Reno's Whitewater Park Photo by Scott Eilers

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Reno's Truckee River Whitewater Park officially opened this month to the delight of kayakers and city officials alike. Running through the middle of town and only a short walk away from the casinos of the "Biggest Little City," this $1.5 million dollar project seems to be one of the best bets this gambling town has made in a while.

The 2,600 foot long park is open year round, is rated class II-III in difficulty depending on water level, and has two channels - one for playboating and one as a course for competitive slalom racing. There are several strategically placed boulders and manmade features, most in the ledge drop style with easy access for surfing. There's a park on the island between the channels and an outdoor amphitheater for summertime concerts.

"It's already made an impact on this community," says Greg Schmidt, a Sparks, Nevada resident and employee of Patagonia's Reno shipping facility. "I run into people all the time who say they are getting into paddling because of this park, and it's bringing in people from out of town as well."

A look around the parking lot confirmed that over half of the cars parked along the river with kayak racks had out of state license plates, and a fair share of spectators were lining the boardwalk along the park just to watch the boaters. No doubt a pleasant sight for those backing this project, which include the City of Reno, the Nevada Commission on Tourism, and the casinos which played a major role in financing the project.

It's no secret that Reno has taken a hit from the rise of Indian Gaming in recent years, so city officials needed to explore ways to bring people back to Reno. They saw a whitewater park as an affordable way to help revitalize the spirit of the city, help market Reno as an outdoor mecca, and bring in a new demographic of tourists to town who otherwise might not come to Reno.

It's the first of its kind in a casino resort city, and unique in its size and number of features, but Reno is hardly a whitewater park pioneer. They are jumping on a growing trend started by communities in Colorado, Wisconsen, Maryland, Kentucky, and Michigan, and in several countries like Germany, France, England and Australia. City governments are realizing that after the initial outlay of capital for construction, there is very little cost associated with maintenance, and the return on investment via tourism dollars often makes the costs recoverable in the first year.

A good example of potential tourism dollars brought in by the park are whitewater festivals. A study by the Nevada Commission of Tourism estimated that a 2-day kayaking event could draw more than 4,000 people and bring in nearly $1 million in outside revenue, without considering money spent gambling. The Sierra Nevada Whitewater Club from Reno holds its own festival each spring, and this year they will hold it at the park. It is expected to be the most well attended to date because of the new state of the art whitewater facility.

It's too early to tell what impact these parks will have on kayaking, but after hanging out at the Reno park for a day, my prediction is that this trend is going to change this sport forever.

Now the question is, "How do I get one of these built in my home town?"