Old Boat Ramps Back in Use

Lake Sakakawea is on the rise but so is Lake Oahe south of Bismarck In fact the river level has climbed 19 feet in about 24 months That means access to the river is improving In some cases boat ramps that haven t been open in six yearsare back in use Tom Gerhardt has the story It s a sight to seetrees swallowed up by water near Beaver Bay west of Linton Rising water on Lake Oahe means more access to the water Ralph Its improved immensely people don t have to drive down two tracks as much anymoreand they re able to access these areas right off of highway 1804 Here s a great example For the first time in six years boaters can access the river from inside Beaver Bay Ralph At the beach we have a plank boat ramp therebigger size boats have been getting in I even saw one pontoon so its a good ramp Just up the road on 1804 the North Beaver Bay ramp is also in good shape A few miles down this gravel roadyou ll find direct access to the river Ralph And also our north Beaver Creek ramp we ve made some improvements on that one added some gravel and some grading and that ramp is also in very good shape And there s more While no work is being done to the Hazelton boat rampa lot of work is going on around it to benefit those of you wanting to enjoy the water Ralph Adding a culvert which is going to extend the drainage area right to the Missouri River and we ll be able to utilize that area for parking That s because of a safety issue we had Gabrysh says now boaters shouldn t have to cross highway 1804 to park He says around 30 new parking spaces will open up when construction is finished this fall Tom Gerhardt KX News Gabrysh also says the Langeliers Bay ramp near the state line is also open You can find a complete listing of open ramps at the Game and Fish website Go to gf nd gov under the fishing menu