On a sunny June day, children combat the heat by jumping into the deep, cool darkness of the rock-lined river flowing through town. Kayakers surf effortlessly on a glassy wave as several people stroll by on a nearby footpath.

This idyllic scene may sound natural. But the water features are enhanced; the surf wave was planned and constructed in Steamboat Springs, Colo., to provide a place for whitewater kayakers to play, and the swimming hole was an added benefit.

Over the last decade, such whitewater parks have sprung up all over the country, from California and Nevada to Montana and Idaho. Soon, one could be coming to a place near you, like Skowhegan, Maine; Binghamton, N.Y.; or Willimantic, Conn.–all towns with organizations working to build whitewater parks.

The East Coast already has some whitewater parks; 2006 saw the opening of the U.S. National Whitewater Center in Charlotte, N.C.–the training center for the U.S. Canoe and Kayak Team–and in 2007 Adventure Sports Center International opened atop Wisp Ski Resort in McHenry, Md., a locale that doubles as the International Whitewater Hall of Fame. Neither of these parks is free to the public, however; they charge fees of $15-$30 per session with your own gear or about $80 for a group lesson plus gear rental. The proposed parks coming to the Northeast–and those already built in Johnstown, Pa., and Pittsford, N.Y.–are fashioned after the public park system: open to all who have the equipment and time to use them.

In whitewater parks, recreational paddlers see opportunities for new access, and local communities see opportunities for economic development. In former mill towns in the Northeast like Skowhegan and Willimantic, which were built along rivers, the parks could create a new reason for travelers to visit and boost local businesses. They may also offer tools for riverway conservation, if they are properly constructed.

“In the Northeast, whitewater parks, and all the people they bring in, are becoming an incentive for complete downtown redevelopment,” says Tom Christopher, AMC Worcester Chapter member and former conservation chair of American Whitewater, a North Carolina-based nonprofit advocacy group that negotiates water releases and protects access to rivers nationwide. “And they can do nothing but help fisheries.”

Building Waves
Constructing a whitewater park can take the better part of a decade. Most funding comes from private donations, often matched by local governments with grants and tax dollars. Therefore, whitewater parks are usually folded into bigger community projects and goals. It’s easier for municipalities to rationalize earmarking funds if the community at large is benefiting from new trail systems, playground equipment, and environmental benefits like preserving open space or revitalizing fish habitat.

The park in Maryland is self-contained and set on top of a ski hill; it draws its water from the resort’s snowmaking holding ponds. But most whitewater parks are built in existing riverways and rely on naturally flowing water, as the proposed parks in the Northeast would.

A range of companies design and build whitewater parks. Some specialize in adjustable features, where gates can be opened and closed to create a better wave or hole depending on water levels and river depth. Other companies create more river-based designs, enhancing the riverbed to increase vertical drop by mixing cement and river rock to create underwater ledges. As a general rule, more water volume and natural vertical drop in the river give designers more options. Community organizations working toward completing a whitewater park have options too. “It’s about finding the right design that fits the river you’re working with,” says Dan Mullin, president of the Willimantic Whitewater Partnership in Connecticut.

The Northeast is chock-full of ideal rivers to work with, mostly because of the length of the season. Whitewater parks in this region can literally have water 10 months out of the year because they enjoy not only snowmelt in the spring but also rain in the fall and winter.

Plus the settings are unlike any you’ll find anywhere else. The proposed Willimantic park is set between old stone bridge pylons, and in the fall, the colors contrast with the aged rock, creating a classic old New England setting. In Maine, the proposed Skowhegan Gorge park would be like a little river expedition right in the middle of town.

Offering Recreation
Whitewater parks offer kayakers and whitewater enthusiasts a place to improve their skills and practice the latest “freestyle” moves right in the middle of towns. People can leave work at lunch to get a session in and not have to worry about finding a partner. Most likely, there’s already someone at the park playing.

“We taught over 1,300 people to paddle the first year the Charlotte park was open,” says whitewater park designer Scott Shipley, who designed the North Carolina complex. “That’s something I’m very proud of.”

Locals can learn to kayak at public whitewater parks by either meeting paddlers willing to teach them or by dropping a few bucks at nearby paddling shops that offer lessons and rent gear. Plus, schools can run whitewater programs through their outdoor recreation departments in these controlled environments. “It’s just a great way to network with other river-runners and river people,” says Jeff Paine, an avid kayaker who grew up in Connecticut and is the outreach director for American Whitewater.

But whitewater parks aren’t just for kayakers. “We have something for everyone in the community,” says Mullin, of the Willimantic Whitewater Partnership in Connecticut. The Willimantic park is still in the planning phase; Mullin hopes to have it up and running by 2012.

“We’re developing a linear park with swing sets and gazebos and we received a $2.2 million grant from SAFETEA-LU to extend the East Coast Greenway” alongside the whitewater park, Mullin says. SAFETEA-LU (the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users) is a federal act that authorized $286 billion in spending to improve transportation for motorists and pedestrians. The East Coast Greenway is a proposed 3,000-mile bicycle and pedestrian path stretching from Florida to Maine that is already in place in some towns. The Willimantic group will extend the Greenway to connect two historic districts with a train museum and a textile museum while also building benches, play areas, and picnic spots.

The Willimantic Whitewater Partnership’s interests have become so diverse that it has had to separate its fundraising into groups to raise money for the different projects–one for the whitewater feature, another for entertainment features like an outdoor amphitheater and arts zone, and yet another for the Greenway extension. The first phase of the actual Willimantic Whitewater Park–including two waves–will cost about $600,000. The group also plans to lease two properties aside from the 3.5 acres it already owns to preserve the native ecosystem.

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