Cedar River North State Forest Campground Boat Launch

There's no boat launch here — zero lanes, zero trailer spots. You can drag a canoe or kayak down the little hill from your campsite to the river, but that's about it. If you need a proper ramp, you'll have to look elsewhere on the Cedar.

Do NOT follow Google Maps directions. It'll route you down Schuster Rd and dump you on the wrong side of the river with no way across. Take M-35 to River Rd (County Rd 551) and watch for the campground sign. The access road from 551 into the campground doesn't even show up on Google Maps.

Decent smallmouth bass fishing right around the campground — most sites sit directly on the river. Upstream holds some trout. You can wade or paddle, but this is bank-fishing-and-canoe territory, not a power boat situation.

Early-to-mid summer the mosquitoes, horse flies, and ticks here are absolutely relentless. DEET barely slows them down. If you're coming to fish the river in June, plan accordingly — head nets and permethrin-treated gear aren't overkill. By late June conditions can improve, and fall visits are a completely different experience.

This is a secluded, peninsula-style campground deep in state forest with pit toilets and a hand-pump well. It's quiet enough that you'll have deer wandering through your site at dawn. Perfect staging point for paddling the Cedar, but come self-sufficient — nearest gas is about 10 miles out.