Lake Michigamme Boat Launch

Lake Michigamme is over 4,200 acres with long open fetches between islands. When the wind picks up out of the west or northwest, it stacks waves fast. If you're running anything under 16 feet, keep an eye on conditions before heading to the middle — this lake can go from glass to whitecaps in 20 minutes.

There are sudden shallow reefs and submerged rocks scattered around the islands and mid-lake humps. Running on plane without a good contour map and electronics is asking for a lower unit. The rocky structure is what makes the smallmouth and walleye fishing so good, but it'll punish you if you're not paying attention.

Two lanes and 20 trailer spots is plenty for this launch — even on a July Saturday you'll almost always find open spots. The lake is massive and spread out enough that boat traffic never really feels heavy. It's one of the more relaxed launches in Marquette County.

Summer evenings at the ramp will eat you alive. If you're loading or unloading around dusk, have bug spray or you'll be miserable. Early mornings are noticeably better — the bugs aren't active yet and the lake is usually dead calm, which is the best time to launch here anyway.

This spot gets solid use in winter for snowmobile and ice fishing access. Van Riper State Park manages it, so the road in stays reasonably maintained. Just know the parking area can get packed with sled trailers on weekends once the lake freezes up.