Iowa Whitewater Parks-- The Inside Scoop

I've managed to paddle all three IA whitewater parks, and wow, just wow!

Numerous diverse forces came together in Iowa to catalyze the creation of three (yes THREE! ) whitewater parks: (1) Public awareness of the danger of low-head dams, which are incredibly common in the downtown areas of numerous IA towns, (2) Flood mitigation money to remove housing and restore riverfront green space after numerous devastating floods in the past 10 years, (3) A push, with funding, by the IA DNR to remove low-head dams, (4) Community development leaders willing to hear new ideas for waterfront revitalization (5) An active paddling community (namely the Iowa Whitewater Coalition and others) willing to speak out at downtown development meetings to showcase and explain the attraction and positive financial impact rivers can have on a community. The resulting three whitewater parks have succeeded beyond most folks' wildest expectations.  They are magnets that draw people in to swim, tube, fish, walk, canoe, kayak, compete, picnic and just hang out down by the river.

So, what are they like?

Similarities:

All the parks share a huge number of characteristics. They are all free and open 24/7. They are all located adjacent to downtown, in small towns, with food, drink, and shops within 2 blocks. All were built when a low-head dam was torn down. They are all engineered with flat boulder-sized rocks cemented in place along the river banks (makes for easy access, safe footing, and a stable river bank). They all have a cement walking path along the river running from a take-out at the bottom back up to the upper pool above the upper feature.  Each park has at least one wave feature which consists of two flat-boulder wing dikes jutting out from opposite sides of the river with a cement underwater ramp in-between the dikes. The drop & ramp create a standing wave-- a wave that stays in one place-- that sometimes, some folks can surf on facing upriver.  The wing dikes are lowest near the center of the river and slope upwards towards the banks. With low flow, the water is centered in a narrow chute called the "feature" or "drop". As river levels rise, the width of the water channel (wave feature) widens out.  The wing dikes create an eddy current along the river bank that flows in the opposite direction of the river, so after you pass down through the feature, if you move out of the main current to the side (or center in Elkader) the mellow eddy current will return you right back to the feature (yes, it actually takes you back upriver!).

All the parks are easy to run if you are simply floating or paddling downriver. They are not dangerous.  They do not require fancy maneuvers or skills, although if debris has built up on the bridge piling after the last feature at CC, it does need to be avoided. All of the parks have bigger waves when the river is high, although extreme high water will flood-out the features. The American Whitewater summary page will tell you if the flow is sufficient (runnable), too low, or excessive (above runnable).

All the parks welcome swimmers, tubers, boogie boards, kayaks, and canoes on the water-- none have restrictions.  A helmet and a life jacket are a really good ideas no matter what type of craft you have. Canoes and kayaks are likely to take on a lot of water, so a spray skirt and airbags are also very smart ideas. None of the parks have lifeguards, so you are responsible for your safety and the safety of your family and friends. None of the parks have whitewater boats or equipment for rent, although that could change in the near future.

Differences:

Size of river from largest to smallest:  Charles City  > Elkader > Manchester.
Number of features:  Manchester- 6, Charles City- 3, Elkader- 2 (side by side)
Difficulty of wave from hardest to easiest: Charles City, Elkader (Gobbler), Manchester.
There are occasional classes at CCWW and Manchester is holding some free beginner classes and an informal 'league night', on Tuesdays, I believe. Manchester's Park/Rec department has a few whitewater boats for use on those nights.

The Parks

Charles City Whitewater Park  was the first to be built, opening in 2011.   (American Whitewater page)       (FB page)          (YouTube)       (USGS gauge)
Live webcam here: points at the first feature-- Dam Drop                                
Three features: Dam Drop, Doc's Drop, Exit Exam, in approx 1200' from top to bottom.

DamDrop @ Charles City

This is Iowa's premier ww park and with high flows (>1000 cfs)  it attracts advanced play boaters.  The Cedar River is the largest river of the three, so there is more flow passing through the features at CCWW than the other two parks. River flow is often measured in cubic feet per second, or cfs.  Lower flows are best for beginners, and at CCWW, those 'beginner levels' run from approx 350 - 550 cfs.  Higher flows are unforgiving, giving beginner surfers lots of dramatic flips.  Beginner surfers have lots of dramatic flips everywhere, though, not just at CCWW. :-)

This park has the widest features, so there is more room to maneuver on the feature. The first drop (Dam Drop) is also the largest wave of all three Iowa ww parks, and can be very intimidating to novice whitewater paddlers.  (It was to me!) However, it is very runnable when traveling downriver. The middle and lower features offer a less intimidating waves, and regardless of flow, one of them is usually wonderful for surfing.

CCWW hosts a couple of mildly competitive paddling events (Iowa boaters are mellow & fun loving-- they are not highly competitive)- notably the Charles City Challenge in early June and the Iowa Games (whitewater competition) in late June. Beginners are welcome in these events and there is usually a "novice" category in which to enter.

Elkader Whitewater Park (website)    (FB page)    (American Whitewater Page) (USGS gauge)
Live webcam    

The Gobbler @ Elkader

opened in 2014 and has a small group of very active, talented paddlers (play boaters) who are very welcoming to newcomers. The main wave on river right is called "The Gobbler" (it is the Turkey River :-) and a smaller feature on river left is a less intimidating feature for fish to climb, and raw beginner whitewater paddlers to practice ferrying and eddy turns. There is a big shallow, calm eddy in the middle of the river that makes a great recovery zone for beginners working on their combat roll. The great thing about Elkader for beginner whitewater paddlers is that when you flip, you don't have to worry about being swept down another drop upside down. A small spot on surfer's left of the Gobbler allows for advanced vertical moves even if flow is only moderate.

Elkader  has a special spot in my heart, for it was there that I achieved my combat roll.  (A combat roll is a successful roll carried out in bumpy, swirly whitewater currents, not a swimming pool ;-) There is a playground, an Algerian/Middle Eastern restaurant with both riverside seating and an impressive beer list, an Opera House, a candy store, antique stores, free wifi at the library, and a grocery store (all of downtown) within 4 blocks of the ww park. Elkader may be the most vibrant, tiny town in Iowa.

Manchester Whitewater Park (website)  (FB page)  (American Whitewater Page) (USGS gauge) Live webcam points at the 3rd feature       (YouTube)

Upper 3 features @ Manchester

opened in 2015 with six (6!) whitewater wave features. The Maquoketa River is the smallest of the three rivers and it's flow is very rain dependent. I suspect there will be many days & weeks when the flow is not sufficient to attract kayakers to this park (<  250  cfs maybe), but there will also be many days of flow in the  range predicted to be ideal: approx 250-500 cfs (unsure of numbers as this park is bran' spankin' new). It is a gorgeous park located in downtown Manchester with numerous shops, restaurants, and a brew pub within a block or two. The features are fairly narrow and mellow. This will undoubtedly be a fantastic place for beginning whitewater kayakers to work on ferrying, eddy turns and attempt surfing. At low flows, there won't be much surfing by skilled play boaters, but that makes it all the more accessible for beginners to get a lot of practice going in and out of the features working on edge control, gaining the skills necessary for surfing.

I hope you clicked on every link. These places have done a marvelous job with webcams, pictures, and friendly out-reach.  I also hope you get a chance to visit the parks this summer. Look for me in a yellow boat, with a yellow PFD, a yellow helmet, InnaVan down by the river, and stop me to say "Hello" and/or "Help!"  :-)

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