Boat launches · Lake Huron and Lake Michigan · Michigan

Boat Launches Near Mackinaw City

8 public launches within 20 miles of downtown Mackinaw City, Michigan, 8 of them trailer ramps. The nearest is Straits State Harbor, 0.2 miles E.

Within 20 mi

Trailer ramps

Closest

0.2 mi

Closest first

Public launches around Mackinaw City

Straight-line distance and direction from downtown, not a driving or boating route. Every figure is what the agency publishes; a blank means the agency is silent.

0.2 mi E
Straits State HarborHuron
Trailer ramp · 3 lanes, 72 trailer spacesDirections
0.2 mi NE
Mackinaw City Municipal MarinaHuron
Trailer ramp · 1 lane, 54 trailer spacesDirections
6.2 mi N
St. IgnaceHuron
Trailer ramp · 1 laneDirections
9.0 mi W
Wilderness State ParkMichigan
Trailer ramp · 1 lane, 16 trailer spacesDirections
14 mi E
Bois BlancHuron
Trailer rampDirections
15 mi SE
Cheboygan CountyHuron · Cheboygan River
Trailer rampDirections
18 mi SW
Cross VillageMichigan
Trailer ramp · 1 laneDirections
20 mi N
Pine RiverHuron · Pine River
Trailer ramp · 30 trailer spacesDirections

Once you're off the trailer

What to fish out of Mackinaw City

Our Lake Huron and Lake Michigan fishing guides name water reached from these launches for 1 species:

Lake Sturgeon · June through September, outside the spring spawning periodLake Sturgeon on Lake HuronThe Cheboygan River and the Black Lake watershed: Northern Michigan's best-known sturgeon water, connected to Huron through the Cheboygan system. Black Lake's sturgeon are among the most intensively studied and protected in the country, with a guarded, heavily regulated winter season managed on a strict quota.

Brown Trout on Huron Chinook Salmon on Huron Coho Salmon on Huron Lake Trout on Huron Lake Whitefish on Huron Muskellunge on Huron Northern Pike on Huron Smallmouth Bass on Huron Steelhead on Huron Walleye on Huron Yellow Perch on Huron

Before you launch

Lake Huron is big water

Saginaw Bay is shallow and builds a steep, short sea in a hurry; the open-lake ports along the Thumb and the northeast shore can be a long way apart. Know the next harbor down the shore before the wind tells you that you need it.

Saginaw Bay ice that separates from shore. Offshore wind on a shallow bay has stranded groups of anglers on drifting plates more than once, requiring air rescue. Never cross a pressure crack you cannot recross.
Shallow, steep chop in the bay. Eleven to twenty feet of water builds an ugly short-period sea in a moderate wind, far rougher for its height than deep water.
Long unserviced stretches of Michigan shoreline between Harbor Beach and Alpena. Marina spacing is wide; fuel planning matters.

Read how to read a Great Lakes marine forecast and trailering and launching on big water. Pack the big-water safety kit.

Camp or picnic

State parks

For the crew ashore

Beaches

Wawatam City Park0.4 mi
Mackinaw City Beach0.5 mi
Alexander Henry Park0.6 mi
Mackinaw City Lighthouse Park0.7 mi
Colonial Michilimamackinac State Park0.8 mi

Landmarks from the water

Lighthouses

Old Mackinac Point Light0.7 mi
McGulpin Point Light2.3 mi
Wawatam Lighthouse6.1 mi
Round Island Light (Mackinac County)6.7 mi

Questions

Where is the closest public boat launch to Mackinaw City?

Straits State Harbor, about 0.2 miles E of downtown in a straight line.

How many public boat launches are near Mackinaw City?

State agency data lists 8 public launches within 20 miles: 8 trailer ramps and 0 unimproved or carry-in sites, on Lake Huron and Lake Michigan and the bays and rivers that run into them.

What is the biggest boat ramp near Mackinaw City?

By the lane and trailer-parking counts the agencies publish, Straits State Harbor (3 lanes, 72 trailer spaces). Not every agency publishes those counts, so 2 of the 8 sites here could not be ranked.

Do boat launches near Mackinaw City charge a fee?

None of these 8 sites publishes fee information, which does not mean they are free; city and park launches often sell a daily or season pass. Confirm with the manager before you tow.

Who sets the fishing rules on Lake Huron near Mackinaw City?

Michigan DNR. Seasons, limits and license rules change, so read the current regulations before you go.

Up and down the shore

Launches near other Huron towns

St. Ignace, MI · 6 mi Cheboygan, MI · 15 mi Cedarville, MI · 23 mi Rogers City, MI · 50 mi Alpena, MI · 80 mi Oscoda, MI · 116 mi

Source

Launch facts are from Michigan DNR, State Sponsored Developed Boating Access Sites, retrieved 2026-10-27. Ramps close for repairs, fees change and water levels move; confirm with the manager before you tow. Fishing rules are set by Michigan DNR.

Downtown positions are approximate. Chart shoreline generalized from Natural Earth (public domain); not for navigation. Something wrong or missing? Write to contact@greatamericanlakes.com.

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