Illinois / Mississippi River /
Thomson Causeway Recreation Area Boat Launch
Boat ramp · on Mississippi River · near Thomson · Illinois
Open per U.S. Army Corps of Engineers recreation area status's data, checked October 7, 2026. Seasonal gates, low water and storms are not always posted; check before you tow.
At the launch
- Type
- Boat ramp
- Motors
- No horsepower limit
- Ramp surface
- Crushed stone
- Managed by
- Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife And Fish Refuge
- Coordinates
- 41.95196, -90.11871
Boating rules
- Horsepower limit: none · all of Mississippi River rule
From the boating rules map of Illinois 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
- Weather forecast for this launch · National Weather Service
- Water level, water temperature at the MISSISSIPPI RIVER AT DAM 13 NEAR FULTON, IL gauge · USGS, 4.4 mi away on Mississippi River
Water level
Latest reading loads here; without it, see the USGS page below.
USGS gauge MISSISSIPPI RIVER AT DAM 13 NEAR FULTON, IL, 4.4 mi from this launch on Mississippi River: water level, water temperature, a reading every 15 minutes. Readings and history at USGS.
On the river
Keep well clear of dams: strong currents and restricted zones above and below them.
- Dam, 5.4 mi downstream: Mississippi River Lock & Dam No. 13 (large impoundment), 44 ft. · Iowa DNR River Programs dam hazards
Up to 10 river miles each way, from the agencies' inventories; not every hazard is listed and rivers change. Scout before you go.
Sources: Iowa DNR River Programs dam hazards.
On Mississippi River
River in Illinois. All launches on Mississippi River.
Community
Where people who use Mississippi River talk about it.
Nearby launches
- Mickelson's Landing Boat Launch · 2.4 mi
- Bulger's Hollow · 3.4 mi · Mississippi River
- Lock and Dam 13 Boat Launch · 4.0 mi · Lock Canal No. 13
- Big Slough Landing Boat Launch · 4.5 mi · Mississippi River
- 30th Avenue Ramp · 5.7 mi · Mississippi River
- 25th Avenue Ramp · 6.1 mi · Mississippi River
Sources
- US Fish and Wildlife Service facility property (boat launches) record 016eae91-2653-49aa-b45a-cfa66ec4c984 · US federal government data, public domain (FWS no-liability disclaimer)
- U.S. Army Corps of Engineers boat ramps (FHWA Federal Lands Transportation Facility Inventory) record 249-511550022-7-001 · US federal government data, public domain (FHWA Federal Lands Transportation Facility Inventory, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers submittal)
- U.S. Army Corps of Engineers recreation area status open or closed status · US federal government data, public domain (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Natural Resource Management Program)
Why it is listed as public: listed by US Fish and Wildlife Service facility property (boat launches) and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers boat ramps (FHWA Federal Lands Transportation Facility Inventory). Something wrong, or is this launch private? Send a correction; it goes to a person.