See all 29 routes on Cedar River
New York | Hamilton and Essex Counties / Blue Mountain Wild Forest and Essex Chain Lakes Complex
Cedar River
Pelon Road to Outer Gooley / Hudson River
Route planning details, access notes, and local verification guidance.
Route location
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Need to know
Why this call
Conditions
Gauge history and hourly forecast
Use the gauge context and hourly forecast to verify local conditions before launching.
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
Checking weather.
Loading today's forecast.
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 planning-only approximately 18-mile Cedar River wilderness route from the NYSDEC Pelon/Benton Road access to the Outer Gooley Hudson take-out. American Whitewater describes mixed flatwater and Class II–III water with a possible Class IV Cedar/Hudson confluence drop, a low golf-course bridge requiring a portage, and one long mid-route egress. NYSDEC independently publishes both access areas, seasonal road/carry constraints, the hard boundary before the Indian River/Hudson Gorge, and designated Essex Chain camping context.
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
NYSDEC Pelon Road / Benton Road Cedar River accessNYSDEC’s Pelon Road River Parking Area is an official access-area anchor while American Whitewater supplies the route’s water-entry coordinate; confirm the exact carry and wetted-edge entry in the field.
Take-out
Outer Gooley Hudson River take-outOuter Gooley is a seasonal public access and short-carry context, not a guaranteed ramp; confirm the road, gate, parking, landing, and take-out above the Indian River confluence.
Plan this segment
Pulling access map tiles. Usually under 5 seconds.
Access caveats and watch for
Access caveats
- NYSDEC’s Pelon Road River Parking Area is an official access-area anchor while American Whitewater supplies the route’s water-entry coordinate; confirm the exact carry and wetted-edge entry in the field.
- Outer Gooley is a seasonal public access and short-carry context, not a guaranteed ramp; confirm the road, gate, parking, landing, and take-out above the Indian River confluence.
- The Gooley Club Road point is a long emergency walkout and not a routine public take-out; do not plan the route around an assumed vehicle shuttle there.
Watch for
- 01315500 proxy stage, local rain, rapidly changing water, shallow sections, wood, debris, cold water, road gates, and daylight
- Low bridge portage, narrow rapids, blind bends, strainers, the possible Cedar/Hudson confluence drop, and limited rescue/egress
- Pelon/Benton and Outer Gooley parking/carry, private or golf-course banks, seasonal access rules, and the mandatory exit before Hudson Gorge
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
Data and sources
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 | Hudson River at North Creek, NY |
| Gauge height | Checking |
| Discharge | 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 | 4.00 ft |
| High threshold | Not calibrated yet |
| Evidence strength behind the range | Official and local sources |
| Gauge observed | Checking |
| Paddle Today updated | Checking |
| Main source behind this score | American Whitewater historical approximately 4-foot Newcomb/North Creek stage planning context; this downstream proxy is not a universal cutoff and local Cedar conditions control. |
| 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 corridorPelon Road to Outer Gooley / Hudson River; approximately 18 miles; Class I–III with possible Class IV confluence hazard
American Whitewater publishes the distinct Cedar River reach, endpoint names, trip distance/context, route character, egress, bridge portage, confluence hazard, and route boundary.
- Official public accessNYSDEC Pelon/Benton Cedar River access and Outer Gooley Hudson access
NYSDEC independently publishes the Pelon Road/Benton Road Cedar access, Outer Gooley access, seasonal road/carry context, and the required Hudson take-out boundary.
- Downstream proxy gaugeUSGS 01315500 Hudson River at North Creek, NY
The live station is downstream and off the route; use it only as clearly labeled stage context alongside local rain, visual depth, wood, and tributary conditions.
- Route-specific flow guidanceAmerican Whitewater historical approximately 4-foot Newcomb/North Creek stage planning context
This is a historical low-water screen and not a universal cutoff; the route remains planning-only because the station is a downstream proxy and local Cedar conditions control.
- Camping contextEssex Chain designated primitive sites and nearby basecamp/campground options
NYSDEC publishes designated camping and nearby campground context; the route does not claim endpoint camping or unmarked shoreline camping.
- Route imageCedar River Flow dam image used as same-river Adirondack context
The Wikimedia image depicts the Cedar River system rather than certifying the exact Pelon-to-Outer-Gooley reach, current flow, wood, access, or a runnable line.
- Same-river proxy gaugeUSGS 01315500, Hudson River at North Creek, NY
USGS 01315500 is downstream on the Hudson River near North Creek and is not route-local. American Whitewater provides approximately 4 feet as historical Newcomb/North Creek planning context only; local rain, Cedar tributaries, shallow reaches, wood, and the group’s actual conditions control.
- Safety and river conditionsCheck live gauge, recent rainfall, trend, debris, bridges, and access conditions before launch
American Whitewater / NYSDEC Blue Mountain Wild Forest / Essex Chain Lakes Complex and its linked safety material warn that conditions change rapidly and require local inspection.
- Image decisionApproved watershed/proxy-gauge context image used for route presentation
The image is clearly labeled as watershed/proxy-gauge context and does not claim to depict this exact reach.
Verify it yourselfCheck the source links
Use these links to double-check the gauge, route details, and access notes before you head out.
- American Whitewater / NYSDEC Blue Mountain Wild Forest / Essex Chain Lakes Complex route record
- American Whitewater Cedar River route map and NYSDEC access map
- USGS 01315500 Hudson River at North Creek live stage context
- NYSDEC Essex Chain Lakes access, road, and camping rules
- USGS 01315500 monitoring location
- USGS 01315500 current conditions
- Cedar River context 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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More routes to check next
Compare another stretch on this river, or jump to nearby options before you pick a plan.
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Quick answers
Cedar River paddling FAQ
What water level is good for paddling Cedar River?
Paddle Today watches Hudson River at North Creek, NY and uses 4.00 ft as the conservative low-water floor for this route. The ideal range still needs more paddler reports.
Where does this Cedar River route start and end?
This route starts at NYSDEC Pelon Road / Benton Road Cedar River access and ends at Outer Gooley Hudson River take-out, about Approximately 18 river miles from the Pelon/Benton Road access to the Outer Gooley Hudson take-out on the water.
Is this Cedar River route good for beginners?
This is listed as a hard route. Treat the live score as a planning aid, then confirm conditions, hazards, access, and group skill before launching.
Flag a change
See something outdated?
Access, hazards, wood, and shuttle details change. Send a quick correction if something looks off.