Honey Creek (Menomonee Trib)

Two options:

A) Park on W.Honey Creek Parkway (across from the second or third house east of 84th Street).

B) Park on S.Honey Creek Parkway (about 0.2 miles north of Bluemound Rd, 0.1 mile south of powerlines) (at the first jump, as listed below).

In either option, a 'commando style' put-in is recommended! Get into your boating gear at your take-out, so that (at your chosen put-in) you can as quickly as possible just grab your gear out of the vehicle, get into the woods, down the embankment, and put on before gathering too much attention.

If using option A, it is STRONGLY recommended to either scout the first ledge ahead of time OR to get out above it to scout. (It is generally possible at nearly all flows to 'beach' onto the sloping cement or into the shoreline brush to then walk down to the ledge.)

If using option B, you'll be right at this ledge, and can decide whether you're putting in above or below it.

Just upstream of our put-in, as the creek comes out from under 84th Street, it spills across a short rounded pourover.

This is likely to have a fairly uniform boil-line and not offer much reasonable play at most flows.

Some may be inclined to paddle up to check it out, but more will likely just head downriver.

There is no reasonable legal put-in upstream of this ledge. There is a large commercial development (on river-left), and no parking on 84th (on river-right).

Considering that this ledge is shorter and generally the least interesting of what's on this creek, there is just not much reason to hassle with trying for put-in above it.

This pourover is potentially the nastiest, hence one that I most often have portaged or just put in below it.

The cement at the base tilts back toward the drop, making a far 'keepier' hydraulic.

Scout this drop before putting in upstream! Get as close to water level as possible!

Look CLOSELY to notice that the backwash flows back toward the drop from 10-15' downstream.

You have to paddle 'uphill' to get out of this drop!

If you are unsuccessful at landing a 'boof', staying upright, and paddling out of the reversal, you will be caught in an awkward spot to get yourself and your boat out in the event of a swim. If you are unable to grab hold of your boat, it will flush a long way downstream unless you have a good posse of boaters (in boats and/or on shore) ready to wrangle it ashore!

If you are out of your boat as a result of ANY of the hydraulic jumps, you are likely to be able to stand in the backwash in cement ditch and walk out!

(NOTE: this is contrary to advice in virtually any other whitewater situations! Generally you DO NOT try to stand in swiftwater/whitewater until/unless you are in an eddy.)

Given that water quality is nasty, that this is a rather visible location, and you are generally wanting to be as 'invisible' as possible, this is not a spot you want to be standing around too long, setting safety, and having to do a rescue. All of which is to say, look carefully, make your decision, put-in (or portage), and get going.

BTW, the secondary name refers to athletic fields which flank the creek here (football and track fields river left, ball diamonds river right), though they are behind thickets of buckthorn and other trees and shrubs.

The second pourover (as most of the remaining pourovers) is much more reasonable at virtually all flows. Paddle assertively to launch a clean 'boof' and paddle away on the water which sheets away from the base of the drop. (Failure to paddle aggressively may result in being back-endered, and possibly flipped or sucked into the reversal/hole here.)

The secondary name alludes to Wisconsin Lutheran High School which lies upslope river-left (and whose athletic fields gave name to the prior 'jump').

Three pourovers occur under or immediately after bridge crossings. This one is at the downstream side of the Bluemound Road bridge.

At some flows, this can ge a bit 'sticky', so charge it, boof it, and paddle out!

Immediately after coming out from under the Honey Creek Parkway road bridge, this drop can provide some play potential (surfs), if one is inclined to do so in such a cesspool of a creek as this is.

A little bit of quarried rock lies in the pool here, but tends not to be an issue at most flows (at least, as long as you are not upside-down).

The new bridge is higher over the water than the old bridge was, and the creek has been widened as well. The cement trough has been removed from a short way upstream and downstream, and the bed and banks have been lined with rock. At boatable flows, I suspect most/all rocks in the riverbed should be covered and passage should be unhindered.

