{"id":26355,"date":"2020-11-14T17:50:29","date_gmt":"2020-11-14T21:50:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/henrypayne.com\/?p=26355"},"modified":"2020-11-19T17:55:15","modified_gmt":"2020-11-19T21:55:15","slug":"holly-oaks-orv-park-a-new-playground-for-jeeps-and-dirt-bikes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/2020\/11\/holly-oaks-orv-park-a-new-playground-for-jeeps-and-dirt-bikes","title":{"rendered":"Holly Oaks ORV Park: A new playground for Jeeps and dirt bikes"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Holly \u2014<\/em>\u00a0Holly Oaks ORV Park is open. It should be called Holly Oaks OMG Park.<\/p>\n

ORV, of course, stands for off-road vehicle. ORV parks cater to those keen to exercise their Jeeps and dirt-bikes\u00a0in 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.<\/p>\n

Oakland County\u2019s Holly Oaks adds to the state\u2019s diverse offerings with a sprawling 113-acre\u00a0dirt theme-park of roller-coaster hills, high-speed flats\u00a0and 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.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt’s extremely unique, and it’s unique for a whole range of reasons,\u201d said Tom Zielinski, a corporate-events creator who helped design the complex located just south of the Mt. Holly ski resort. \u201cThere 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Holly<\/p>\n
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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.<\/p>\n

Noyes concedes the idea of an epic ORV park in Metro Detroit was \u201ca little outside the box.\u201d But he points out that Oakland County was one of the first in the country to build a bicycle motocross\u00a0facility. It was one of the first to build a wave-pool waterpark. It\u2019s been innovative with dog parks, too.<\/p>\n

After a state plan for an ORV park near Kensington Park collapsed under community opposition, Oakland County approached the state with the Holly Oaks\u00a0plan:\u00a0Build the park with Michigan funds, then allow the county to manage it with community input.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe ended up with the best possible location,\u201d Noyes said. \u201cThe area shares a boundary with I-75, which is already loud. The park has 350 feet of vertical elevation \u2014 but it’s sunk into the ground, which helps muffle noise. And it backs up to a ski resort. It\u2019s pretty much the ideal spot for an ORV park.\u201d<\/p>\n

The park’s proximity to the\u00a0Motor City means carmakers have\u00a0embraced it as a place where engineers \u2014 and customers \u2014 can put their vehicles to the test.<\/p>\n