About Gordon Park Boat Launch
The Gordon Park Boat Launch is the six-ramp public boat launch at the eastern end of Gordon Park, one of the busiest public launches on the central Cleveland lakefront. Managed by Cleveland Metroparks, free to the public, and open April through November, it serves recreational boaters and fishermen from across the city's east side.
History
An Addition to the Park
The boat launch was added to the original Gordon Park footprint in the 1970s, when Cleveland Lakefront State Park was created to consolidate and expand public lakefront access on the east side. It sits on land that was not part of William J. Gordon's 1893 bequest but was added by successive City of Cleveland acquisitions in the early twentieth century.
The ramps were substantially renovated under Cleveland Metroparks management in 2015–2017, with improved concrete surfaces, expanded parking for trailered vehicles, and shoreline stabilization.
Today
A Working Launch
The launch is heavily used during the spring walleye run (April through June), the late-summer smallmouth and perch seasons, and the fall walleye run (September through early November). Parking for 200 vehicles with trailers typically fills before 7 a.m. on weekend spring mornings.
A fishing pier adjacent to the ramps provides shore-angling access. The water immediately offshore holds walleye and smallmouth bass; perch fishing is productive from mid-July through October.
Nearby on the Shoreline