Cook County Boat Ramps, Illinois

Cook County tracks 33 public boat ramps and access points in total, spread across 10 different rivers, creeks and lakes - most notably Lake Michigan (6 ramps), Little Calumet River (4 ramps) and Wolf Lake (3 ramps). Each listing below shows which waterbody it's on, so you can tell at a glance which ones actually connect.

Sourced from official state and federal agency records, last synced on a recurring schedule. Read more about how we verify this data.

Interactive Map of Public Boat Ramps in Cook County

Explore every public boat ramp in Cook County on the interactive map below. Compare launch locations, find the closest boat ramp to your destination, and open each ramp for detailed information including fees, amenities and access details.

Zoom in to compare nearby launches, or switch to satellite view for shoreline detail.

All boat ramps in Cook County - page 1 of 2

Showing 1-24 of 33 boat ramps

Waterways in Cook County

These are the rivers, creeks and lakes with public boat ramps in Cook County. Ramps on the same waterway don't always sit close together on a map - some of these stretch across the whole county.

Browse by waterway type across all of Illinois:

Boat ramp distribution

Boat ramps in Cook County aren't spread evenly across its 10 waterways. Lake Michigan has the most, with 6 launch sites, followed by Lake Michigan (6 ramps), Little Calumet River (4 ramps) and Wolf Lake (3 ramps). On the other end, 6 waterways - including Beck Lake, Skokie Lagoons Watershed and Powderhorn Lake - have just a single public launch point each.

Boat ramps in neighboring counties

If Cook County doesn't have what you're looking for, these bordering counties are worth a look too.

Frequently asked questions