Satellite view of River Junction Boat Ramp
HomeFloridaHernandoSilver Lake

River Junction Boat Ramp

Also known as: Withlacoochee State Forest - River Junction Boat Ramp · River Junction Recreation Area ramp
Silver Lake · Hernando County, Florida
Last verified: July 31, 2026
STATUS UNCONFIRMED — call before you tow. FWC's Boat Ramp Inventory carries this ramp as "Temporarily Closed" with no dated field note, reason or reopening date. The Forest Service's River Junction pages say the day-use area has a boat ramp and the campground is open year-round with bookings into 2027, but neither addresses the ramp's status, and a Forest Service post titled as a River Junction ramp-and-day-use-area closure is undated and unreadable from public search. Phone the Withlacoochee State Forest project office at (352) 797-4140.
Blue-green algae health caution on this water, in effect as of late July 2026. DOH-Hernando issued a caution for Silver Lake Campground on June 16, 2026, and a separate one for the Withlacoochee at Nobleton, downstream, on May 7, 2026. The advice: do not drink, swim, wade or operate personal watercraft where algae blooms are visible. No closure order accompanies either, and neither explains FWC's closed flag on this ramp. Report blooms to FDEP at 1-855-305-3903; DOH-Hernando is 352-540-6812.
Flood-stage boating rule: Idle Speed No Wake applies from Iron Bridge to the CSX trestle whenever the USGS Trilby gauge (02312000) reaches action stage, 58.8 ft NAVD88, per Fla. Admin. Code R. 68D-24.109 (effective 2-2-2026). Trilby read 48.44 ft on 30 July 2026 — well below it. The rule names neither Silver Lake nor River Junction; the zone placement follows the rule's own coordinates.
Standing hurricane rule: "The Florida Forest Service will close all campgrounds and recreation areas on State Forests if the county where the State Forest is located is placed under a Tropical Storm or Hurricane WARNING by the National Weather Service."
No toilet on site — FWC records RestroomType "No Toilet." The nearest confirmed facilities are the composting toilets at the two Silver Lake launches.
Alligators and snakes. Florida Forest Service: "Warning alligators, snakes and other wildlife are part of the Natural Habitat." Do not feed or molest wildlife, per Florida Statute 379.412 and F.A.C. 68A-25.001.
Low water and debris. FDEP's paddling guide: "During dry seasons with lower water levels, paddlers may encounter logs and hyacinth jams, especially in the upper section."
1 laneConcrete ramp
8 spotsTrailer parking
Not published — FWC records Hours as UnknownHours
Directions
Craft Access
Motorboat
Kayak / Canoe
Jet Ski / PWC
Large 22ft+
Site Details
Conditions change rapidly due to water levels, prop wash, and weather. Always visually inspect before backing down.
RampConcrete, 1 lane
Water DepthNot published. No Florida Forest Service page and no FWC field we read gives a depth here; the water follows Withlacoochee River stage at the Little Withlacoochee confluence.
DockFWC records DockType as "Unknown"; no agency page we read describes a dock here.
Trailer Parking8 spots · not paved — gravel, limestone or packed soil (fwc), condition "good"
Vehicle-Only8 spots
Crowding Not established, and the prior question is whether the ramp is usable at all — FWC carries it as Temporarily Closed. If it is open it is the most trailer-capable of the four, with FWC recording eight trailer spaces and eight vehicle spaces against six at the Silver Lake day use area. It sits at the Little Withlacoochee confluence, where FDEP says the river "becomes much wider and straighter."
Plan B — if this lot is full The two Silver Lake ramps are the reliable alternatives — about 0.71 mi away by straight line, both concrete, both confirmed open, with six trailer spaces at the Day Use Area and four at the campground. Cypress Glen's hand launch is about 0.30 mi west for carry-in craft. On FDEP's paddling trail, Crooked River Campground is the next access upstream at Mile 16.5.
FeeFWC records fee required as Unknown
HoursNot published — FWC records Hours as Unknown
SeasonCampground open year-round; ramp status unconfirmed
StaffedNot established
AccessibilityBy FWC's own record there are no accessible spaces and no toilet at all, and AccessibilityLevel reads "Unknown" — FWC does not rate the site. Parking is unpaved. With the closure unresolved, call (352) 797-4140 before planning around this launch.
Not Available Fish cleaning · Fishing pier · Pier
Scout's Notes
Ramp Quirks & Etiquette
Filed Under Sumter
FWC files this ramp under Sumter County — the Withlacoochee is the county line here — so Hernando-scoped ramp lists miss it. It is the same water: the row's waterbody is "Withlacoochee River (West Central Florida) Silver Lake," and the Forest Service places River Junction at the Little Withlacoochee confluence at the southern end of Silver Lake.
What FWC Records, If It Reopens
One concrete lane in good-to-excellent condition, eight trailer and eight vehicle spaces on gravel, a grill and picnic area, no toilet — more trailer parking than either Silver Lake launch. No Forest Service page publishes these counts, so treat the geometry as FWC-inventory-only.
Fee and Hours Unknown
FWC stores fee, collection type and hours as unknown for this row, with no phone. Don't assume the Silver Lake $2 day-use fee or the 8-to-8 gates extend across the county line to this facility — no agency page says they do.
Where It Sits
SW 50th Street, Webster, at 28.57220 / -82.20687 — about 0.7 mi from the Silver Lake campground launch and 0.3 mi from Cypress Glen. FDEP's drive: from US 301, turn west onto CR 656; after 2 miles, turn left on FR 13 (SW 50th Blvd). It is Access #4 at Mile 18 on FDEP's paddling trail.
The Water Here
This is the upstream end of Silver Lake, at the Little Withlacoochee confluence, where FDEP says the river "becomes much wider and straighter." Above the junction the river narrows, lined with oaks, cypress and occasional pine.
Status: Call First
FWC carries this ramp as Temporarily Closed with no dated note, and the Forest Service's pages don't address the ramp's status either way — the campground itself is bookable year-round. Publishing it as open would be a guess. Call the Withlacoochee State Forest project office at (352) 797-4140 before you tow.
Accessibility
FWC records no accessible spaces, no toilet and an unrated site, with unpaved gravel parking, and no Forest Service page describes accessible features here. Given the unresolved closure, call (352) 797-4140 before planning around this launch.
FWC Boat Ramp Inventory row SM00012CA; Florida Forest Service / FDACS reservation pages for River Junction Campground (parkId 1120179, facilityDetails and campgroundDetails); FDEP Withlacoochee River (South) paddling-trail guide; NOAA NWPS gauge TRBF1; FDOH HAB notification repository and Hernando Sun — read or re-read 2026-07-31. FDACS.gov and facebook.com are unreachable from this environment and are named where that mattered.
About This Lake