The Glenwood Springs Whitewater Park, engineered and constructed by River Restoration in 2008 on the Colorado River near the Midland Avenue Bridge, is a splashing success for a variety of reasons. The water-feature functions at a wide range of river flows and can be enjoyed by diverse water enthusiasts including kayakers, surfers, boogie boarders, rafters, inner-tubers and others. The “G-wave” as it’s now known, has created an international buzz as one of the best freestyle play parks and water features in the world. In the emerging sport of freestyle kayaking, this world-class venue has now hosted two competitions including the recent U.S. Freestyle Kayaking Team Trials.

The top kayakers in the nation competed at our highly acclaimed $1,000,000 Whitewater Park on the Colorado River at the Midland Avenue Bridge May 30 & 31, 2009, at the U.S. Freestyle Kayaking Team Trials event. The winners from this event will form the team that will represent the United States at the World Freestyle Championship to be held in Thun, Switzerland in August 2009.

The Whitewater Park provides a venue that functions year-round because of the flows on the Colorado River. This is unique in Colorado and most of the United States. Glenwood can host whitewater activities during shoulder seasons when other locations do not have adequate river flows. The shoulder seasons are times when snow may not yet be adequate for skiing, and other tourist activities are slow. The "G.-wave" serves as a unique draw to the whitewater community and for spectators. The park also serves locals. It is a training facility for youth and adult kayakers that wish to develop or sharpen their skills or move on to national/international competitions.

Glenwood Whitewater Events is a non-profit group of whitewater enthusiasts, paddlers, competitors and others who have an interest in bringing competitive spectator events to the park. It is the hope of Glenwood Whitewater Events committee that competitions like the Throwdown Showdown and US Freestyle Kayaking Team Trials are the beginning of a long and successful relationship with the Glenwood Springs community that will add yet another dimension to the quality of life in Glenwood Springs.