About Boat Ramps Finder
I'm Nicolas Sartor, and I built Boat Ramps Finder after finding out the hard way, more than once, that a ramp marked on a map was closed, silted in, or trailer-only when I needed a carry-in launch. So I built the thing I wanted to exist: one page per launch that says what it is and whether you can use it, before you drive out.
The problem
Finding out whether you can actually launch somewhere is harder than it should be:
- Ramps are listed by whoever runs them: state parks on one site, wildlife agencies on another, federal agencies on a third.
- The listing rarely says what kind of launch it is, a trailer ramp, a carry-in spot, or a pier, or what it costs and where to park.
- Water levels live somewhere else entirely, so a ramp that's open on paper can be high and dry when you get there.
Boat Ramps Finder collects those facts from the agencies into one page per launch, with the water level beside it when a gauge exists.
What you get here
- Per launch: the access type (trailer ramp, carry-in, pier), fees, parking, and trailer length limits, as the managing agency publishes them.
- The current water level, when a gauge or reservoir record exists for that water.
- A map on every page.
Where the data comes from
Launch facts come from the agencies that run the sites, starting with state parks. Each page cites its sources and the date each was checked, and when no source says something, the page leaves it out rather than guessing.
Who's behind this
It's just me working on this on the side, no team and no editorial board: one person reading agency records and writing down what they say. Boat Ramps Finder is one of a group of sites I write and maintain under the Wild Atlas Media network, all built on the same idea: take the federal and state data that's already public, put it in one place, and make it easy to use.
Sister sites: Public Lands DB for who manages the land and its camping rules, closures, and fire restrictions, CampgroundsDB for public campgrounds and how to book them, Fishypedia for fish stocking reports and lake-by-lake fishing, and ReservoirFinder for reservoir water levels against full pool. Swimming holes are next.
Tell me what's missing or wrong
If a launch near you isn't accurate, one is missing, or there's a feature you wish this had, I want to hear it. Email nicolas.sartor@wildatlasmedia.com.