Illinois / Calumet River /

Calumet River Boat Launch near Dolton

This is a public boat ramp on the Calumet River near Dolton, Illinois, run by the Forest Preserve District, Cook County.

Aerial view of the two-lane ramp with a pier between, and the paved drive from the park, August 2019
Aerial view of the two-lane ramp with a pier between, and the paved drive from the park, August 2019 Photo: USDA Farm Service Agency, NAIP · Public domain · via USGS The National Map
Zebra mussels

Zebra mussels (latest report 1991) reported in Calumet River 650 m 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
Ramp surface
Paved
Car parking
70 spaces
Managed by
Forest Preserve District, Cook County
Coordinates
41.65006, -87.59103

Directions (Google) Apple Maps

This launch has no official name in our sources; the name above describes where it is.

Channel depths in feet from the Army Corps' surveys (Chicago District; the one nearest this launch is of October 6, 2025). Not for navigation.

Conditions

Water level

Latest reading loads here; without it, see the USGS page below.

USGS gauge LITTLE CALUMET RIVER AT SOUTH HOLLAND, IL, 3.0 mi from this launch on Calumet River: water level, flow, a reading every 15 minutes. Readings and history at USGS.

On the river

River mile 323.8 on Calumet River · U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Navigation Mile Markers, placed between its mile markers

Sources: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Navigation Mile Markers.

Channel survey

The Army Corps surveys the channels it maintains and posts every survey.

  • IL Waterway Cal Sag Channel
    Condition survey of October 6, 2025 by the Chicago District. Soundings on the sheet from 5.8 to 24.1 ft; the Corps maintains a 9 ft channel here. Survey sheet (PDF)

US Army Corps of Engineers hydrographic surveys, from eHydro. A survey shows the bottom on the day it was made; channels shoal after high water and change with dredging. Not for navigation.

On Calumet River

River in Illinois. All launches on Calumet River.

Community

Where people who use Calumet River talk about it.

Nearby launches

Sources

Why it is listed as public: listed by 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.