Cadron Creek Paddle – March 7, 2025

On Friday March 7th, seven of us did an impromptu paddle on the upper Cadron Creek. We put in at the Hwy 142 Cadron Creek Access and paddled to the access at Mill Bridge Road, approximately 4.5 miles.

The water level was 3.9 feet, and the weather was a little chilly but not bad. This section had a few flat spots but enough fast current to make it interesting. After the paddle we loaded boats and headed back to camp for a group meal of pulled pork bar-b-que, chilidogs and some dutch oven deserts!

Paddle Stats:

Put In:   Highway 142 Bridge. New access point with some parking and a difficult launch.

Take Out: Mill Bridge Road.    Primitive access point with very little parking. You really need to scout this access before use to make sure you are adequately skilled to take out at this location.

Trip Length: 4.5 miles

Water level at Guy gauge: 3.9 ft

Cadron Creek Paddle – March 8, 2025

Saturday morning’s weather started out cold with rain in the forecast.  Fortunately, the rain never came. After unloading boats and shuttling vehicles to the takeout, 10 paddlers in 10 kayaks set off for a very exciting paddle.  

We put in at Highway 65 bridge and took out about ten miles downstream at the state Highway 285 bridge.  This section of the Cadron creek has high bluffs making for spectacular scenery and enough riffles and short drops to make the paddling interesting.  The rating for this section is Class I and II+.  The water level on the Guy gauge was 3.43 ft.  At that level, the riffles and drops were pretty fun.  There were some standing waves that got some of us pretty wet.

There was enough room to scoot by the Rock of Gibraltar on the right side, but everyone made it just fine.  The Rock of Gibraltar is a huge rock that sits right in the middle of the creek and at some water levels, it poses a real hazard for paddles. None of the paddlers turned over and everyone had a great time!

The day ended at Ropers restaurant in Greenbriar. They offer great “home cooked” meals and some of the best pies and cakes for desert!

A big thank you goes out to Allen Piercy and Paul Beebe for helping with the vehicle shuttle.

Paddle Stats:

Put In:   Highway 65 Bridge.  Nice access point with ample parking.

Take Out: State Highway 285 Bridge.  Nice access point with ample parking. 

Trip Length: 10 miles

Water level at Guy gauge: 3.43 ft