Ellis Lake Boat Launch

This is a gravel ramp suited for kayaks, canoes, and small fishing boats — don't bring anything with serious draft. No bathrooms, no trash cans, no amenities of any kind. Pack it in, pack it out.

The lake bottom is silty and mucky, especially near shore. If you're wading to guide your boat off the trailer, expect to sink in a few inches. Lily pads choke up big stretches of the shoreline too, so plan your trolling routes accordingly.

Only five trailer spots, but honestly the lake is small and quiet enough that you'll rarely compete for space on weekdays. Summer weekends can get tight if a couple kayakers and a bass boat all show up at once — there's a little extra room to squeeze in along the gravel, but it's not a real overflow area.

Interlochen State Park administers this site, so you'll need a Michigan Recreation Passport to launch. No camping allowed at the launch area even though you're surrounded by state land. Easy to assume otherwise given how remote it feels.

Don't expect a quick limit here. Bass, panfish, and small pike are in the lake but they make you work for them. It's more of a quiet exploration lake — great for kayak fishing if you like picking apart structure and lily pad edges. The loons and turtles might be more entertaining than the bite some days.