Red Cedar

You can surf at this level, but it is shallow. The river left eddy was do-able, but too much work. The river right eddy was OK, but to get on the wave I had to grab a root on shore and push into the wave. Once I figure this out, the system worked fine. No side surfing today. The best manuever seemed to be sliding over from river right to just river left of center and carving back and forth. One time, near river right, the paddle snakes grabbed my paddle; after about a second of panic, I was able to pull it out.

An OK level but a bit rough/bouncey. Some side surfing. I did a really nice stern squirt; too bad it wasn't on purpose. I was side surfing and my bow was being pushed upstream then downstream. On a downstream push, I ended up back surfing, the stern went down into the rocks and I squirted out at about a 70 degree angle. Managed to stay up without flipping. I had a good time.

Paddling today was OK. There is a large tree stuck on river left, parrellel with the flow of the water. For someone coming downstream, this would be a hazard. When you're on the wave, it isn't a problem; I only effects the characteristics of the wave. I was able to front surf with my bow touching the end of the log. I could front surf and side surf, though I always had to be working; no free ride.

What level is poor, good and great seems to change every year. It doesn't take much. This year, it was a bit rough and hard to stay on at 1250 cfs. Definetely worth going, but not as good as when it was 1530 cfs yesterday.

I found this to be a very good level. At 1300 cfs, it was a bit hard to stay on. At 1600 it seemed a little pushy. I flipped on the river left eddy line. But, today at 1530, it was easy to get on and off. I spent most of my time on river left. I could front surf at a little green wave where the diagonal wave coming in from the cement platform met the perpendicular wave in the center. And, just past this I could easily side surf as long as I didn't get too near center, where it pushed me off.

Good level. There were a few spots with green water where you could sit a while. Both edies were running. I found the right eddy line to be pretty abrupt, flipping me over once.

River came up with rain and saturated soils. Paddling was rough as it was mostly a hole. There was some dirty green water in the center, but I couldn't stay on it. I was there from about 3 to 4:30 and no one was around. This was at the end of MSU's spring break and parking on the south side was easy. I could enter from either eddy, right or left, then hold on for a bumpy ride. There was a lot of wood coming down the river. I saw 2 large trees and a sit-on-top. Definetly need to be heads up. It was worth the trip, but it was a work out.

Excellent level. There were two kayaks on the water.

Excellent level. I think there were 6 or 7 kayaks on the water.

The Red Cedar came up after a few days of rain. MSU is in summer session, so with temps in the 50's and raining, no one was around. The eddy on river left was too shallow with trees and shrubs, but the eddy on river right was perfect. There wasn't any green water, only aerated water. It wasn't too shallow to roll, but you could hit bottom with your paddle when trying to brace. I could front surf with some effort. Just left of center was a small hole where I could side surf if I slipped into it at the right spot and with the correct angle.

The river was cresting slowly around 1700cfs and held pretty steady.

The first wave was a smooth green wave that longer boats could surf. My Nova was able to sit on the wave and gently carve back and forth before falling off the back.

There was a second hole right behind the wave that was too short for the nova to fit without burying the bow in the wave ahead. Something like a rockstar would probably be able to fit and stay there.

The river has been up for about 10 days, but the temps have been in the 30's. Today the sun is out, the sky is blue, and it got to 50. Previously, the wave was playable at this level, but not now; it was too shallow. You couldn't get to the wave from the eddy on river left and it was hand over hand on river right. Once you got to the wave, there were too many shallow rocks preventing egress to the wave. I'll try to update the Flow page to show 800 CFS as the minimum. When I started paddling the wave, about 20 years ago, it was set at 800. I moved it down to 650 after some successfull shallow sessions, but things have changed.

Even though the sun was out, I was there around 4 to 5 pm, and the with the low angle of the sun in the south-west, the stadium blocked the rays, so the wave was in the shadows.

The river was a little high for good play, but you could still catch a wave.  There is a large tree on river left, which as I recall has been there for a year or two.  Doesn't seem to be a hazard, other than it's affect on stream flow.  But, on river right, MSU had set up a ropr barricade and half of the barricade is under water on river left in the eddy, at least 100 ft of rope.  That needs to be cut out; I didn't have a knife with me.

The sun was out and tempatures in the 40's.  Not too bad if you were dressed for it.  All in all, a good first paddle for the year.

