BirdTroutOpen the map How to get to the Boardman River, Michigan
MDNR's access file puts 4 public sites on the Boardman River — 1 walk-in site and 3 launches, spread over Grand Traverse. 21 blocks of public land touch the river, which is where you can stand without asking — 92,839 acres between them, counting each unit whole rather than the part beside the water. The nearest town we map is Traverse City, 6.8 miles from the river's midpoint in a straight line, with the water south-east of the town.
Nearest towns
| Town | Distance | Direction to the river |
|---|---|---|
| Traverse City | 6.8 mi | south-east |
| Cadillac | 31.5 mi | north |
| Grayling | 39.3 mi | west |
| Gaylord | 46.8 mi | west |
Straight-line distance from the river's midpoint, and the direction you would travel from the town to reach it. The roads are not mapped here, so there is no drive time — a travel time nobody measured is the kind of number that gets somebody lost.
Public access sites
| Site | Type | River mile | County |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forks (fee) | canoe launch | 27.8 | — |
| Scheck's Place State Forest Campground (fee) | canoe launch | 23.5 | — |
| Boardman River Scheck's Place | walk in | 23.3 | Grand Traverse |
| Shumsky Road (fee) | canoe launch | 13.0 | — |
1 walk-in, 3 launches, from MDNR's own access file. River mile is measured up from the mouth along this river's drawn axis.
Public land on the water
- Traverse City Management Unit — Michigan DNR, 64,085 acres in all
- Pere Marquette State Forest - Traverse City Unit — Michigan Department of Natural Resources, 19,590 acres in all
- Grand Traverse Bay Underwater Preserve — public, 5,759 acres in all
- Brown Bridge Quiet Area — City of Traverse City, 1,786 acres in all
- Natural Education Reserve — County, 418 acres in all
- Grand Traverse Natural Education Reserve — Grand Traverse County, 399 acres in all
- Boardman River — Michigan DNR, 319 acres in all
- Ranch Rudolf — public, 188 acres in all
- Boardman Valley Nature Preserve — Charter Township of Garfield, 140 acres in all
- Public Water Access Site — Michigan DNR, 61 acres in all
- River East Recreation Area — Garfield Charter Township, 60 acres in all
- Clinch Park — City of Traverse City, 9 acres in all
- Medalie Park — public, 7 acres in all
- Kayak Launch Park — City of Traverse City, 7 acres in all
- Hannah Park — City of Traverse City, 4 acres in all
- Beitner Park — Grand Traverse County Road Commission, 4 acres in all
- Mini Park — City of Traverse City, 1 acre in all
- Rotary Square — Traverse City Downtown Development Authority, 1 acre in all
- Lay Park — City of Traverse City, 1 acre in all
- Legion Park — City, 1 acre in all
- American Legion Park — City of Traverse City
Ownership from PAD-US as the state publishes it. Where a block has its own page, the name links to it.
More about Boardman River
Boardman River — live water temperature, regulations and access
- Is the Boardman River good for brook trout?
- Is the Boardman River good for brown trout?
- Is the Boardman River good for rainbow trout?
- When to fish the Boardman River, Michigan
- Boardman River fishing report
- Boardman River fishing regulations