Sycamore Creek (Michigan) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Sycamore Creek
Sycamore Creek in Lansing
A map of Sycamore Creek and its watershed.
Country	United States
State	Michigan
County	Ingham
Townships	Leslie, Vevay, Alaiedon, Delhi
Municipalities	Mason, Lansing
Physical characteristics
Main source	Leslie Township 973 ft (297 m) 42°28′55″N 84°27′13″W / 42.481981°N 84.453583°W / 42.481981; -84.453583
River mouth	Red Cedar River Lansing 820 ft (250 m) 42°42′51″N 84°31′42″W / 42.7142018°N 84.5283112°W / 42.7142018; -84.5283112
Length	26.5 mi (42.6 km)
Basin features
Basin size	106.1 sq mi (275 km2)
Hydrologic Unit Codes	040500040505, 040500040506, 040500040507 (USGS)

Sycamore Creek in Lansing

Sycamore Creek is a tributary of the Red Cedar River in the state of Michigan in the United States. The stream is 26.5 miles (42.6 km) long and drains an area of 106.1 square miles (275 km²) on the central Lower Peninsula, in and around the city of Lansing. Via the Red Cedar River, it is part of the watershed of the Grand River, which flows to Lake Michigan. Via Lake Michigan and the Great Lakes system, it is part of the larger watershed of the St. Lawrence River.

Sycamore Creek flows for its entire length in Ingham County. It begins in Leslie Township, approximately 2.4 miles (3.9 km) northwest of the city of Leslie, and flows generally north-northwestward through Leslie and Vevay townships; the city of Mason; Alaiedon and Delhi townships; and the southeastern part of the city of Lansing. It flows into the Red Cedar River in Lansing, 1.6 miles (2.6 km) upstream of the Red Cedar River's mouth at the Grand River.

Watershed characteristics

The Sycamore Creek watershed consists of three HUC-12 subwatersheds, as defined by the United States Geological Survey:

Terrain in the Sycamore Creek watershed is generally rolling, with hilly and swampy sections. According to a watershed management plan for the Red Cedar River submitted in 2015 by the Michigan State University Institute of Water Research (IWR), the Sycamore Creek watershed had a population of approximately 72,975 at the 2010 census, with most of that population living in the lower (northern) part of the watershed, which includes part of the city of Lansing and nearby urbanized areas. Land use in the watershed as of 2006 was as follows:

A survey conducted for the same IWR report found approximately 2,478 large farm animals living in the watershed. Approximately 2,504 homes in the watershed were serviced by septic systems as of 2012.

Recreational trails have been built alongside or near portions of the creek in Mason (the Hayhoe Riverwalk), Delhi Township (the Sycamore Trail), and Lansing (the southern part of the Lansing River Trail).

Tributaries

This is a list of named streams in the Sycamore Creek watershed, as identified by the National Hydrography Dataset. The list's default order is from the mouth of the creek to its source.