2,329 Public Boat Ramps in Wisconsin
We track 2,329 public boat ramps across 72 counties in Wisconsin, spanning 1,210 different rivers, creeks and lakes. Every listing is sourced from official state and federal agency records, not crowdsourced guesswork.
All identified public boat ramps in Wisconsin have been reviewed using official data from U.S. Geological Survey and Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.
Synced on a regular schedule · Primary data: U.S. Geological Survey + Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
Not in Wisconsin? Find ramps near youWisconsin Boat Ramp Map
Explore public boat ramp locations across Wisconsin using the map below. Click a marker to open the corresponding county page, or zoom in to explore a specific area.
Click a marker to open that county's page, or zoom in to explore a specific region of Wisconsin.
Browse by county
Counties are listed alphabetically. Each one shows how many public boat ramps we currently track there.
Counties with the most boat ramps:
Browse Wisconsin by waterway type
Wisconsin's public boat ramps are located on 892 lakes, 127 rivers, 79 reservoirs, 54 creeks, 24 ponds, 14 bays, 6 canals, 3 harbors and 3 marshes & swamps. Browse each waterway type below to find launch locations.
Top Lakes
892 lakes with public boat ramps
1,472 launch sites
- Long Lake (26)
- Lake Michigan (24)
- Bass Lake (23)
- Lake Superior (19)
- Lake Winnebago (18)
Top Rivers
127 rivers with public boat ramps
543 launch sites
- Wisconsin River (68)
- Mississippi River (53)
- Fox River (34)
- Rock River (25)
- Chippewa River (24)
Top Reservoirs
79 reservoirs with public boat ramps
152 launch sites
- Big Eau Pleine River - Big Eau Pleine Reservoir (8)
- High Falls Reservoir (8)
- Beaver Dam River - Beaver Dam Lake (7)
- Beaver Dam Lake (6)
- Holcombe Flowage (5)
Top Creeks
54 creeks with public boat ramps
75 launch sites
- Rice Creek - Prairie Lake (6)
- Silver Creek - Green Lake (4)
- Otter Creek - Otter Lake (4)
- West Branch Big Creek - Lake Redstone (3)
- Big Roche A Cri Creek (2)
Top Ponds
24 ponds with public boat ramps
31 launch sites
- Chute Pond (4)
- Oconto River - Oconto Falls Pond (3)
- Plover River - McDill Pond (2)
- North Branch Pigeon River - Marion Pond (2)
- Homme Pond (1)
Top Bays
14 bays with public boat ramps
30 launch sites
- Lake Michigan - Green Bay (10)
- Green Bay (4)
- Wisconsin River - Lake Du Bay (4)
- Mississippi River - Fountain City Bay (2)
- Lake Michigan - Green Bay - Little Sturgeon Bay (1)
Top Canals
6 canals with public boat ramps
9 launch sites
- Menasha Channel (3)
- Sturgeon Bay Ship Canal (2)
- Tomahawk Thoroughfare (1)
- Burnett Ditch (1)
- Muskego Canal (1)
Wisconsin by the numbers
A few facts pulled straight from the same live data as the rest of this page - nothing hand-written or hardcoded.
- The average county in Wisconsin has 32.3 public boat ramps
- 42 counties have more than 20 public boat ramps
- 16 counties contain more than 40 launch sites
- Wisconsin River appears in 68 listings, more than any other waterway in Wisconsin
- Vilas County has the most public boat ramps of any county here, with 148
How this information is organized
Every ramp in Wisconsin is grouped two ways: by county, useful if you're traveling to a specific area, and by waterway, which combines ramps from multiple counties along the same lake or river - handy when a single reservoir or river stretches across county lines and you want to see every launch point on it at once.
Planning a trip
A few things worth checking before you head out, whichever county or waterway you're launching on:
- Check the local weather and wind forecast for the day
- Confirm the ramp's current hours and operational status on its listing
- Verify fee status - it can change independently of everything else
- Watch water levels if you're heading to a reservoir or tidal area - see our guide on ramp depth
- Review your trailer pre-launch checklist if it's been a while since your last trip
Data sources
Listings for Wisconsin are sourced directly from:
- U.S. Geological Survey
- Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
Verified on a regular schedule - see our full methodology.
Frequently asked questions
Sourced from U.S. Geological Survey and Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.
Data on this page was last updated October 2, 2026, based on the latest ramp data update.