Union Lake South Boat Launch

With only 21 trailer spots, the lot fills by 10 AM on summer weekends — sometimes earlier. If you're not in line by 9, you're probably turning around. Weekday mornings are a completely different experience.

This site opened in spring 2021 after the DNR closed the larger launch on the lake, reportedly under pressure from lakefront homeowners. The trade-off is a smaller facility with less capacity, which is why the weekend crunch is so real.

There's a sandbar not far from the launch area. It's not a huge deal if you know it's there, but if you're running an outboard at speed right off the ramp, you could have a bad day. Idle out and get your bearings first.

For a newer build, the ramp is well done — clean concrete, good grade, two lanes that actually function as two lanes. One of the better-constructed launches in Oakland County. The limitation is everything around it, not the ramp surface.

Union Lake draws a lot of speed boats and jet skis on weekends. The lake isn't massive, so it can feel crowded on the water even after you've made it past the parking bottleneck. Fishing is way more enjoyable on weekday evenings.