Cedar Creek Canyon Indiana

Cedar Creek Canyon, also known as Cedar Canyon, is a narrow gorge in Allen County, Indiana, with depths ranging from 50 to 100 feet. It houses part of Cedar Creek, the largest tributary of the St. Joseph River. The canyon formed at the end of the last ice age as a tunnel valley under the Erie Lobe of the Wisconsin Glacier, discharging meltwater into the ancestral Eel River. This process led to stream piracy, diverting the upper Eel River into Cedar Creek and forming its current course.

This diversion was part of a broader drainage reversal in northeastern Indiana when the Maumee River captured 175,000 acres from the Wabash watershed. The lower Eel remained a Wabash tributary while the upper portion joined the Maumee system. The flow reversal was likely accelerated by downcutting of the St. Joseph River, increasing tributary velocity and causing headward erosion. A tributary east of the tunnel valley became Cedar Creek, eventually capturing the ancestral Eel's upstream segment.

Today, Cedar Creek Canyon is a picturesque forested area north of Fort Wayne with diverse environments. The creek section from mile 13.7 to its confluence with the St. Joseph is designated as an Outstanding State Resource Water and part of Indiana’s Natural Rivers system. Vandolah Nature Preserve includes canyon areas, while nearby Bicentennial Woods features similar terrain with a large Cedar Creek tributary. Geocaches are located along the riverbanks.