Craft & Seasonality
✓
Motorboat ✓
Kayak / Canoe ✓
Jet Ski / PWC ✗
Large Boat ✗
Winter Access Site Details
Conditions change rapidly due to water levels, prop wash, and weather. Always visually inspect before backing down.
RampUnimproved, 10 lanes
Dock1 boating pier · ADA
Trailer Parking spots · gravel
FeeNo fee
HoursSeasonal; $7 gate for ramp use
PierYes
AccessibilityAccessible pier
Not Available Fish cleaning · Fishing pier
Scout's Notes
Ramp Quirks & Etiquette
The Setup
Ten launch ramps where the Black River bends just east of downtown South Haven — the biggest launch capacity on this stretch of the Lake Michigan coast, with generous trailer parking, restrooms, showers, picnic grounds, and a fish-cleaning station anglers consistently praise. The $7 gated lot covers ramp use; a quick run down the river puts you through the pierheads onto Lake Michigan.
Paddlers Launch Free
Outside the pay gate on Dunkley Avenue there's a free, accessible non-motorized launch — the head of the Bangor–South Haven Heritage Water Trail, sending kayaks upstream into the quiet wooded miles. Rental operators work the park in season: Black River Boat Rentals, Kayak-Kayak, and Soha Paddleboard & Kayak.
The Bigger System
The launch adjoins Black River Park Marina (60 slips) within South Haven's 229-slip municipal system across four marinas, season April 15–October 15 — harbormaster 269-637-0700. The Kal-Haven Trail's western end is a short walk, and the Michigan Maritime Museum with the tall ship Friends Good Will sits at the harbor's edge downstream.
About This Lake
Black River →