Cedar Creek

There is a LARGE tree laying across the entirety of Cedar Creek. This is located just to the East of the southern parking lot (not difficult to see from the shoreline). This can be portaged, given one gets out just past the walking bridge over the creek. Ozaukee Parks has been made aware of this tree (as of 4/6) hazard via phone message.

A log/branch is lodged shore-to-shore in the dells downstream of Nail Factory Dam (NFD). At 600 cfs water was flowing over it enough to allow easy passage. At 425 cfs, it is VERY SKETCHY/DANGEROUS. As flows less than that it will totally block passage! To be safe, when portaging NFD (before descending to water level to put-in) walk atop the dells just a bit downstream to look for this wood. If it is still in place, you may have to carry downstream until you can put-in downstream of that obstruction. (No reasonable put-in until downstream of the dells!)

Much less of concern, but ... just upstream of Estate Bridge, a tree lays in the water at river-right, blocking nearly half the stream. It is easily avoided (as you leave the dells downstream of the Nail Factory Dam) if you charge hard to the left eddy (where a storm drain / culvert flows into the creek) to stage for your route toward and through Estate Bridge. BEWARE: there is also quite an accumulation of wood river-left upstream of that eddy. Some wood lies into the water, and is not very visible from upstream. Stay mid-river until immediately beyond all the wood on shore, then charge hard for the storm drain eddy!

Also, as you paddle into the right channel (around the large island), be especially cautious! After the right turn into this channel, point bow toward the inside of the next bend (bow toward left shore, or bow upstream!) to be prepared to handle the blockage in the next bend. (As of April 2025 it is passable, but that could change at any time if more wood catches here.) Just downstream, another tree lies horizontal across the right half, but is easily bypassed (again, point bow to the left to maneuver around it). And finally, just before the end of the channel (where the flow from the left rejoins), a large tree blocks most of the flow. As of May, 2025 passage is easy to the right (around the root end).

Paddlers with SOLID whitewater knowledge and skills will likely be able to handle most of these situations at most reasonable flows. Inexperienced paddlers may find themselves in trouble at any flows above bare-bones minimums.