Michigan / Saginaw River /

Golson Boat Launch

Golson Boat Launch is a public boat ramp on the Saginaw River near Bay City, Michigan.

Aerial view of the ramp with two docks, the paved turnaround and the wide water, August 2022
Aerial view of the ramp with two docks, the paved turnaround and the wide water, August 2022 Photo: USDA Farm Service Agency, NAIP · Public domain · via USGS The National Map
Zebra mussels

Zebra mussels (latest report 2017) reported in Saginaw River 1.9 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
Website
baycountymi.gov
Coordinates
43.61203, -83.87344

Directions (Google) Apple Maps

Channel depths in feet from the Army Corps' surveys (Detroit District; the one nearest this launch is of June 22, 2026). Not for navigation.

Conditions

Water level

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

USGS gauge SAGINAW RIVER AT MIDLAND STREET AT BAY CITY, MI, 1.2 mi from this launch on Saginaw River: water level, flow, a reading every 15 minutes. Readings and history at USGS.

Channel survey

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

  • Saginaw River · 0.1 mi from this launch
    Condition survey of June 22, 2026 by the Detroit District. Least depth in the channel (W Sixth Street Turning Basin): 9.9 ft; project depth 20 ft. 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 Saginaw River

The Saginaw River is a 22.4-mile river in Saginaw and Bay counties, Michigan. It begins southwest of Saginaw, where the Tittabawassee and Shiawassee rivers meet, and flows north through Saginaw, Zilwaukee, Bay City and Essexville. It empties into Saginaw Bay of Lake Huron at the boundary of Bangor and Hampton townships. The river drains a watershed of 8,595 square miles, and its estimated average discharge at the mouth is 4,827 cubic feet per second. It is one of Michigan's few inland navigable rivers and remains a commercial shipping route, carrying an estimated 4.6 million tons of commerce a year. More about Saginaw River.

Boating rules on Saginaw River

  • No-wake zone on the Saginaw River between Salzburg Road and M-25 in Bay City (city ordinance, 2016) source

Community

Where people who use Saginaw River talk about it.

Nearby launches

Sources

Why it is listed as public: www.baycountymi.gov: It provides two boat launch platforms and a ramp specifically designed for handicap accessibility.. Something wrong, or is this launch private? Send a correction; it goes to a person.