Nice level but no green water. At this level it is a river wide hole. You can enter from river right or left. Left of center is a hole where you can side surf all day, the rest of the wave is front surfing with a constant ruder. I met 4 scouts from Troop 8 out of Ann Arbor who were there for the first time. A good time was had by all!

Great level! I was out there and shared the wave with one surfer who got up a few times. It was a green wave coming from river left that went about halfway across the river. I could front surf and carve all day. Easy to stay on. Really couldn't do anything on river right.

Very nice level! There were 7 kayaks there and I think we had 5 boats on the wave at the same time. It was a smooth, green wave coming from river left that went about 2/3rds across the river. There was also a small wave on river right that was surfable. Just front surfing and carving, but easy to stay on. One play boater was able to get a spin or two in.

Low, but paddle-able. Used the river right eddy. Couldn't get a good side surf, but you could front surf if you worked at it. I couldn't get all the way to river left from river right as there was a rock in the wave maybe 10 foot out from the end of the wave. Couldn't see the rock, but hit it when trying to carve over it. I could spin on river right, but there wasn't a lot of hold there.

River is flooding and rising. I didn't paddle as it was 37 degrees out. There is a small wave in the center that you could probably reach from the river right eddy and do some front surfing. The north bank is well flooded over and the grounds crew was filling 4 foot tall sand bags to try and keep the water away from the Hannah Administrative building. I've heard it can be fun paddling in a flood, but not much going on here.

Yesterday, the river peaked at 2,960, though I didn't see it. Today I'm paddling at 2,600. The classic 'wave' is underwater, but there is a series of waves upstream that can be front surfaced. You can also get back to the top from the eddy on river right. When I arrived, there were 3 sea kayakers giving it a try. There were about 6, river wide green waves. Their location was constant, though they would ebb and flow a bit, forming some foam then going back to a green wave. I spent most of my time on the second wave.

Even though it was low, it is a pretty good level. You wouldn't want to flip in the wave, but it forms a good river wide hole. You could enter from the left, but river right is preferable. Good side, back and front surfing. Also good for spins. The only down side is that you need to work at it (at least I do). If you aren't working, you get kicked off. I've seen smaller play boats hang in the foam better, but I can't. I get kicked off unless I'm on the downside, and not in the foam pile.

Mid to upper 40's and overcast. I was the only one around. Few to no spectators. At this level, it was pretty much one big hole. You could get out of the hole on either end or in the middle. You could side surf all day long, though river left didn't want to let you out. You could get in from either eddy, though river right was easier.

It's January and I'm on the wave! It hit 50 today, so I had to come out and play. The water is cold, but not too bad. We had a big winter thaw this week, so it is like spring in January. This level isn't too bad.

Beautiful day! Sunny, in the low 70's, though the water is still cold. The Wave is a shallow, river wide hole. You can only get on from river right, using some roots to help pull up to the Wave. I could front surf, but no green water to make it easy. Really no side surfing, though if I had a slight angel, it was like side surfing, but you would move in the direction of the angle. The Wave wasn't that rough today. In the middle, you could float in the froth.

A low level, but worth the trip. You can only enter from the river right eddy and you have to use some tree roots, but not too bad. A river wide hole with a foam pile. Just left of center seemed the best spot. I could front surf and sit in the foam pile. There was some side surfing, but you were apt to get kicked of.

This wasn't a bad level. There is a hole alomst all the way across. You can only get on from river right. You need to pull yourself along shore with some roots, but its not bad. I could side surf almost anywhere and river left wasn't too bad for front surfing. If you flip, you'll need your helmet, but if you stay tucked in, it's not too bad.

Not a bad level, all things considered. You could get on from either side, but river right was easier. At this level, the wave had three primary holes: right, center and left. I could side surf on any of these holes. Front surfing was a chore as the river wanted to turn you one way or the other, but on river left there was some green water where you could hold a front surf until you got tired of the effort. I had to hold a strong ruder with the paddle next to the boat and my body turned significantly.

I think this is the earliest I've been on the Wave. It is in the 50's today and the snow just melted. There is another 'yaker (Steven), a surf boarder, and a guy trying out a SUP. The Wave is more of a hole than a wave at this level. Nothing is smooth, but there is a good side surfing hole on both river left and right. For spinning, river right is a bit more forgiving. Both edies are good.

