Loomis Street Boat Launch

The ramp on the far right side has a sand buildup problem. It can leave you spinning tires on the pull-out or grounding a trailer. Stick to the center and left lanes until the city gets around to dredging it.

There's a $10 daily fee at a self-service kiosk, and Ludington PD does not mess around — they'll ticket every windshield in the lot if you don't pay. Problem is, the kiosk itself is unreliable. It freezes up, refuses cards, and sometimes won't take cash either. Bring exact change AND a card, and give yourself extra time. If it's down, snap a photo of the error screen — you'll want proof if you end up fighting a ticket.

Summer weekends the lot turns into a free-for-all. 146 trailer spots sounds like plenty, but trucks come in from every angle with no real traffic flow, and the lot isn't well-organized for quick turnarounds. Early morning salmon guys are mostly gone by 10, so mid-morning arrivals usually find space. Just be patient and don't expect orderly lanes of traffic.

This is inside the harbor behind the breakwall, so you're launching into calm water even when Lake Michigan is stacking up 4-footers outside. That alone makes it worth the drive past other options. Deep water at the ramp handles anything trailerable, and you're only a short idle out to open water for salmon, steelhead, or lake trout.

The street lights in the lot are hit or miss — some just don't work. If you're coming back from an evening bite or staying for sunset, you'll be loading in near-darkness during shoulder season. A headlamp and a spotter make the retrieval a lot less sketchy.