Cowlitz River Boat Launches

Boat launches of the Cowlitz starting at the mouth of the river & going upriver.

Gearhart Gardens: Take exit 36 off I-5, cross over the Cowlitz River bridge, then take the immediate right to Gearhart Garden Road and boat ramp. There are 2 parking lots, the first one was where the old abandoned ramp was, so go straight ahead to the second lot. If the tide is out the word is to immediately head for the far shore & follow it to lessen chances of running aground.

Cowlitz River Gearhart Gardens in Longview

Carnival Market: The Carnival market take out is about 3 miles up Westside Highway from Longview. This is the highway that runs north/south on the West side of the river. Look for a market that looks like a Circus tent with a big pullout. You can back down if you have 4 wheel drive, or pull your boat straight up. This is basically a drift boat launch/recovery site.

Camelot: Camelot launch is a beach launch again off the Westside Highway. Accessible from either Castle Rock or Longview. Coming from Longview, head North approximately 5-6 miles. Watch for a castle shaped sign called "Camelot' on the east side of the highway. The road turning in to it is Camelot Dr. & goes down into a mobile home park. Coming from Castle Rock turn south on the Westside Highway at Four Corners store & go about a mile to Camelot Dr. on the left. Go straight ahead to a stop sign, thru it straight & downhill past the end of the County maintained road sign. From here you drop down onto part of the old Mt St. Helens lava gravel bar removal area. Head to the right & there are a couple of tie-in roads to the beach. At low water the deepest access is on the upper section, later the water is deep enough to launch about anywhere on the beach.

This is a long gravel bar on the west side that gives an inside corner for a long ways & can also be bank fished. In the photo below in the left, the bar runs out upstream, but allows for good casting into the seam of the hole on the east side.

The word is as of 4-25-07 that Boat launching at Camelot is difficult because of washed out access roads but that has been rectified as of 2-09.

Deepest part of Camelot launch area when this photo was taken is where this boat just launched	Gravel bar off Camelot with a couple of bankies on the far shore with the railroad tracks behind them.

Hog Island: Apparently this once used access has been barricaded off & is now unusable
However at this hiway pullout, if you continue north along the narrow access road you will come to a unimproved boat launching area (notice I did not call it a boat ramp) at the tail of a large pool just before the divide that went to the old Hog Island ramp. The launch is somewhat protected from the river current by the bank cuts.

It is really only a 4 wheel drive show for more of a drift boat launch/recovery location. Very unimproved, narrow access, no gravel & deep muddy ruts to the water. Just above it is a well known plunking hole.

North on Westside Hwy 5.7 mile the access site is on east side of Rd.

Castlerock: As per a newspaper article 6-20-09 the city of Castlerock was installing a 2 lane boat ramp on the river above the bridge & accessible from the Westside Hiway behind the high school before August of 2009. This launch is now functional (2-2010) however the fishermen are not totally happy.

There appears to be a long steep ramp with little room at the bottom & the parking is not close. So if a lone fisherman has to launch his boat, tie it to the shore & drive the towing vehicle to the parking lot, by the time he gets back to his boat the launch is tied up for a while.

Olequa Creek: Off I-5 at the Barnes Road exit, head west about 3 miles until you come to Imboden road. Follow it toward the river about 200 yards & and turn left on the Miekler Rd. to the boat ranch through the farming field. There are no signs anywhere indicating a public launch. This launch is a concrete ramp at the junction of a large pool above with the Olequa Creek on the opposite shore. The concrete does not go quite far enough down to facilitate launching of some boats so some were launching on the gravel bar below. Recently (fall of 2005) WDFW has set large concrete barriers with a sign restricting boat launching off the gravel bar to protect spawning grounds & environmental impacts. This was quite obvious to me as when I was there 09-18-05 there was a large Spring Chinook spawning red just off the shore in the exact area the launchers frequented. Below that were many more smaller fresh reds.

There is a large gravel bar below the launch that plunkers frequent. Many would drive down & park backed up toward the bank & set watching the rods in the bank rod holders in bad weather before the barriers were put in place. However barricades have now been placed so driving on the gravel bar is restricted. Fishing is still being done there, but no setting in the car on the bar.

Some of the best Steelheading in the Lower Cowlitz is from the mouth of the Toutle down to Camelot. To do this drift, launch at Olequa and take out at Camelot if using a drift boat.

