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Return to the "Put-in" (Home page) Format of descriptions Disclaimers
RIVER: Honey Creek
        LOCATION: Wauwatosa, WI.
AMENITIES: Click for Milwaukee Area Amenities (food, lodging, etc.)
PUT-IN: Honey Creek Parkway, just N.W. of 84th Street, 0.1 North (downstream) of powerlines (Illegal)   Note#2   Note#4
TAKE-OUT: Confluence with Menomonee River (Illegal)   Note#2   Note#4
(or proceed with lower Menomonee run, which is likely to be running high if Honey Creek is high enough to boat).
           SHUTTLE: Follow Honey Creek Parkway 1.4 miles.
                   DIST: 1.6 miles
TIME: 1 hour
CLASS: II-III
    CHARACTER: Cement trough with a few river wide artificial ledges becomes 'city-canyon', with some constriction and boulder jumbles.   Note#6
    GRADIENT: 34FPM
GAUGE: None (Visual). May correlate with U.S.G.S. Menomonee River (look for 600cfs or more) or Underwood Creek (a more similar sized watershed) (look for 100cfs or more).   Note#5
            SEASON: Generally runnable only in early spring or immediately during/after heavy rain (quick runoff).
  This reach is not reccommended for a number of reasons: (1) to the best of my knowledge there is no legal access, (2) water quality is horrendous (See Note#6), (3) it's a cement ditch with ugly, regular pourovers, (4) it is in a very residential area with parklands, likely to be very 'populated' with county personnel, (5) did I mention it's illegal?
  The first half of the reach (more or less) is a cement trough with a number of river-wide artificial ledges on the order of two to three feet. Some of these have VERY wicked reversals at high water. Most bridges are followed by (or straddle) such drops. The second half of the reach is 'natural' streambed 'city-canyon', with gabion banks (wire cages filled with stones) and boulder jumble rapids. At very high water, the rip currents at the confluence with the Menomonee are wild!
  If an illegal 'bandit' run, in awful city run-off water, in mostly cement ditch is your idea of fun, this one may be for you. Otherwise, hike it and 'fantasize' what it would have been like to boat if conditions were different.
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