This is about as low as you want to go. Very shallow. I flipped a few times and had to wait to roll until I got flushed out to deeper water. I could only get on from river right with the help of some tree roots. But, given all that, it is still a good play spot. I could surf all the way across and with some effort, front surf. No side surfing and I could only spin once before getting kicked off. In the center though, there was a nice fluffy pillow and I suspect someone with a more playable boat and better abilities could have spun around in there for a while. I could just carve back and forth a bit.

Only 40 cfs less than yesterday, but yesterday was better. The river right hole was not as sticky; I got kicked off more than I could stick it. The river left hole was solid, but you had to go from river right to stick it. There wasn't much of an eddy on river left. After I figure this all out, I would surf from right over the left and do all my playing there. The few spots of green water were good for front surfing, if you could hold it steady.

This is actually a really good level. It was work to get on from river left, but easy enough from river right. The river was mostly a hole, with very little green water. There was a good side surfing hole on river right and river left. I could surf across from right to left and some times back again. The wave really wanted to take you from right to left, not as much the other way.

The wave is 50 CFS higher than two days ago, but is certainly different. It has started to separate; the right side is about a foot further down stream from the left so you can't go all the way across from river right to river left. You can play on the river right third or the river left two thirds. There is more green wave, less frothy wave, and no holes. The side surfing hole on river left looks like it might hold you, but it doesn't. I couldn't find a spot to spin, though front surfing was good all over.

Just me and 4 surf boarders. The wave isn't quite high enough for the boarders; they get on, but are quickly kicked off. A boogie border seems to be doing best with his shorter board. I can go all the way across, from the right or left. Can't do any side surfing or spins, but good front surfing.

This was actually a better lever (755) than two days earlier (993). At this level, the wave was much more retentive. There were two spots where I could side surf and on river right, I could just get off a spin. The eddy on left was a challenge, but you could get on. The eddy on right was great. The wave seems to be running a bit differently than in the past. I used to think 1,000 was a pretty good level, but this 755 was better than the 993, at least today. I did hit my head on a rock when I flipped on river right. Good thing I had head protection.

A big rain on Sunday the 14th brought the river up from 100 cfs to 1,000 cfs within a 24 hours period. A rare event. The level is just below 993 cfs. Eddies on both sides were good, but the wave seems a bit different. It wasn't very sticky and not easy to stay on. There was no side surfing hole on either left or right. On far left, at a 'corner', I could front surf for quite a while. On river right, near the 'corner', I could get a few spins before falling off. For me, at this level and this day, it was a bit frustrating.

Snowmelt caused the river to rise. Nice day, 50 degrees and sunny. There was still ice across the river upstream and an occasional chunk of ice coming down stream. I was the only one there from noon to 3, but as I was leaving, Bill, then another paddler, showed up. Either left or right was good, though the surfing was bit better from the right. The green wave, just right of center, was good for front surfing. I could spin the rougher water/hole to the right of this. Going across and back wasn't too bad. The left was more of a whole and just to the left of center was the usual hole for side surfing.

Barely runnable. The river went down really fast. You could only get on from river right and then you had to pull yourself along the shore using tree roots. It was not retentive, but you could surf, mostly carving back and forth. There was one foam pile that may be more retentive for a play boat; I could get one spin and was either kicked off or had to go back down the wave to stay on. Regardless, it was worth the trip.

They are doing construction on the south shore and it is all fenced off. I parked on the south side in the facilities parking lot across the street and put in at the end of the fencing, just west of the pedestrian walkway. There was a large branch/small tree on river left between the eddy and the surf wave. Not a big deal, but certainly not something you wanted to get tangled in and I almost did once, so I gave up on river left. The river seemed different tonight; not as I remember at this level. It is a steep, rough wave all the way across without much retention. On river right, there was a frothy pillow for spins, but too far one way of the other, and you got kicked off.

LansingRiverTrail captured Steve and Doug surfing and posting on Facebook. Pretty good wave all the way across. You could enter either river left or right and surf either left or right.

The river was up for about 2 and a half weeks, from about March 18th to April 5th, but there was snow for most of the time and sub-freezing temps. I only went once at below freezing and was only above freezing for a handful of days at the end, when I went twice.

