This steep ramp near the swimming beach in the State Park is the only public ramp on Kelleys Island. The approach road is to the left of the photo and is overgrown with trees.

Kelley's Island sits almost exactly halfway between the public launch ramps of Catawba Island State Park on the northwest shore of Catawba Island and the Sandusky Municipal Boat Launch, located about a mile west of Downtown Sandusky. Either way, plan on about a nine mile passage from your launch point to the marina district of Kelley's Island. While the Sandusky ramp is the better ramp, leaving Sandusky Bay usually involves an uncomfortably bumpy passage through the shipping channel. Each ramp is reviewed in detail in their appropriate cruising guide.

If you ferry your boat to Kelley's Island, it is (theoretically) possible to launch from a small public ramp located in the State Park near the swimming beach. If you cruise in a smaller power boat, this two lane ramp would be adequate. If, however, your boat is a sailboat, you will not be able to rig your boat prior to launch because the drive to the ramp is completely overgrown with a thick canopy of tree branches. Raising your mast will have to be done at the ramp itself. The pier at the Kelley's Island ramp is sturdy but fairly short. It is also one of the steepest ramps I've seen, making it less than ideal for a heavy boat.