaks ORV Park: A new playground for Jeeps and dirt bikes

Posted by Talbot Payne on November 14, 2020

Holly — Holly Oaks ORV Park is open. It should be called Holly Oaks OMG Park.

ORV, of course, stands for off-road vehicle. ORV parks cater to those keen to exercise their Jeeps and dirt-bikes in the great outdoors. The state of Michigan has a network of off-road parks spanning from the boggy Mounds in Flint to the sandy dunes of Silver Lake on Lake Michigan.

Oakland County’s Holly Oaks adds to the state’s diverse offerings with a sprawling 113-acre dirt theme-park of roller-coaster hills, high-speed flats and diabolical courses with names like Mount Magna, which is modeled after the craggy terrain of off-road mecca Moab, Utah. The park, situated in a former sand-and-gravel mine, opened in mid-September.

“It’s extremely unique, and it’s unique for a whole range of reasons,” said Tom Zielinski, a corporate-events creator who helped design the complex located just south of the Mt. Holly ski resort. “There are a couple other places in the state, but they don’t have nearly the challenges in terms of elevation. And here’s the single biggest thing: They don’t have proximity to a major metropolitan area.”

Holly Oaks ORV Park has opened in a former sand-and-gravel mine near Holly.

The idea for an off-road vehicle park was seeded 17 years ago in the office of Jon Noyes, principal planner for Oakland County Parks and Recreation.

Noyes concedes the idea of an epic ORV park in Metro Detroit was “a little outside the box.” But he points out that Oakland County was one of the first in the country to build a bicycle motocross facility. It was one of the first to build a wave-pool waterpark. It’s been innovative with dog parks, too.

After a state plan for an ORV park near Kensington Park collapsed under community opposition, Oakland County approached the state with the Holly Oaks plan: Build the park with Michigan funds, then allow the county to manage it with community input.

Whether on-road (Waterford Hills Race Track) or off-road, such facilities are a challenge, given their noise and the potential for disturbing neighbors. Indeed, dirt bikes and four-wheelers were banned from areas nearest Holly Road after the county received complaints.

“We ended up with the best possible location,” Noyes said. “The area shares a boundary with I-75, which is already loud. The park has 350 feet of vertical elevation — but it’s sunk into the ground, which helps muffle noise. And it backs up to a ski resort. It’s pretty much the ideal spot for an ORV park.”

The park’s proximity to the Motor City means carmakers have embraced it as a place where engineers — and customers — can put their vehicles to the test.

Like the paved proving grounds of Milford and Dearborn that have helped produce on-road athletes like the Chevy Corvette and Ford GT, Holly Oaks is an off-road torture chamber that pushes the limits of everything from the Wrangler to the Bronco to the 702-horsepower Ram 1500 TRX.

“It can be an opportunity for all the manufacturers,” said Zielinski, who noted the park has already hosted numerous manufacturer events such as the Ford Bronco reveal as well as customer events such as the Jeep Adventure Academy. Noyes said corporate events are key to the park’s financing in addition to customers’ daily $15 use fee and ORV permit.

A Ford Bronco Sport drives down a hill at Holly Oaks ORV Park.

Pedal down, dirt up

A ride over the park’s undulating terrain put to the test the Jeep Wrangler Sahara that I was driving.

Shoving my Jeep transfer case into four-wheel-low, I grunted along two-way Skyline Drive, a ridge that borders the north end of the park. An area called The Oasis — with a lake at its center — spread out below the ridge.

The fun began on the aptly named Vulture’s Roost, the park’s highest point that leads into a wicked, unidirectional trail that winds along Darlene’s Ridge. The trail is full of blind peaks and challenging terrain before plunging down the side of the mountain into a valley called Dead Wood.

With a spotter at the top of the daunting 35-degree Hot Tub slope, my Wrangler attempted to crawl out. The Jeep vaulted upward, then — GRONCH — high-centered on its left frame rail. Scratching for traction, it backed down — defeated — into the tub again.

Others fared worse: A Chevy Colorado pickup carefully picked its way from one rock to the next, only to high-center on a strategically placed concrete block. A Jeep is brought in to rescue the helpless Chevy.

My Jeep emerged outwardly unscathed from its journey, its scars of battle hidden underneath. Wranglers are off-road warriors after all, and Holly Oaks is a battlefield made just for them.

A Chevy truck high centers over a rock/timber obstacle at Holly Oaks ORV Park.

If you go

What: Holly Oaks Off-Road Park,113 acres of hills, rocks and mud that’s situated on a former sand-and-gravel mine. It’s open to trucks and SUVs, as well as dirt bikes and four-wheelers.

Where: 14551 Shields Road, Holly

Hours: The park is only open weekends in its first season, from 10 a.m to 5 p.m. Those hours will narrow to 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. the weekend of Nov. 21-22. On the three-day Thanksgiving weekend, Nov. 27-29, hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The park will then close for the season from December through March.

Admission: Admission is currently limited to 500 ticket sales a day — a ticket covers each vehicle and costs $15. Park users are encouraged to buy tickets online at www.oakgov.com/parks/parksandtrails/holly-oaks-orv-park. Tickets for each day can be purchased online starting at 9 p.m. the day before. Online ticket sales will stop two hours before the park closes. In-person sales at the gate will stop one hour before the park closes. In addition, vehicles will not be admitted without Department of Natural Resources ORV and ORV Trail stickers. The two stickers cost $36.25 combined.

Park rules: Vehicles cannot be louder than 94 dBa and must have a muffler and spark arrester containing baffles meeting U.S. Forest Service specifications.

Children12 and older can ride dirt bikes and quads in the park if they are properly licensed with a DNR ORV Safety Training Certificate.

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