Cedar River

Sometimes, because we are blessed with so many incredible places to explore in our region, amazing places fly under the radar. Such was the case for me with the Cedar River in Leelanau County. This amazing place is easily accessed by boat at Solon Twp Park just north of Cedar on Rt 651. The river slowly meanders through Leelanau Conservancy’s 395-acre Cedar River Natural Area out to Lake Leelanau. The current is very slow so paddling back up stream from the lake is not an issue. The Cedar River and associated wetlands have largely gone undisturbed by humans, a fact seemingly confirmed by an area teeming with life. It’s also incredibly quiet… in fact I heard a deer make a deer noise for the first time in my life out there. It’s a noise you wouldn’t expect to come from such a graceful creature btw. Enjoy!