Florida / Kissimmee River /

Kissimmee River Boat Launch near Okeechobee

This is a free public boat ramp on the Kissimmee River near Okeechobee, Florida, run by the South Florida Water Management District.

Florida State Road 60 crossing the Kissimmee River
Kissimmee River, the water this launch is on. Florida State Road 60 crossing the Kissimmee River Photo: Andrew Heneen · CC BY 4.0 · via Wikimedia Commons
Past algal blooms

Harmful algal blooms reported on Kissimmee River 3.5 km from this launch (state reports compiled by U.S. EPA): 2021.

state reports compiled by U.S. EPA · 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
Fee
Free
Managed by
South Florida Water Management District
Coordinates
27.20888, -80.91661

Directions (Google) Apple Maps

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

Conditions

Water level

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

USGS gauge KISSIMMEE RIVER BELOW S-69 NR BASINGER, FL, 11.4 mi from this launch on Kissimmee River: water level, a reading every 15 minutes. Readings and history at USGS.

On Kissimmee River

The Kissimmee River is a river in south-central Florida that forms the northern part of the Everglades system. It begins as the outflow of East Lake Tohopekaliga in Osceola County and passes through a chain of lakes that includes Lake Kissimmee. It then flows south into Lake Okeechobee, forming the boundaries between Osceola and Polk, Highlands and Okeechobee, and Glades and Okeechobee counties. The river was originally 134 miles long, and 103 of those miles lay between Lake Kissimmee and Lake Okeechobee. Between 1962 and 1971 the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers dredged it into the C-38 canal, a straight channel 30 feet deep, for flood control. A restoration project, authorized in 1992 and sponsored by the Corps and the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD), was completed in July 2021. It restored about 44 miles of the historic river channel and roughly 20,000 acres of wetlands. More about Kissimmee River.

Boating rules on Kissimmee River

  • SFWMD navigation locks on the Kissimmee River (S-65, S-65A, S-65D, S-65E) run 7 a.m.-6 p.m. on weekdays all year; on weekends 5:30 a.m.-7:30 p.m. from March 1 to Oct. 31 and 5:30 a.m.-6:30 p.m. from Nov. 1 to Feb. 28 source
  • Lockage is free during normal operating hours source
  • 4E's ramp is for non-motorized boats (canoe and kayak); airboats use a separate launch source
  • Camping in the Public Use Area requires an SFWMD Special Use License and is limited to eight days in a row source
  • Florida fishing license required; fishing allowed year-round source

Community

Where people who use Kissimmee River talk about it.

Nearby launches

Sources

Why it is listed as public: listed by South Florida Water Management District Managed Land Boat Ramps. Something wrong, or is this launch private? Send a correction; it goes to a person.