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Bunker Proving Grounds is a testing track, research and development facility, and large commercial conference space. We can offer many different testing simulations and conditions for all vehicle and equipment types, including winter condition testing, safety testing, brake testing, and structural durability testing. We also create custom testing conditions and surfaces based on client needs.
We opened our doors as part of MJ VanDamme more than 20 years ago. We’re located in Gwinn, Michigan, adjacent to the only international airport in the area, Sawyer International Airport.
Our site is an expansive 150 acres with a large 50,000-square-foot facility with garages,
conference spaces, refrigerated cold room, and mechanics. Our site can be used
for testing, research and development, corporate training, conferences, and other large
commercial events.
We are a year-round proving grounds, with a special emphasis as a winter testing site.
Our especially harsh winters make our site a reliable place to test out equipment,
such as snowmobiles, snow plows, and cars, in heavy snow conditions.
Bunker Proving Grounds gets its name from the site itself, which was once the holding area for an air force base that held B-52 bombers. Known once as the most capable and versatile combat bomber in U.S. history, it is fitting that the former base for such innovative bombers now fosters an environment of innovation, safety testing, and making history.
Like other proving grounds built on the skeletons of old air force bases, airports, and runways, our history gives our facility character. While you may not need to visit the underground tunnels where pilots ran out of planes, you can spend time in the Cold War bunker as a way to meet with the rest of your team out of the cold.
Bunker Proving Grounds is located in Gwinn, Michigan, in the Upper Peninsula, about 20 miles south of Marquette, a city full of restaurants, hotels, and other accommodations. There are more than 52 lakes in Gwinn, providing amble opportunities for outdoor recreation.
