Houghton Lake South (fisherman's Paradise)
Boat ramp · on Houghton Lake · near Houghton Lake · Michigan
Open per Michigan DNR Boating Access Sites's data, updated weekly. Seasonal gates, low water and storms are not always posted; check before you tow.
At the launch
- Type
- Boat ramp
- Fee
- Recreation Passport required
- Ramp lanes
- 6
- Docks
- 3
- Trailer parking
- 116 spaces
- Restrooms
- No
- Hours
- Open at all times
- Managed by
- Michigan DNR Parks and Recreation
- Coordinates
- 44.30095, -84.73144
On Houghton Lake
Houghton Lake is a natural lake of glacial origin in west-central Roscommon County, Michigan. At 20,075 acres it is the state's largest inland lake. It has a maximum depth of 22 feet and an average depth of 8.4 feet. The communities of Houghton Lake, Houghton Lake Heights and Prudenville lie along its southern shore. The lake is about 10 miles long and 5.5 miles across at its widest point, with roughly 30 miles of shoreline. The Cut River carries water in from Higgins Lake. The lake's outflow forms the headwaters of the Muskegon River. The Roscommon County Circuit Court first set a legal lake level in 1926. At that time the level was controlled by a timber dam on the Muskegon River about three-fourths of a mile below the lake. The county authorized a new concrete dam near the old one in 1938. More about Houghton Lake.
Boating rules on Houghton Lake
- Slow-no-wake speed on designated artificial canals connected to Houghton Lake in Lake Township and elsewhere (Michigan rules R281.772.2 to R281.772.5, and R281.772.9 for Houghton Lake canals and channels) source
- Lake board asks boaters to power-wash hull, transom wells, prop, motor and trailer before entering and after leaving the lake (a request, not an enforced inspection) source
Community
Where people who use Houghton Lake talk about it.
- Houghton Lake Improvement Board Association
- Houghton Lake Property Owners Association Association
- Houghton Lake Lake Association (Facebook page) Facebook
- Houghton Lake - Michigan Sportsman forum thread Forum
- Michigan DNR closures (boat launches, parks, trails) Agency
- USGS site for Houghton Lake (lake level) Link
- Roscommon County Lake Level Site Link
- Search Reddit: r/Michigan Reddit
- Search all of Reddit for Houghton Lake, Michigan Reddit
Nearby launches
- Houghton Lake West · 4.1 mi · Houghton Lake
- Houghton Lake East · 4.3 mi · Houghton Lake
- Reedsburg Dam SFCG · 7.5 mi · Dead Stream Flooding
- Dead Stream Flooding Boat Launch · 7.7 mi · Dead Stream Flooding
- Marl Lake Boat Launch · 8.9 mi · Marl Lake
- South Higgins Lake State Park · 9.1 mi · Higgins Lake
Sources
- Michigan DNR Boating Access Sites record 99815aa4-ed20-440b-be39-924ab855d186 · Public record; "no restrictions on use, reproduction, or distribution"
Why it is listed as public: listed by Michigan DNR Boating Access Sites. Something wrong, or is this launch private? Corrections help everyone; a reporting form is coming soon.