New Jersey | Ocean County / Double Trouble State Park and Barnegat Bay watershed
Cedar Creek
Ore Pond Canoe Access to William J. Dudley Park
Check current paddling conditions for this Cedar Creek route, including water level, recent gauge trend, weather, and route details.
Route location
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Need to know
Why this call
Conditions
Gauge history and hourly forecast
The top card is the quick read. This lower section keeps the longer gauge trend, gauge context, and hourly forecast together.
Gauge detail
Gauge history & hourly forecastDetailed view
Gauge
Recent trend
Checking preferred range.
Checking trend.
Gauge source
--Checking timestampMN DNR provides the current paddling level here, but not chart-ready recent samples.
Weather
Hourly forecast
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Next 8 hours
Short-route forecast
Checking the next several hours.
Route overview
Quick facts and what's next
Distance, difficulty, shuttle basics, and the near-term outlook before you commit to the drive.
Quick facts
Plan ahead
Upcoming outlook
These are early planning reads. Re-check live conditions before you commit to the drive.
Waiting on forecast.
Waiting on forecast.
Plan
Plan your trip
Launch points, shuttle details, distance, and access notes.
Route logistics
Access and shuttle
A bounded Cedar Creek planning reach from the named Ore Pond canoe access through Double Trouble Village and Western Boulevard to William J. Dudley Park.
Plan a shorter segmentOptional
Access planner
Pick a shorter segment
This changes launch and take-out logistics, not today's river score.
Peltier Lake to Long Lake is the full route. Shorter access pairs are useful when wind, time, or group energy changes the plan.
Prepare this trip
Take the plan with you
Download the canonical route, add a calendar hold, or send a simple float plan to your group.
Put-in
Ore Pond Canoe AccessNJDEP names Ore Pond and White Bridge as state-park canoe/kayak access locations, but its current storm-damage advisory controls and advises alternate locations until debris is cleared.
Take-out
William J. Dudley ParkOre Pond parking and access are off a sand road; confirm the current road, carry trail, launch surface, debris, and waterline before unloading.
Plan this segment
Pulling access map tiles. Usually under 5 seconds.
Access caveats and watch for
Access caveats
- NJDEP names Ore Pond and White Bridge as state-park canoe/kayak access locations, but its current storm-damage advisory controls and advises alternate locations until debris is cleared.
- Ore Pond parking and access are off a sand road; confirm the current road, carry trail, launch surface, debris, and waterline before unloading.
- White Bridge is walk-in/livery restricted and is not counted as an independent vehicle-access endpoint. Western Boulevard is retained as a route checkpoint, not a current take-out entitlement.
- Dudley Park is outside Double Trouble State Park and subject to local ordinances; confirm current beach/park conditions, parking, landing, and any swimming/lifeguard controls before taking out.
Watch for
- USGS 01408900 direct Cedar Creek at Western Boulevard route-context station, recent rain, flow trend, visual depth, and the current NJDEP closure/clearance notice
- downed trees, strainers, beaver dams, Ore Pond dam portage, shallow water, submerged wood, bridge hydraulics, cold water, wind, and missed Dudley landing
- Ore Pond sand-road access, Double Trouble hours, White Bridge walk-in restriction, Dudley municipal parking/beach rules, local ordinances, daylight, and shuttle failure
Route gallery
See this route on the water
Photos help show what the access looks like and what the route actually feels like on the water.
Score & sources
Why this score
See the gauge, weather, and source notes behind today's call.
Why this scoreToday's evidence strength is checking
Evidence strength mostly comes down to three things: how direct the active gauge is, how clear the range is, and how fresh the data is.
- Checking evidence-strength notes.
- Checking evidence cautions.
Data behind the scoreGauge, thresholds, and timing
These are the live readings and threshold notes behind today's score.
| Gauge site | Cedar Creek at Western Blvd near Lanoka Harbor, NJ |
| Discharge | Checking |
| Gauge height | Checking |
| 24h trend | Checking |
| 24h change | Checking |
| Current band | Checking |
| Rain last 24h | Checking |
| Rain last 72h | Checking |
| Air temp | Checking |
| Water temp | Checking |
| Wind | Checking |
| Gusts | Checking |
| Rain timing | Checking |
| Ideal range | Needs paddler reports |
| Known low-water floor | Not calibrated yet |
| High threshold | Not calibrated yet |
| Evidence strength behind the range | Official data source |
| Gauge observed | Checking |
| Paddle Today updated | Checking |
| Main source behind this score | NJDEP Double Trouble State Park Cedar Creek guidance and current closure advisory |
| Gauge source | Checking |
| Weather source | Checking |
| Rainfall source | Checking |
NotesWhat to know before you go
These notes cover the access details, route quirks, and source caveats most likely to matter once you get there.
