Craft & Seasonality
✓
Motorboat ✓
Kayak / Canoe ✓
Jet Ski / PWC ✗
Large 22ft+ ✗
Winter Access Site Details
Conditions change rapidly due to water levels, prop wash, and weather. Always visually inspect before backing down.
RampPaved, 1 lane
Trailer Parking6 spots · asphalt
Vehicle-Only4 spots
FeeMI Recreation Passport (annual, on vehicle registration)
Hours4 AM – 11 PM
Not Available Fish cleaning · Fishing pier · Restrooms · Pier
Scout's Notes
Ramp Quirks & Etiquette
Seasonal Closure
MDOT shuts this rest area down from fall through spring, which locks out the boat launch entirely. Don't plan a spring steelhead trip around this spot — the gate will be closed. You've got a narrow window roughly May through October.
Tiny Parking Reality
Six trailer spots and four gravel vehicle spaces, and those vehicle spots are shared with North Country Trail hikers. On a summer weekend, you might pull in and find it full of day-trippers who aren't even fishing. Get here early or have a backup plan.
River Access Character
This is a small-water launch on the upper Manistee — think canoes, kayaks, and drift boats. If you're running anything bigger than a 16-foot jon boat, you're going to have a rough time. The ramp is basic and the river here isn't deep or wide enough for serious horsepower.
Worth The Detour
The boardwalk over the wetland down to the river is genuinely impressive for a roadside park. If you're scouting the Manistee for float trip put-ins, this gives you a great look at river conditions without bushwhacking through muck. Nice spot to check water clarity and levels before committing upstream or downstream.
Sources: DNR GIS data, Google Reviews, Google Street View
About This Lake
Manistee River →