Boat launches · The Big Lake
Lake Superior Boat Launches
Superior launches are spread thin along a long, cold shore: city harbors at Superior, Ashland and Marquette, harbors of refuge built where the coast offers nothing else, and small river-mouth and beach launches between them.
Public launches
82
Trailer ramps
63
States
3
Counties
15
Before you launch
Launching on Superior
Pick the launch for the harbor you can get back into, not for the fish. Long stretches of Superior shore have no shelter, the water stays cold enough all season to make a capsize a survival problem, and fog and wind come up fast. File a float plan and watch the nearshore forecast for the whole day, not the morning.
Read the Lake Superior field guide for hazards and the season, and trailering and launching on big water before your first trip.
Room for a crowd
The most lanes among Michigan and Minnesota sites
Ranked by lane count where the agency publishes one (Michigan DNR, Minnesota DNR); other states' sites may be as big.
Ontonagon Marina
6 lanes on Ontonagon River.
McQuade Safe Harbor
4 ramps, 54 trailer spaces on Lake Superior.
Marquette Lower Harbor
4 lanes on Lake Superior.
Two Harbors, Agate Bay boat launch
3 ramps, 60 trailer spaces on Lake Superior.
Silver Bay Safe Harbor
3 ramps, 25 trailer spaces on Lake Superior.
Baraga Village Ramp
3 lanes on Lake Superior.
Michigan DNR
Lake Superior launches in Michigan 31
Alger County 2
- Burt TownshipRamp · 2 lanes
- Munising MunicipalRamp
Baraga County 4
- Arvon Township ParkRamp · 1 lane
- Baraga State ParkRamp
- Baraga Village RampRamp · 3 lanes
- L'anse Village DockRamp
Chippewa County 3
- Brimley State ParkRamp · 1 lane · 15 trailers
- Tahquamenon Falls BayRamp · 1 lane · 2 trailers
- Whitefish Point HarborRamp · 1 lane · 10 trailers
Houghton County 12
- BootjackPortage LakeRamp · 1 lane · 3 trailers
- ChassellPortage LakeRamp
- Grand Traverse Bay HarborRamp
- Hancock Municipal ParkPortage LakeRamp
- Houghton DowntownPortage LakeRamp
- Houghton-Hancock MarinaPortage LakeRamp
- Mucky BottomKeweenaw WaterwayRamp
- Old SandyPortage LakeRamp
- Stanton Township ParkRamp
- Swede Town CreekPortage RiverCarry-in
- Swedetown CreekPortage LakeRamp
- White CityPortage RiverRamp
Keweenaw County 3
- Copper HarborRamp · 1 lane · 37 trailers
- Eagle HarborRamp · 2 lanes · 20 trailers
- Lac La Belle DockLac La BelleRamp · 2 lanes · 28 trailers
Luce County 1
- Little Lake HarborLittle LakeRamp · 2 lanes · 12 trailers
Marquette County 4
- Big Bay Harbor of RefugeRamp · 2 lanes
- Cinder Pond MarinaRamp
- Marquette CityRamp · 2 lanes
- Marquette Lower HarborRamp · 4 lanes
Ontonagon County 2
- Ontonagon MarinaOntonagon RiverRamp · 6 lanes
- Porcupine Mountain State ParkRamp
Wisconsin DNR
Lake Superior launches in Wisconsin 23
Ashland County 4
- Alan Tomczak Park Public Boat LandingAshlandRamp
- Hot Pond Overlook Boat RampAshlandRamp
- Kreher Park Boat LandingAshlandRamp
- Lake Superior AccessSanbornRamp
Bayfield County 14
- Bark Bay Slough AccessCloverRamp
- Bark Point Boat LandingCloverRamp
- Bayfield City Boat LaunchBayfieldRamp
- Bell Marina - Cornucopia AccessBellRamp
- Herbster LandingCloverCarry-in
- Little Sand Bay AccessRussellRamp
- Long Bridge AccessBarksdaleRamp
- Onion River AccessBayviewCarry-in
- Port Wing Marina Boat RampFlag River · Port WingRamp
- Red CliffRussellRamp
- Short Bridge AccessEileenRamp
- Squaw Bay AccessBayfieldCarry-in
- Thompsons West End Park Boat LaunchWashburnRamp
- Washburn MarinaWashburnRamp
Douglas County 3
- Barkers Island MarinaSuperior Bay · SuperiorRamp
- Bois Brule River Mouth AccessCloverlandRamp
- Loons Foot LandingSuperiorRamp
Iron County 2
- Saxon Harbor Access 1SaxonRamp
- Saxon Harbor Access 2SaxonRamp
Minnesota DNR
Lake Superior launches in Minnesota 28
Cook County 12
- Cascade RiverCarry-in
- Cut Face Creek Wayside RestCarry-in · 2 trailers
- Grand Marais Safe HarborRamp · 2 ramps · 20 trailers
- Grand Marais WestRamp · 1 ramp · 12 trailers
- Grand Portage Safe HarborRamp · 1 ramp · 40 trailers
- Horseshoe BayRamp · 1 ramp · 20 trailers
- HovlandRamp · 1 ramp
- Lutsen Grandview ParkCarry-in
- SchroederCarry-in · 1 ramp · 5 trailers
- Taconite Safe HarborRamp · 2 ramps · 40 trailers
- Temperance River SPKCarry-in
- TofteRamp · 1 ramp · 4 trailers
Lake County 13
- Baptism RiverCarry-in
- Black BeachCarry-in
- Burlington BayRamp · 1 ramp · 8 trailers
- Flood Bay Wayside RestCarry-in
- Gooseberry RiverCarry-in
- Knife River BeachCarry-in · 1 ramp · 2 trailers
- Knife River Marina and HarborRamp · 2 ramps · 15 trailers
- Little Two HarborsCarry-in
- Silver Bay Safe HarborRamp · 3 ramps · 25 trailers
- Split Rock RiverCarry-in
- Stewart RiverCarry-in
- Twin PointsRamp · 2 ramps · 22 trailers
- Two Harbors, Agate Bay boat launchRamp · 3 ramps · 60 trailers
St. Louis County 3
- Brighton BeachCarry-in
- French RiverCarry-in · 1 trailers
- McQuade Safe HarborRamp · 4 ramps · 54 trailers
Once you are on the water
What to fish on Lake Superior
How many public boat launches are on Lake Superior?
This directory lists 82 public launches on Lake Superior and its bays and harbor rivers — 63 trailer ramps and 19 unimproved or carry-in sites — from Michigan DNR, Minnesota DNR, Wisconsin DNR data.
Which Lake Superior launches have the most lanes?
Only Michigan and Minnesota publish lane counts. Among those sites: Ontonagon Marina (6 lanes), McQuade Safe Harbor (4 ramps), Marquette Lower Harbor (4 lanes), Two Harbors, Agate Bay boat launch (3 ramps). Wisconsin sites are not ranked and may be as big.
Do Lake Superior boat launches charge a fee?
Some do and some do not, and it varies by owner — state, county, city or township. Where the agency publishes a fee, the launch page shows it; otherwise check with the listed manager before you go.
Sources
- Michigan DNR, State Sponsored Developed Boating Access Sites
- Minnesota DNR, Public Water Access Sites
- Wisconsin DNR, Public Boat Access Sites
- Shoreline: Natural Earth 1:10m lakes (public domain). Charts are not for navigation.
Retrieved 2026-10-05. Trailer ramps, unimproved and carry-in sites as each agency classifies them.