Boat launches · Lake Michigan · Wisconsin

Boat Launches Near Manitowoc–Two Rivers

7 public launches within 20 miles of downtown Manitowoc–Two Rivers, WI, 4 of them trailer ramps. The nearest is S. Lakeview Drive Carry-in, 0.4 miles SE.

Within 20 mi

Trailer ramps

Closest

0.4 mi

Closest first

Public launches around Manitowoc–Two Rivers

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.

0.4 mi SE
S. Lakeview Drive Carry-inManitowoc
Hand / carry-in launchDirections
0.8 mi S
Red Arrow Park Boat Ramp (Manitowoc)Manitowoc
Trailer rampDirections
4.3 mi NE
Thiede Road Canoe AccessTwo Rivers
Hand / carry-in launchDirections
5.9 mi NE
Vets Park and Boat LaunchWest Twin River · Two Rivers
Trailer rampDirections
11 mi NE
Point Beach State Forest Kayak SiteTwo Rivers
Hand / carry-in launchDirections
12 mi S
Hika Park AccessCleveland
Trailer rampDirections
16 mi N
Two Creeks AccessTwo Creeks
Trailer rampDirections

Once you're off the trailer

What to fish out of Manitowoc–Two Rivers

None of our Michigan fishing guides name a spot right here yet. These are the Lake Michigan fisheries we cover:

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

Before you launch

Lake Michigan is big water

The pier-head channel is the dangerous part of the trip. An onshore wind stacks waves where the channel meets the lake, and the run home can be far worse than the run out. Check the wind direction against the harbor mouth before you leave the ramp.

Longshore currents and structural rip currents at the piers. Lake Michigan produces more drowning fatalities than any other Great Lake, and most of them happen to swimmers near breakwalls and piers, not to anglers offshore.
Sudden north-to-northwest wind shifts. The lake runs 300 miles north to south, so a northerly builds enormous fetch and turns a flat morning into a five-foot afternoon on the south end.
Seiche events. Wind and pressure can push water to one end of the basin and let it slosh back, producing fast, unexpected water-level swings — one on the Chicago shoreline in 1954 killed several people on a pier.

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

Point Beach State Forest10 mi
Fischer Creek State Recreation Area11 mi

For the crew ashore

Beaches

Landmarks from the water

Lighthouses

Questions

Where is the closest public boat launch to Manitowoc–Two Rivers?

S. Lakeview Drive Carry-in, about 0.4 miles SE of downtown in a straight line (hand / carry-in launch). The closest trailer ramp is Red Arrow Park Boat Ramp (Manitowoc), 0.8 miles S.

How many public boat launches are near Manitowoc–Two Rivers?

State agency data lists 7 public launches within 20 miles: 4 trailer ramps and 3 unimproved or carry-in sites, on Lake Michigan and the bays and rivers that run into it.

Do boat launches near Manitowoc–Two Rivers charge a fee?

None of these 7 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 Michigan near Manitowoc–Two Rivers?

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

Up and down the shore

Launches near other Michigan towns

Sheboygan, WI · 24 mi Kewaunee, WI · 27 mi Green Bay, WI · 34 mi Algoma, WI · 38 mi Sturgeon Bay, WI · 53 mi Oconto, WI · 56 mi

Source

Launch facts are from Wisconsin DNR, Public Boat 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 Wisconsin 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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