Michigan / Crooked River /

Island Sanctuary Park

Island Sanctuary Park is a free public kayak and canoe launch on the Crooked River near Alanson, Michigan.

Aerial view of the gravel parking lot, dock and boat house beside the river channel, August 2022
Aerial view of the gravel parking lot, dock and boat house beside the river channel, August 2022 Photo: USDA Farm Service Agency, NAIP · Public domain · via USGS The National Map

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
Carry-in (canoe and kayak)
Fee
Free
Coordinates
45.44209, -84.78645

Directions (Google) Apple Maps

Channel depths in feet from the Army Corps' surveys (Detroit District; the one nearest this launch is of July 10, 2026). Not for navigation.

Boating rules

  • Slow, no-wake speed · a zone at or next to this launch rule

From the boating rules map of Michigan Department of Natural Resources, read October 18, 2026. A map of rules is a guide: the regulation's text and the posted signs govern.

Conditions

On the river

River hazards

Keep well clear of dams: strong currents and restricted zones above and below them.

  • Dam, 0.1 mi downstream: Crooked Lake Dam, 3 ft. · Michigan EGLE dam inventory

Up to 10 river miles each way, from the agencies' inventories; not every hazard is listed and rivers change. Scout before you go.

Sources: Michigan EGLE dam inventory.

Channel survey

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

  • Crooked River
    Condition survey of July 10, 2026 by the Detroit District. Soundings on the sheet down to 18.6 ft below Low Water Datum, with bars at or above it; the Corps maintains a 5 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 Crooked River

River in Michigan. All launches on Crooked River.

Community

Where people who use Crooked River talk about it.

Nearby launches

Sources

Why it is listed as public: www.michiganwatertrails.org: Access of non-motorized watercraft is possible at this location with parking and other park facilities.. Something wrong, or is this launch private? Send a correction; it goes to a person.