- Named moving-water corridorCedar Creek canoe/kayak water trail from Ore Pond through Double Trouble Village and Western Boulevard to Dudley Park
NJDEP’s current Double Trouble page names the three state-park access locations, gives the Ore Pond-to-White Bridge, White Bridge-to-Western Boulevard, and Western Boulevard-to-Dudley approximate timing chain, and identifies the downstream Dudley/rail-trail context.
- Public endpoint evidenceNJDEP Ore Pond canoe/kayak access plus NJDEP Dudley Park/Cedar Creek downstream endpoint context
Ore Pond has nearby parking; Dudley is a downstream municipal park. Both require current clearance, parking, carry, waterline, landing, and local-rule confirmation; current storm debris is a hard no-go.
- On/near-water coordinate evidenceOre Pond water-entry coordinate and NJDEP Pinelands/NJDEP water-quality coordinate for Cedar Creek at Dudley Park
Ore Pond coordinate is a documented paddling water-entry anchor corroborating NJDEP’s named access. Dudley coordinate is an NJDEP program stream-site anchor at the named park; neither is a surveyed wetted-edge or current-condition guarantee.
- Direct flow evidenceUSGS 01408900 Cedar Creek at Western Boulevard near Lanoka Harbor, downstream of Double Trouble State Park
Use the direct station’s available telemetry and trend only with current park clearance, recent rain, visual depth, debris, wind, and local conditions; no numeric recreational cutoff is inferred.
- Route-specific flow and hazard guidanceNJDEP approximate segment times, portage posture, PFD/tubing restrictions, and current storm-debris advisory
The route remains closed for practical purposes until NJDEP confirms clearance. When reopened, paddle only within the current water/trail conditions, portage the Ore Pond dam, and turn around for unsafe wood, depth, current, or access.
- Camping postureNearby basecamp only
No state-park, Dudley Park, launch-road, or Cedar Creek shoreline camping entitlement is claimed.
- Live gaugeUSGS 01408900, Cedar Creek at Western Blvd near Lanoka Harbor, NJ
Direct route-context station: use current discharge, gage height, recent rain, and visual conditions together; no numeric recreational cutoff is transferred.
- Approved route imageryRights-cleared same-river or same-water-trail context image
Approved public-domain New Jersey Pine Barrens moving-water context image; it provides same-water-family context and does not depict the Cedar Creek access points or certify debris clearance, flow, water quality, access, or safety.
Verify it yourselfCheck the source links
Use these links to double-check the gauge, route details, and access notes before you head out.
- NJDEP Double Trouble State Park current Cedar Creek advisory
- NJDEP comprehensive Double Trouble trail guide
- NJDEP Pinelands Cedar Creek/Dudley coordinate record
- USGS Cedar Creek at Western Boulevard
- Philadelphia Canoe Club Cedar Creek trip details
- USGS 01408900 monitoring location
- USGS 01408900 current conditions
- New Jersey public-access inventory
- Approved route image
Paddler reports
Recent notes from paddlers
A few quick notes from people who were on this route recently.
Reports
Paddler reports
See recent photos and notes from people on the route.
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Quick answers
Cedar Creek paddling FAQ
What water level is good for paddling Cedar Creek?
Paddle Today watches Cedar Creek at Western Blvd near Lanoka Harbor, NJ and uses Not calibrated yet as the conservative low-water floor for this route. The ideal range still needs more paddler reports.
Where does this Cedar Creek route start and end?
This route starts at Ore Pond Canoe Access and ends at William J. Dudley Park, about Approximately 6.4 river miles on the water.
Is this Cedar Creek route good for beginners?
This is listed as a moderate route. Expect more planning than an easy float, and use the live score, route notes, and source links before committing.
Flag a change
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Access, hazards, wood, and shuttle details change. Send a quick correction if something looks off.