Birch Lake Boat Launch

It's a natural bottom launch — sand and gravel, no concrete. Fine for lighter boats and kayaks, but if you're backing in something heavy after a rainy spell, you can dig ruts fast. A 4WD tow vehicle is smart insurance.

Four trailer spots is all you get. On a summer Saturday morning, that fills up before 8 AM. If you're shut out, there's really nowhere to overflow without blocking the turnaround area, so plan to arrive early or go midweek.

The lake bottom at the launch is clean sand, which is actually a nice perk — no muck sucking at your feet and good wading depth for launching kayaks or getting kids in the water. Visibility is solid in the shallows.

Birch Lake funnels wind hard on breezy days. Whitecaps build fast and that single-lane sand launch gets dicey when waves start pushing your trailer sideways. If it's blowing out of the north, think twice about putting in here with a small boat.

State park administered, so you need a Michigan Recreation Passport to park here. No pay station — if it's not on your plate, you're risking a ticket. The outhouse is maintained and usually stocked, which is more than you can say for a lot of Antrim County launches.