High Rollway Thornapple Boat Launch

Do NOT park on the road shoulders during holiday weekends — they will tow you to White Cloud without warning, no tickets first. The lot only holds 30 trailer spots and fills fast when tubers descend. If the lot's full, leave. Seriously.

This stretch is a magnet for tubers and kayakers, especially summer weekends. The water near the launch is fast and shallow with a rocky bottom, so expect congestion both on the ramp and in the river. Dawn and dusk are your windows for a peaceful launch.

The road in is unpaved and can get soft in spring — puddles and muddy spots in the parking lot are normal through April. A truck or SUV handles it fine, but I wouldn't bring anything low-clearance until things dry out in late May.

There's a DNR check-in booth at the entrance, but don't count on anyone being staffed there, even on peak weekends. That means no one directing parking or managing the chaos when the lot overflows — it's a free-for-all until the sheriff shows up.

Three concrete lanes and easy river access make this a solid launch, but the heavy recreational traffic in summer makes it a better steelhead and walleye spot in spring and fall. The sand cliffs along the Muskegon here are gorgeous, and Croton Dam upstream is a good alternative if this place is a zoo.