Cedar Creek, NJ
Ore Pond to Dudley Park
by Dean Leistikow
Wednesday, July 1, 2026
Our Cedar Creek trip was terrific though considerably more challenging than usual. The Western Ave water level gage was at 4.7, which is quite low; the water topped out at about 2 feet below the top of the Ore pond (which was a stream, not a pond) dam. There were more obstacles to avoid despite the substantial evidence that a huge effort had been made to clear the stream after the severe spring storm damage. The air temperature high was about 95 degrees. We cooled off in the creek many times.
There were few other paddlers, besides a group of about 10 that put in just before us. We saw a turtle, dragon flies and many small birds. There was 1 high and 2 low beaver dams to shimmy over and the concrete Ore pond dam to carry over. Joining me were Ira, Bruce, Naomi, Peter, Sumonnnat, Al, and Kathleen. Our group worked well together: advising upstream paddlers on how to navigate obstacles, helping carry boats over the dam, and stabilizing boats for reentry below the dam.
Dean