BirdTroutOpen the map How to get to the Muskegon River, Michigan
MDNR's access file puts 20 public sites on the Muskegon River — 6 walk-in sites and 14 launches, spread over Clare, Mecosta, Missaukee, Muskegon, Newaygo and Osceola. 55 blocks of public land touch the river, which is where you can stand without asking — 323,315 acres between them, counting each unit whole rather than the part beside the water. The nearest town we map is Baldwin, 18.2 miles from the river's midpoint in a straight line, with the water east of the town.
Nearest towns
| Town | Distance | Direction to the river |
|---|---|---|
| Baldwin | 18.2 mi | east |
| Cadillac | 30.3 mi | south |
| Newaygo | 31.3 mi | north-east |
| Cedar Springs | 41.3 mi | north |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dead Stream Flooding | walk in | 214.1 | — |
| Reedsburg Dam State Forest Campground (fee) | boat launch | 212.5 | — |
| Crawford Park (fee) | boat launch | 129.2 | — |
| River Bend Bluffs (fee) | canoe launch | 83.2 | — |
| Rogers Pond (fee) | boat launch | 79.9 | — |
| 131 Bridge (fee) | boat launch | 77.8 | — |
| Muskegon River Besemer Park | walk in | 53.3 | Newaygo |
| Pine Street (fee) | boat launch | 52.1 | — |
| Muskegon River 72nd Street DNR Fishing Access | walk in | 50.4 | Newaygo |
| High Rollway Thornapple (fee) | boat launch | 46.8 | — |
| Henning Park (fee) | boat launch | 40.5 | — |
| Muskegon River Newago Riverfront Park | walk in | 39.2 | Newaygo |
| New Bridge (fee) | boat launch | 38.9 | — |
| Anderson Flats (fee) | boat launch | 35.2 | — |
| Bridgeton River Launch Park (fee) | boat launch | 24.9 | — |
| Maple Island (fee) | boat launch | 18.9 | — |
| Walleye Pond | boat launch | 15.7 | — |
| Muskegon River Mill Iron Road | walk in | 11.2 | Muskegon |
| Sheridan Road | boat launch | 9.3 | — |
| Muskegon River Sheridan Road | walk in | 9.2 | Muskegon |
6 walk-in, 14 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
- Pere Marquette State Forest - Cadillac Unit — Michigan Department of Natural Resources, 72,804 acres in all
- Roscommon Management Unit — Michigan DNR, 68,170 acres in all
- Au Sable State Forest - Roscommon Unit — Michigan Department of Natural Resources, 44,997 acres in all
- Gladwin Management Unit — Michigan DNR, 33,092 acres in all
- Manistee National Forest — U.S. Forest Service, 26,347 acres in all
- Cadillac Management Unit — Michigan DNR, 18,666 acres in all
- Muskegon State Game Area — Michigan DNR - Wildlife Division, 15,278 acres in all
- Au Sable State Forest - Gladwin Unit — Michigan Department of Natural Resources, 12,695 acres in all
- Natural Area Dead Stream Swamp — State Dept. of Natural Resources, 11,548 acres in all
- Houghton Lake Wildlife Research Area — Michigan Department of Natural Resources, 11,353 acres in all
- Cadillac State Forest Area — State Dept. of Natural Resources, 2,620 acres in all
- Houghton Lake — Michigan DNR, 1,025 acres in all
- Dead Stream Flooding State Wildlife Management Area — State Dept. of Natural Resources, 1,023 acres in all
- Muskegon State Park — public, 834 acres in all
- Public Water Access Site — Michigan DNR, 511 acres in all
- Muskegon River — Michigan DNR, 482 acres in all
- Local Forest — County, 368 acres in all
- Cadillac Forest Management Unit — State Dept. of Natural Resources, 270 acres in all
- Muskegon — Michigan DNR, 253 acres in all
- State Forest — Other State Land, 240 acres in all
- Fisherman's Streambank — Michigan DNR, 97 acres in all
- Northend Park — public, 87 acres in all
- Ben D. Jeffs River Park — Missaukee County, 63 acres in all
- Eh Henning County Park — Newaygo County, 59 acres in all
- Paris Park — Mecosta County, 52 acres in all
- Ed Henning County Park — County, 40 acres in all
- Marl Pit Creek Boating Access Site — Michigan Department of Natural Resources, 35 acres in all
- High Rollway - Thornapple Boating Access Site — Michigan Department of Natural Resources, 33 acres in all
- Riverside Park East — public, 27 acres in all
- Maple Island Boating Access Site — Michigan Department of Natural Resources, 23 acres in all
- Field Administration — Michigan DNR, 23 acres in all
- River Front Park — City, 21 acres in all
- Richards Park — public, 20 acres in all
- High Banks Park — public, 16 acres in all
- Pere Marquette Park — public, 16 acres in all
- Riverside Park West — public, 15 acres in all
- High Rollway Roadside Park — Michigan Department of Transportation, 15 acres in all
- River Street Park — public, 14 acres in all
- Hemlock Park — City, 14 acres in all
- Northend Riverside Park — City, 11 acres in all
- Riverside Park — public, 11 acres in all
- Pine Street Access — public, 7 acres in all
- Shaw Park — City of Newagyo, 6 acres in all
- Evart Skate Park — City of Evart, 6 acres in all
- Bridgeton Township Park — public, 5 acres in all
- Anderson's Flats Boating Access Site — Michigan Department of Natural Resources, 5 acres in all
- Islands — Michigan DNR, 4 acres in all
- Charles Besemer Muskegon River Park — public, 4 acres in all
- Riverfront Park — public, 4 acres in all
- Osceola Park — public, 2 acres in all
- Newaygo Boating Access Site — Michigan Department of Natural Resources, 2 acres in all
- Crawford Park — Osceola County, 2 acres in all
- Swede Hill Park — public, 1 acre in all
- River Bend Bluffs Boating Access Site — Michigan Department of Natural Resources, 1 acre in all
- The River Walk Park — public, 1 acre in all
Ownership from PAD-US as the state publishes it. Where a block has its own page, the name links to it.
More about Muskegon River
Muskegon River — live water temperature, regulations and access
- Is the Muskegon River good for brown trout?
- Is the Muskegon River good for rainbow trout?
- When to fish the Muskegon River, Michigan
- Muskegon River fishing report
- Muskegon River fishing regulations