Lobdell Lake Boat Launch

On a Saturday in July or August, expect a full lot and easily an hour-long wait at the ramp. If you're going on a weekend, get there before 8 AM or don't bother. Weekday launches are a completely different experience — you'll practically have the place to yourself.

The trailer parking is separated from the launch area and sits on a much higher elevation. You have to pull out and loop around to a different lot after launching, which throws people off the first time. Only 35 trailer spots, and non-boaters sometimes take full-size spaces, which makes the crunch even worse.

The main lake is great for cruising, but some of the channels and back areas get surprisingly shallow and weedy. If you're running anything with a deeper draft, stick to the main body. The weed lines are prime for bass and panfish, though, so kayaks and small boats clean up back there.

There's only one courtesy dock with two sides — one for launching, one for loading. When the ramp is busy, that single dock is the real chokepoint. Have your boat prepped and ready to go before you back down, because people will let you know if you're taking too long.

The restroom here was genuinely awful for years — bad enough to be memorable. It's finally gotten better recently, but don't expect anything fancy. It's a state park vault toilet, not a resort.