Lake St. Helen Boat Launch

Lake St. Helen has gotten progressively weedy over the years. If you're running a bass boat or anything with exposed water intakes, keep an eye on your engine temps — thick weed mats can clog you up fast, especially mid-summer in the shallower bays.

The channel mouth is narrower than you'd expect for a three-lane ramp. Turning a larger boat around once you're in the water takes some finesse, and there are big rocks lining both sides. If you're running anything over 18 feet, take it slow and use a spotter.

79 trailer spots sounds generous, but non-trailer vehicles park in the boat-only areas regularly with little enforcement. On summer weekends this eats into your options. Get there before 9 AM on Saturdays or you'll be circling.

The grassy areas between the ramp and the beach are absolutely covered in goose and duck droppings — bad enough that the beach has been closed for contamination before. Watch where you step and keep the kids' shoes on until they hit the water.

Township charges a launch fee, but the annual pass is only $10 and they mail it to you. For a well-maintained ramp with a floating dock, dedicated kayak launch, and a fishing pier right next door, that's hard to beat for the price. Way more organized than a lot of township-run sites up here.