Illinois / Ohio River /
Tower Rock Boat Launch
Tower Rock Boat Launch is a public boat ramp on the Ohio River near Cave-in-Rock, Illinois, run by the USDA Forest Service.
- Paved ramp
Zebra mussels (latest report 2012) reported in the water at this launch (USGS Nonindigenous Aquatic Species database). Clean, drain and dry your boat, trailer and gear before you leave, and do not move water, plants or live bait to another water.
USGS Nonindigenous Aquatic Species database · 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
- Ramp surface
- Concrete
- Car parking
- 5 spaces
- Managed by
- USDA Forest Service
- Website
- fs.usda.gov
- Coordinates
- 37.45757, -88.22885
Channel depths in feet from the Army Corps' surveys (Louisville District; the one nearest this launch is of March 12, 2019). Not for navigation.
Conditions
- Weather forecast for this launch · National Weather Service
On the river
River mile 884.6 on Ohio River · U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Navigation Mile Markers, placed between its mile markers
Sources: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Navigation Mile Markers.
Channel survey
The Army Corps surveys the channels it maintains and posts every survey.
- Smithland Pool Ohio River
Hydrographic survey of March 12, 2019 by the Louisville District. Soundings on the sheet down to 88.6 ft, with bars at or above it; the Corps maintains a 9 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 Ohio River
River in Illinois. All launches on Ohio River.
Community
Where people who use Ohio River talk about it.
Nearby launches
- Cave-in-Rock Boat Launch · 3.7 mi
- Elizabethtown Ferry · 4.7 mi · Ohio River
- Lake Tecumseh Boat Launch · 5.5 mi · Lake Tecumseh
- Old Lock & Dam #50 · 7.5 mi · Ohio River
- Carrsville · 8.8 mi · Ohio River
- Caseyville · 10.3 mi · Ohio River
Sources
- USDA Forest Service boat ramps (FHWA Federal Lands Transportation Facility Inventory) record 1917.007541 · US federal government data, public domain (FHWA Federal Lands Transportation Facility Inventory, USDA Forest Service submittal)
- USDA Forest Service boat ramps (FHWA Federal Lands Transportation Facility Inventory) record 5011.007541 · US federal government data, public domain (FHWA Federal Lands Transportation Facility Inventory, USDA Forest Service submittal)
- Great Lakes Commission Boat Access Sites (compilation, public and private) record -88.22886,37.45758 · CC BY 4.0 (Great Lakes Commission compilation); coverage and attribute completeness vary by jurisdiction
- OpenStreetMap n3016803033 © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL
Why it is listed as public: www.fs.usda.gov: The 1/4 mile trail can be accessed near the boat launch.. Something wrong, or is this launch private? Send a correction; it goes to a person.