August-September 2022 • Nebraskaland 37
and Fort Kearny State Recreation Area. Parking is available
in the lot at the end of the water trail on Central Avenue.
If You Build It
There are more than 70 manmade whitewater parks of
varying shapes and sizes around the country, with more on the
way. Each draws paddlers from near and far, a fact that was
included in the economic development side of the fundraising
pitch used by the Kearney Whitewater Association. An
economic impact study completed by a University of Nebraska
at Kearney student estimated the park would draw 7,900
paddlers, nearly half from outside Buff alo County, and bring
$1 million annually to the community.
That doesn't surprise Rowh, who said 16 fl oat trips the group
organized on the water trail since it opened and promoted
through social media drew people from 44 cities and eight
states. In its fi rst month, the whitewater park had already
drawn people from across Nebraska. "People from Colorado,
Iowa and South Dakota are online talking about making trips
this summer," Rowh said. "It will bring people, there's no
doubt."
Bob Peterson has been whitewater kayaking since 1975
and drove 2.5 hours from Norfolk to try out the new park
the week it opened. He came back in May with his son and
grandson. "I don't get to [whitewater kayak] much because I
live in Nebraska," he said. "I've always had a full-time job, so
it's always been long weekends and vacations."
Peterson liked what he found, spending a few hours
playboating in the features. "It's real easy surfi ng," he said.
"It's real easy to get in, and it's pretty forgiving."
Though you can seemingly buy a kayak anywhere these
days, retailers in Kearney may want to expand their selection
to include short, skirted, maneuverable, whitewater kayaks
as more people try out the park. Knapp and Justin Stout,
outdoor adventure coordinator at UNK's campus recreation
department, are talking about teaching roll classes so those
who fl ip can get back upright while riding the waves. "It's
going to be a fun summer," Rowh said.
N
Members of the Kearney Whitewater Association paddle below the top drop structure of the Kearney Whitewater Park on
Turkey Creek during a dedication on May 19. The grassroots group raised roughly half of the funds for the $700,000 project.
