Many of the mountain towns in Colorado developed around rivers as sources of fresh water. Today those rivers are being transformed into surfable whitewater playgrounds. A whitewater park is essentially a stretch of river that has been altered to create a series of drops and pools that are fun to float with a kayak, canoe, standup paddleboard (SUP), or some just in a tube. In celebration of these watering holes for river junkies, white water festivals have sprung up across the state.

Buena Vista Whitewater Park

In Buena Vista, just over Independence Pass, the white water park runs along the Arkansas River in downtown, from East Main Street to the South Main District. Main Street essentially dead-ends at the river, just a few blocks beyond the business district. With park just above the banks of the water it is a great gathering space, with vantages of all the waves for spectators to watch river-goers. In this stretch of the Arkansas, the river has five whitewater structures that attract to a wide assortment of abilities, from easy play waves and surf waves to an advanced freestyle hole. The bike path stretches the length of the run, making it perfect place to walk back up for another practice run.

There are two water festivals in Buena Vista- CKS PaddleFest and King and Queen of the Wave, each with competitions and clinics for watercraft of all kinds.

Salida Whitewater Park

A few miles further down the Arkansas River is the Salida whitewater Park, which runs a quarter mile right through the center of town. There are four feature- two holes and two waves. The community has really clustered around the river revival- with restaurants and businesses springing up along the shore. My favorite is the Boathouse, which extends out over the water, with its tables overlooking Boat Hole so diners can watch, and even cheer for floaters.

River events not to miss are the SalidaSUP Sesh and FibARK. FibARK boasts to be “America’s Oldest and Boldest Whitewater Festival.” This year marked the 64th year of the downriver race, through some truly daunting rapids. There is something for everyone though, with a raft rodeo, hooligan race, freestyle kayak, and even a river dog event.

Montrose Whitewater Park

Hop, skip and a jump over to Montrose will take you to one of the largest whitewater parks in the state, and also the newest, having just opened this past May. The park runs 1,000 feet of the Uncompaghre River and includes six diverse whitewater features, dropping 11 feet over a quarter mile.

To kick off the first summer, Montrose hosted the FUNC (Fun on the Uncompaghre) Festival for kayaks and SUPs complete with a downriver sprint, a cross course and all sorts of dry land activities. The water sports park is paralleled by a terraced spectator areas, allowing stream-side spectators to enjoy the river and cheer on competitors.

The best part of the Montrose Park is that you can run it all summer long since the river flow is controlled for irrigation. This makes for continual flows long after water in other Rocky Mountain rivers has dwindled.