Scheck's Place State Forest Campground Boat Launch

This is a canoe and kayak launch, not a real boat ramp — there are zero lanes and essentially one trailer spot. Perfect for dropping a kayak or tube into the Boardman, but don't show up expecting to back a trailer down to the water.

Do NOT trust Google Maps directions here. It will route you down gnarly snowmobile trails that'll wreck anything without 4WD clearance. Come in via Brown Bridge Road to Scharman Road — that's the real way in. The other approach roads are seasonal two-tracks that can swallow a sedan.

The go-to move is putting in upstream at the horse camp section of Scheck's and floating tubes or kayaks down to the campground — about a 10-15 minute trip. Or launch at Forks Campground 3.3 miles upstream for a longer paddle. The Boardman runs fast and cold here, only a few feet deep in most stretches, with a rocky bottom.

Summer weekends — especially holidays — get loud and rowdy. ORV riders, side-by-sides, and generators running all hours. There's no campground host enforcing quiet hours, so expect noise well past midnight. Midweek visits are a completely different, peaceful experience.

The campground sits under the flight path for Cherry Capital Airport in Traverse City. You'll hear departure and arrival traffic overhead periodically. Not a dealbreaker, but worth knowing if you're expecting total wilderness silence.