NOTE: As of 2025.12.16, a huge tree lies in creek as it re-enters cement ditch. River-right is the rootball, which won't be passable to river-right. River-left the tree trunk angles up to the high left bank, and should be 'duckable' at far left at most boatable flows.

A second tree spans the cement ditch just downstream, but is horizontal, far enough overhead as to be no problem at any reasonable flow.

STOP AND TAKE A CLOSE LOOK HERE AS YOU RUN SHUTTLE! Additional wood may hang up and block safe passage!

After the above-mentioned 'roundhouse bend', flow heads under another parkway bridge. On the immediate upstream edge of the bridge, a fine little wave can form, and a decent eddy river-right, under the bridge, allows repeat play (when it is worth bothering to repeat).

NOTE: The tree shown in the photo has been cleared, but new deadfall is possible at any time. Always scout this before putting on.

The final ledge/jump lies under Portland Avenue (second bridge after leaving cement ditch). Water sheets shallow on the approach at most runnable levels, making it difficult to maneuver. The reversal at the base of this ledge can be significant at some flows, so be prepared to boof and paddle strongly away.

The riverbed becomes more natural (gravel, cobble, and random large rock and rubble). Riverbanks vary from rock walls to gabions (rock filled wire baskets) to boulders to dirt/mud banks. There is increased risk of deadfall, since river banks are highly eroded in places, and trees are at water's edge.

ALWAYS SCOUT AS MUCH OF THE RUN AS POSSIBLE BEFORE PUTTING ON, TO BE AWARE OF SNAGS AND WHETHER THEY ARE AVOIDABLE THAT DAY!

If you looked at it a year, a month, a week, or sometimes even just a day before, do NOT assume the situation did not change! If it has rained enough for this to be up more than one day, the soil is saturated and trees may topple!

A bit downstream of the prior rock garden area, after passing river-left gabion basket shores (wire cages filled with rock), lies an area of rocks and gravel deposits. The deepest channel is to river-left, while center-to-right is shallow gravel shoals.

For years, a large tree has blocked the creek here, but as of 2026.04.22 has washed out.

Before putting on, while setting shuttle, stop about 200' west/upstream of the final bridge (where the USGS gauge is) to walk across a finger-like clearing and into the woods to see this area of river.

Beyond the final road bridge (with the gauge), the stream twists to the right and widens. A major gravel shoals has been deposited here which will be 'grungy' at 'low-boatable' flows.

The left shore is highly eroded. Trees drop from shore (or wash down and accumulate there), so head center or river-right (at flows above 250 cfs) to avoid those complications. The right bank (upstream and downstream of the pedestrian-and-bike-path bridge) is vertical rock wall and failing gabion baskets.

The boulder rubble pitch at the narrowing has largely been washed out by flooding, so the only concern here will now be currents (pushing toward the wall) and wood which may hang up through here. Some skilled maneuvering may be needed!

While running shuttle, stop, walk onto the bikepath bridge, look upstream and down to check wood and water situation here before putting on! Walk upstream to have a look at the approach to see if wood exists on the shoals upstream.

Most folks will continue to the confluence and catch most of the MenTosa run to its takeout. For the exceedingly rare circumstance that it is necessary or otherwise desired to skip that, take-out is best river-left, either immediately under the pedestrian bridge, or as soon thereafter as practical.

Be aware that there is a failed gabion basket lying midstream at the confluence with the Menomonee River. This is no problem if you are upright, but potentially ugly if you flip or are out of your boat coming through here. You don't want to roll or swim at the confluence and get snagged by a chain-link-fence-basket full of rocks! It also makes this an 'iffy' spot to try for any stalls or squirts in the confluence currents.

While this is the end of Honey Creek, few boaters will take out here. Most will continue about 2 miles, down the better part of the 'MenTosa' run (Menomonee River in Wauwatosa), utilizing it's take-out.