Kelly’s Whitewater Park – a family destination
Kelly’s Whitewater Park is located in Cascade, Idaho – about 1.5 hours north of Boise. This was our 3rd stop here, and our first time coming during the “summer season”. The first few days did not seem promising as we had big rains, cool winds and were watching snow accumulate on the local peaks out our window.
The first sunny warm day was also the same day as the North Fork Championship, held just south of Kelly’s near the town of Banks on the North Fork of the Payette River. The sun was shining, the river was pumping (running over 4000 cfs, which equals HIGH WATER) and it was a tonne of fun. We got to meet Canadian kayak legend Benny Marr, who is one heck of a nice guy, and watch Dane Jackson style a very challenging course and come away with the win for the second year in a row. If you are in the area and the race is on, be sure to make the effort to check it out. A great day for paddlers and spectators alike. Hint: Bring foam to sit on the rocks and a cooler with drinks and snacks as it’s a full day of fun.
The North Fork was at high water levels for the first full week we were there. It was fun to paddle the top wave at everything from 5,000 cfs down to 2,500 cfs over the course of a week’s time. All of our other experiences were at 1,200 cfs so this was a big change. At high water the top feature has both a juicy hole and a super green surf wave, combined together. This allows you to work on all sorts of tricks and skills.
My focus was making friends with the big foamy hole, which took a good 6 days BUT left me with another 6 days to work on my wave skills which was pretty fun. Tim tackled learning wave loops and was doing well by the second week. Hunter got so comfortable in the feature that he and Tim party surfed it together and he tackled learning how to do front and back blunts.
The one downside of living in a parking lot at the side of the river is the wildlife…Hunter found a mouse in his boat one day – luckily it was before he got in!
The middle wave at Kelly’s is a fabulous place to play for people of all levels. It isn’t really in at high water so we were happy when the levels dropped down to 2500 cfs and it came back. It’s almost river wide with eddy service on both sides and deep enough to loop if you line up with the osprey nest on the short.
The middle wave is also a great place to SUP surf and surf surf. We brought the surf boards out and had a great time figuring out the wave. We all decided that it should be classified more as a swimming activity than surfing based on the % of time actually spent standing on the board.
The middle wave is just off a large rock island, which is a 2 minute walk from the parking lot. You lug all of your various toys out there for the day and then play/rest/swap/repeat for hours on end. With warm water and warm temps it really is an ideal summer playground for families of all interests.
One of the best parts of our stop this year was being there with friends. We capped the stay off with a convoy out to the local natural hot springs. There are 2 pools that have been built that are beside a small creek with pipes running from the creek that you can use to moderate the temperatures in the pool. Bring some beverages and snacks and it’s a fabulous afternoon or evening activity.
We had a great two weeks in Cascade this year. It is a fabulous small town, with great outdoor amenities and really friendly people. There are a number of campgrounds in the area if you want more than a dirt parking lot to stay in. Can’t wait to explore more of the runs on the Payette next year. Oh – and if you happen to come across a set of keys for a Ford F350 and 5th wheel – call Tim!
