Whitewater Park

Salida Whitewater Park

The Salida Whitewater Park is located along 1200’ feet of the Arkansas River in downtown Salida. The Whitewater Park is a City park contained wholly within the banks of the Arkansas River at 200 N G St. Salida, CO 81201.

Description

The Whitewater Park is comprised of 4 engineered whitewater features, constructed out of rock and concrete, that create whitewater features for surfing kayaks, Paddleboards, surfboards and body boards. 

The Whitewater Park also includes riverside trails and bank improvements to allow people to wander along the river or dip their toes in the Arkansas River. The Whitewater Park allows access to the City’s most precious resource for a variety of users and during the summer months creates a Rocky Mountain beach scene, 7000’ above sea level. 

History

Salida’s historic rail yard is located on one side of the Arkansas River and downtown Salida grew up across the river from the tracks.  Our historic downtown business district was largely developed as a result of the railroad depot located just across the F Street bridge in downtown Salida. One side effect of the City’s historic development was the Arkansas River was essentially put into a flood control ditch with the banks being built up with concrete debris to protect properties and maximize space for both the downtown and rail yard. 

The trains stopped running in 1997, and in 1999 the Arkansas River Trust was founded to raise money and develop a plan to create a whitewater park in downtown Salida. Salida has a long history of whitewater boating with the FIBArk Boat Races event that has run every father’s day weekend since 1949. In the 1960s, boaters started moving rocks around in the Arkansas River to enhance the whitewater slalom course in downtown Salida. This type of effort went on well into the 1990s when the Arkansas River Trust undertook a larger planning effort to improve access to the Arkansas River corridor in downtown Salida. 

Conservation Efforts

Through the efforts of the Arkansas River Trust, City of Salida, private businesses, residents of Salida and over five major phases of construction, the river corridor was transformed from a neglected and inaccessible channel to the beating heart of downtown Salida that you see today.