The river came up with the melting snow. A long winter and a lot of snow. It was darn cold today. Surfing at about 24 degrees. Ice forming on my drytop and pfd. At this level, it turns more toward a wave than a hole. You're pretty much limited to front surfing. And with these temperatures, I didn't try anything.

I was the only one out there. You couldn't get on from river left, too shallow. River right eddy was fine. The right was pretty much a shallow hole and left was a wave. You could surf from right to left and back again. I could spin in the whole, but could only seem to get one off before getting kicked off or just trying to stay on the wave. Flipped a few times and smacked by elbow once. Elbow pads would have been a good idea.

Beautiful day! Sun out, blue sky, 82 degrees. Both eddies were good. The best pay spot was on river right; the hole was there for side surfing and spinning. The rest of the wave was good for front surfing. A youth group with canoes and kayaks was running and re-running the drop during their paddle down the Red Cedar.

The river peaked at 1230cfs and is now on it's way down. River left and center was a wave. River right had a nice play hole, but no wider than about 10'. I was the only one there and parking was easy, being a Saturday and summer. The hole was a challenge to side surf, but spinning was easy. I got up to 8 spins before getting dizy and having to pull out. I flipped a few times, mostly because I was tired and indecisive about what move I would do next.

It rained almost 5' in some areas on the 12th and within 24 hrs, the Red Cedar went from 150cfs to runnable. It almost never goes up that fast. It went up 40 cfs in the 2 hours I was there. You could see the change in the level. There was one other kayaker with me. You could enter the wave from either eddy. The center of the river was a whole with waves on either side. I could front surf the wave and side surf the hole. I could spin in the hole, but almost always got kicked off after I finished the 360. Definitely worth paddling, but not the best level.

Friday is a great day to paddle at the wave. The small parking lot on the south side was empty when I got there at 5:30pm. No one else was on the wave. At this level, it is a bit below perfect. It is pretty much a river wide hole, which is fine, but not as many options. The primary feature is the center hole, maybe two boat lengths wide. I could side surf there all day. A spin was more of a challenge and I would always end up high in the foam and get kicked off. Did a few pretty good back surfs.

I was the only one out there. The level is dropping, but still good. The wave is mostly a hole at this level; good for kayakers, probably not as good for surf boarders. Spinning potential in the middle

Nice! There were two of us surfing; I played river left and middle and yellow kayak played river right. Worked great. The wave on the left 3rd was turning into a hole, the middle was a good hole and so was the right. I was spinning in the middle and yellow kayak was spinning on the right.

Up and running, but not as good as 1400 cfs. You could enter on either side, but river left was better surfing. There was some green water on the left, but that was turning into a hole. The middle third of the river was a hole. Don't get me wrong, it was a lot of fun, but a much rougher ride; no matter what you did, you were bouncing around. There is a concrete structure in the left eddie with a drain pipe coming out of it, about 150' down from the wave. A typical location to find yourself after beeing kicked off. At this level, it is two-thirds underwater. I tried to eddie out between the concrete and a tree; thought I could just squeeze through. Big mistake. I got broad side with my bow on the concrete and a 5' tree at my side. I flipped and couldn't roll up because of the tree. Considered pulling my skirt. Fortunately, the current wasn't that strong and I was able to pull my self up using the tree. Bad news. My fault. I was careless.

River peaked at 1640 yesterday and it is already down to 1400. I'd say that 1400 is a perfect level. There were two other kayaks when I got there about 5:00pm and a surfboarder. The sun finally came out after snowing in the morning. It may of been in the low 50's. River left had a smooth green wave and the middle was a nice hole. Surfboarders and kayakers could easily from surf on the green wave. The hole was maybe 10 to 15 feet wide. You could front, back and side surf. If you weren't near the edge, you could spin without getting kicked off. The hole had some keeping power.

First time the river has really been up and runnable this year. Even though it was in the low 40's and the water was even colder, there was a crowd. There were 4 surfers and 2 kayaks when I got there. A surfer said there was two more people earlier. When I left, another kayaker showed up. Good eddies on both sides, but the wave could only be attained on river left; river right was pretty washed out. For the first 3rd from left, it was a green wave, the middle 3rd was a hole, and then the last 3rd broke up into a series of small waves. Easy surfing on the green wave, you could stay all day, and one of the surfers did (more or less), though you could easily have two out there at the same time. There was more exciting surfing in the hole.