34 Nebraskaland • August-September 2022
ven though he hadn't used it for years, Dylan Knapp
brought his whitewater kayak with him when he
moved to Kearney in 2021. At the time, he didn't have
a clue he would be dusting it off , along with his bag
of playboating tricks, including fl at spins, stern squirts and
loops, when the state's fi rst whitewater park opened in his
new home a year later.
"I picked the perfect time to move to Kearney," said Knapp,
who was one of the fi rst to paddle the new rapids on Turkey
Creek when water started fl owing in April and has made
many excursions since.
"I've been waiting. To come here and actually have rapids
for the fi rst time in 8 or 10 years is huge."
History of the Kearney Water Trail
The whitewater park is located at the tail end of the
2.3-mile-long Kearney Water Trail, which has been a boon to
paddlers in town since the trail opened in 2016. A joint eff ort
between the Kearney Whitewater Association, the city of
Kearney and the Nebraska Public Power District, the trail
begins on the Kearney Canal in Yanney Park, joins Turkey
Creek a half-mile downstream and winds its way along the
southwestern edge of town before ending above Central
Avenue. It is open from April to October when the power
A Rapid City
Dylan Knapp of Kearney is all smiles as he rolls upright after doing a trick in the wave below the lower drop structure on the
Kearney Whitewater Park. A Florida native, Knapp began whitewater kayaking at summer camp in North Carolina, taught
classes at the University of Wyoming, and was thrilled when he moved to town and learned of plans for the park.
Story and photos by Eric Fowler
E
Kearney's new
whitewater park