Cowlitz River launch at the mouth of Olequa Creek on the opposite shore

I-5 bridge: Off I-5 at the Barnes Road exit, head east & onto Jackson Highway heading north. About 2 miles you need to turn left onto the Mandy Rd., down a hill & back under the freeway bridge crossing the Cowlitz River. The launch is located just west of the bridge. Here is a single lane concrete ramp. The earlier one adjacent to it downstream sanded in & the new launch was installed the summer of 2004. The water below it has excellent plug, diver and bait slots downriver to "Pump House Hole". However you would need a jet boat to make it beyond the first big bend about a mile downstream. This is a high bluff deep corner on the south side & a riffle above at the tailout of the long reach that is visible from the launch. This area fishes best when the river is running below 7,500 cfs.

Toledo : In the town of Toledo is a new boat launch. This has taken a while to get things together & the project finalized. This project is supposed to be a 1/3rd shared funding project with the city of Toledo.

To get to this launch follow State Highway 505 from I-5 east to the town of Toledo. Go thru town & just before you cross the highway bridge, take a immediate right on Augustus street. The launch area is immediately below the west end of the bridge. It has a 2 lane poured concrete boat launch angling slightly downstream. It has a small parking lot to the right before you get to the launch on Augustus street. The will be an overflow parking area planned to the north across the highway.

It has restroom facilities & a handicapped bank fishing dock. Financing had come up short before completion so there will be a donation box for usage, with a fee of $5.00.

When these photos were taken 1-06-2010, the ramp itself was & usable, but the grounds were being worked on & yet to be completed.

Toledo boat launch	Toledo launch area handicapped fishing dock

Massy or Mission Bar : From I-5 at exit 68, intersection of highway 12, go east to the flashing light, turn left, (south) on Jackson Hiway, turn left at the Toledo airport. Go south on this road, cross Spencer road, & south onto the Buckley Rd. This is a dead end road, & when you get there you might think it is a private road going to the local homes, no public fishing or launch signs exist anywhere, but at what appears to be the end of the road on the upper flat where the homes are, just keep going straight, then veer right & go down the hill. The road down to the ramp is crappy but once you get to the bottom of the hill there's a huge parking lot and ramp with restrooms. Here again you have some great plug/diver & bait water and some good spots for throwing bobber and eggs from the bank also.

Cowlitz Mission Bar launch	Here a boat is reloaded on the trailer at Mission Bar

Blue Creek Trout Hatchery : From I-5 at exit 68, intersection of highway 12, go east about 8 miles turn south on Brim Rd, & 3 miles to Spencer Rd. about 3/4 of a mile & left on the Cowlitz Trout Hatchery Rd., follow to the public access & hatchery complex.

It is the spot with the highest concentration of steelhead and fishermen and where 90% of the guides concentrate their efforts, it's a total zoo when the fish are in. Camping is allowed in certain areas next to the launch parking. There are restrooms & garbage cans here also.

Word is that anything left in your car that is visible is up for grabs for the first thief to pass your door.

Barrier Dam: Go east on Hiway 12 from I-5 & as you enter Salkum turn right on the Fuller Rd. Go south past the Barrier Dam Campground & tackle store to the intersection of the Spencer Rd & turn left. Not far the road forks & straight ahead is dead end, turn right & go down the hill to the hatchery & dam. Go all the way downriver past the bankie parking to the launch. This launch is a concrete slab ramp in a slightly protected cove. There is plenty of paved parking. There is not much room in the small pool below the ramp end (the pool is deep enough) but the pool riffles out in shallow water when the river is low, (2500 CFPS) so the loading needs to come in at an angle & then onto the trailer, but doable for a jet sled.

In the RH photo above you will see remnants of the old abandoned launch on the right.

There is a no boat fishing zone from the ramp upriver to the deadline below the barrier dam. However a boat can run upriver in this zone & drop off a bank angler.

This run down to the trout hatchery has a little of everything from deep holes to classic fly water. Just about any method you fish you can find a spot to do it. Most all the guides that still pull plugs and have yet to given in to the boondogging fish this area. If you put in at barrier dam area with a drift boat & plan on taking out at the trout hatchery at Blue Creek, you can get a shuttle service from The Barrier Dam Campground store.

For a drift boat, this area it is as close to having 6 miles of perfect drift water as anywhere on earth down to the Blue Creek launch. If you have a small motor for the drift boat, it will really help cover some of the less productive water.

Cowlitz River Barrier Dam launch