The National Park Service will be replacing the boat launch located at the Kabetogama Lake Visitor Center. The contractor will start staging materials and equipment at the site on September 5, and the launch will be closed starting September 18.
The existing picnic area, beach, canoe/kayak launch, and vault toilet adjacent to the boat launch will be closed. However, a portable toilet will be provided for visitor use near the marina area. Visitor parking areas will be provided on the northwest side of the visitor center, near the Historic Ranger Cabin District, see map. Watercraft access from the lake to the visitor center and marina, area will remain open as conditions allow.
To reduce congestion at the construction area, signs will be posted along Gappa Road (county road 123) and Highway 53. There will be limited parking near the visitor center during the construction period due to staging supplies and equipment by the contractor.
During the closure, boat launch sites at the Woodenfrog State Forest and Ash River Visitor Center will be open as conditions allow. Visitors camping in the park are encouraged to use Ash River Boat Launch Ramp.
The original launch ramp was built in the 1980s and is in a deteriorated condition. The new launch ramp will replace the current footprint of forty-feet wide, sixteen-foot lanes, constructed out of concrete, and include one-inch-deep V-Groove patterns to assist with traction while launching or loading watercrafts. A cofferdam will need to be installed that will allow the site to be de-watered. This project is considered Deferred Maintenance and funding comes from the Repair Rehabilitation Maintenance Program.
