Benton Harbor Boat Launch

Driftwood and floating logs pile up around the ramps regularly, especially after high water or storms. Sometimes all three dock lanes get blocked. They do clean it out eventually, but don't be surprised if you need to shove debris aside to make room for your boat.

The docks have missing boards and broken posts with exposed bolts that will scratch your gelcoat in a heartbeat. Take a good look at whichever dock you tie up to before you pull alongside — the maintenance here lags way behind the St. Joe city launch across the river.

You're a short cruise from the river mouth into Lake Michigan, which makes this a solid staging point for big lake trips. The ramps sit out of the main river current, so loading and unloading is way less stressful than fighting flow at other river launches.

You need a Michigan Recreation Passport to launch here since it's administered by Warren Dunes State Park. If you don't have one, the city launch over in St. Joe is your alternative — no state pass needed there.

The neighborhood around the launch is sketchy-looking and the parking lot is beat up with potholes. Bathrooms are almost always locked, and the porta potty situation is grim. That said, the lot rarely fills up, so you're almost never waiting for a spot even on weekends.