Michigan / St. Joseph River /

Benton Township River Park Boat Launch

Benton Township River Park Boat Launch is a public boat ramp on the St. Joseph River near Saint Joseph, Michigan, run by the township.

Aerial view of the ramp and a small dock on the river with the paved lot behind, August 2022
Aerial view of the ramp and a small dock on the river with the paved lot behind, August 2022 Photo: USDA Farm Service Agency, NAIP · Public domain · via USGS The National Map
Zebra mussels

Zebra mussels (latest report 1990) reported in St. Joseph River 4.8 km from this launch (USGS Nonindigenous Aquatic Species database). Clean, drain and dry your boat, trailer and gear before you leave, and do not move water, plants or live bait to another water.

USGS Nonindigenous Aquatic Species database · checked October 20, 2026

Status not reported No closure has been posted for this launch, but its agency does not publish open or closed status. Check with the managing agency before you tow.

At the launch

Type
Boat ramp
Car parking
83 spaces
Restrooms
No
Managed by
Township
Website
mcgi.state.mi.us
Coordinates
42.06332, -86.44935

Directions (Google) Apple Maps

Conditions

On St. Joseph River

The St. Joseph River, known locally as the Saint Joe, is a 210-mile river. It flows generally west through southern Michigan and northern Indiana and empties into Lake Michigan at St. Joseph. It rises at Baw Beese Lake in Hillsdale County and passes Mendon. At Three Rivers it is joined by the Rocky, Portage and Prairie rivers. The river then dips into Indiana through Elkhart, Mishawaka and South Bend before turning north back into Michigan past Niles and Berrien Springs. Near its mouth it divides St. Joseph from Benton Harbor and receives the Paw Paw River. Its 4,685-square-mile basin is the third-largest watershed draining to Lake Michigan, and the main stem has 17 dams. More about St. Joseph River.

Boating rules on St. Joseph River

  • Slow-no wake speed from the river mouth (including Morrison Channel) upstream to the southernmost point of Radio Island, St. Joseph/Benton Harbor source
  • Slow-no wake speed from the I&M dam downstream around Bachelor Island, Buchanan Township source
  • Boating prohibited in a described area just downstream of the Indiana Michigan Power Company dam in Buchanan source
  • Michigan Recreation Passport required at the Jasper Dairy DNR access source

Community

Where people who use St. Joseph River talk about it.

Nearby launches

Sources

Why it is listed as public: listed by Michigan DNR Boat Launches (DNR inventory layer) and Great Lakes Commission Boat Access Sites (compilation, public and private). Something wrong, or is this launch private? Send a correction; it goes to a person.