Q: WHERE CAN I LEGALLY LAUNCH MY BOAT ON THE WHITE RIVER?
A: If we’re talking about a canoe or a kayak, you can use any stretch of undeveloped bank that isn’t private property. But if you captain something bigger, like a pontoon boat, you need a concrete ramp plus a length of river that’s deep enough to accommodate your craft, which is not a given. (You can walk across it without getting your knees wet in some stretches.) “Right now, the only public launch site in Marion County is at Broad Ripple Park,” says Scott Salmon, executive director of Friends of the White River. Another one at Riverside Park is currently hampered by construction on the nearby 30th Street Bridge. A new public access spot on the Indianapolis near–west side, roughly across the river from 16 Tech, is being built. The ramp isn’t finished, but the daring can still launch there. “It’s really muddy, but it’s technically another option for people who are brave enough—and who have four-wheel drive pickups,” Salmon says.
