Florida / Saint Johns River /

Murphy Creek Conservation Area Boat Launch

Murphy Creek Conservation Area Boat Launch is a public boat ramp on the Saint Johns River near Palatka, Florida, run by the St. Johns River Water Management District.

The St. Johns River
Saint Johns River, the water this launch is on. The St. Johns River Photo: Unknown author · CC BY-SA 3.0 · via Wikimedia Commons
Past algal blooms

Harmful algal blooms reported on Saint Johns River 2.4 km from this launch (state reports compiled by U.S. EPA): 2016, 2022 and 2023.

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
Tidal
Yes
Wheelchair access
Accessible
Managed by
St. Johns River Water Management District
Coordinates
29.59589, -81.65487

Directions (Google) Apple Maps

Channel depths in feet from the Army Corps' surveys (Jacksonville District; the one nearest this launch is of January 23, 2019). Not for navigation.

Conditions

Tides

Predicted highs and lows at NOAA's Buffalo Bluff station, 1.6 mi from this launch, in local time above MLLW. Predictions, not observations: wind and weather move the real tide. Full predictions at NOAA.

Tide predictions, Mon Nov 2 to Sun Nov 8
Mon Nov 2 Low 4:29 am 0.8 ft · High 9:40 am 1.8 ft · Low 4:36 pm 0.8 ft · High 10:16 pm 1.8 ft
Tue Nov 3 Low 5:23 am 0.8 ft · High 10:48 am 1.8 ft · Low 5:35 pm 0.7 ft · High 11:14 pm 1.8 ft
Wed Nov 4 Low 6:14 am 0.7 ft · High 11:46 am 1.9 ft · Low 6:32 pm 0.7 ft
Thu Nov 5 High 12:07 am 1.9 ft · Low 7:06 am 0.7 ft · High 12:40 pm 1.9 ft · Low 7:29 pm 0.7 ft
Fri Nov 6 High 12:58 am 1.9 ft · Low 7:57 am 0.7 ft · High 1:33 pm 2.0 ft · Low 8:23 pm 0.8 ft
Sat Nov 7 High 1:47 am 1.9 ft · Low 8:45 am 0.8 ft · High 2:23 pm 2.0 ft · Low 9:13 pm 0.8 ft
Sun Nov 8 High 2:33 am 1.9 ft · Low 9:30 am 0.8 ft · High 3:09 pm 2.0 ft · Low 10:01 pm 0.8 ft

Channel survey

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

  • St Johns River (Palatka to Sanford) · 0.1 mi from this launch
    Condition survey of January 23, 2019 by the Jacksonville District. Soundings on the sheet from 2.9 to 59.4 ft below mean lower low water (MLLW); the Corps maintains a 12 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 Saint Johns River

The St. Johns River is the longest river in Florida. It runs 310 miles north from its headwaters at Blue Cypress Lake and the St. Johns Marsh in Indian River County, west of Vero Beach, to the Atlantic Ocean east of Jacksonville at Mayport. Its headwaters sit only about 27 feet higher than its mouth, so the river flows very slowly and has a long tidal backwater. Its watershed covers nearly 9,000 square miles. The Ocklawaha River is its largest tributary. Along a 140-mile middle stretch the river flows through or connects to more than half a dozen natural lakes, ranging from 380 to 40,000 acres. They include Puzzle Lake, Lake Harney, Lake Jesup, Lake Monroe, Lake Beresford, Lake Dexter and Lake George. The navigable channel begins at Lake Monroe near Sanford. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers dredges and maintains it, and the U.S. Coast Guard maintains the channel markers. More about Saint Johns River.

Boating rules on Saint Johns River

  • Many parts of the river and its tributaries are no-wake zones to protect manatees source
  • State-adopted manatee protection (speed) zones on the river in Putnam, Lake and Volusia counties, marked by FWC waterway signs source
  • Blue Spring spring run closed to all boating and water activities from about mid-November through March (manatee refuge) source

Community

Where people who use Saint Johns River talk about it.

Nearby launches

Sources

Why it is listed as public: listed by St. Johns River Water Management District Recreational Amenities (boat and canoe launches). Something wrong, or is this launch private? Send a correction; it goes to a person.