Michigan / Torch Lake /

Torch Lake Boat Launch near Alden

This is a public boat ramp on Torch Lake near Alden, Michigan, run by the township.

Aerial view of the ramp, a small dock basin and the gravel parking area on the lake, August 2022
Aerial view of the ramp, a small dock basin and the gravel parking area on the lake, August 2022 Photo: USDA Farm Service Agency, NAIP · Public domain · via USGS The National Map

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
Car parking
3 spaces
Restrooms
No
Managed by
Township
Coordinates
44.88119, -85.27754

Directions (Google) Apple Maps

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

Depth contours in feet from Michigan DNR. Not for navigation.

Conditions

On Torch Lake

Torch Lake is a natural lake in Antrim County, in the northern Lower Peninsula of Michigan. Its southern shore forms part of the border with Kalkaska County. The lake is 19 miles long and up to 2 miles wide, covering 18,770 acres. Its average depth is 111 feet and its maximum depth is 310 feet. That makes it Michigan's longest and deepest inland lake, the largest by volume, and the second largest by area after Houghton Lake. Alden, Eastport, Clam River, Torch Lake and Torch River lie along its shore. The lake began as a bay of the young Lake Michigan at the end of the last glacial period and was later cut off by sandbars at its northern end. It belongs to the Elk River Chain of Lakes. The Clam River flows in, and the Torch River drains it to Lake Skegemog and Elk Lake, which empties into Grand Traverse Bay at Elk Rapids. More about Torch Lake.

Boating rules on Torch Lake

  • Slow, no-wake speed in rivers, in marinas and within 100 ft of shore source
  • Boats and PWC must stay 100 ft from people in the water, other boats, docks and rafts unless at slow no-wake speed source
  • No U-turns in the Clam and Torch rivers source
  • Clean, drain and dry boat and trailer before launching (invasive species) source
  • Recreation Passport required at Michigan DNR access sites source

Community

Where people who use Torch Lake talk about it.

Nearby launches

Sources

Why it is listed as public: listed by Michigan DNR Boat Launches (DNR inventory layer) and Great Lakes Commission Boat Access Sites (compilation, public and private). Something wrong, or is this launch private? Send a correction; it goes to a person.