Catch a Wave
These Water Parks Are Built for Thrill, Not Chill
Story by Kathy Denes
If summer has a signature scent aside from freshly mowed grass, it’s the chlorine of swimming pools and water slides. Water parks are the ultimate hot-weather attractions, and some have been popping up lately that go far beyond splash pads and lazy rivers. These parks lure the adventurous with endless waves and whitewater for rafting, kayaking, canoeing, and even surfing— no wild oceans or rivers required.
Rafting can get pretty wild on Riverpark Rapids in downtown Oklahoma City.
The first of these parks in the country, the U.S. National Whitewater Center in Charlotte, North Carolina, is home to a whitewater river that challenges even the most experienced wave riders. Touted as the world’s largest artificial river, its recirculating treated water flows along dual concrete channels offering rapids varying in intensity from Class II to Class IV.
The sprawling facility is geared to all sorts of outdoor recreation and is still evolving nearly 20 years after opening. Guided rafts and kayakers with whitewater experience ride the same rapids U.S. Olympic athletes use for training and team trials. The Wilderness and Competition channels provide varying intensity and length before ending in the tranquil pool, where riders steer their boats onto a conveyor belt and ride back to the start for another go.
“The USNWC was the first whitewater channel specifically designed for family-level fun at an Olympic-standard facility,” says course lead designer Scott Shipley, an engineer, kayak champion, and 3-time Olympian who holds 4 world titles. “Until Charlotte, every whitewater channel in the world was an Olympic channel first, which was later adapted for commercial rafting. We created a channel for family recreational rafting first, and then added a competition channel. We focused on the church and school groups that will be using it as a way to help get them active.”
Surf City
High above Riversport, a young visitor secured with a safety harness navigates 1 of the 6 levels of SandRidge Sky Trail.
At Riversport OKC in Oklahoma City, Olympic and Paralympic athletes train in rowing as well as canoe and kayak. In fact, it is slated to be the canoe slalom venue for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. Its whitewater center offers rowing, kayaking, and surfing lessons, along with tubing, paddleboarding, high-speed slides, and even fun on dry land.
Riverpark Rapids whitewater rafting and kayaking center is in Riversport Adventure Park, in the Boathouse District along the Oklahoma River. Whitewater kayaking and guided rafting start at the top of the artificial river, reached via a conveyor belt. From there, it’s an easy slide into the river to start a memorable ride.
Those ready to Surf OKC can catch a wave, no previous skill needed. Starting with bodyboarding, the staff teaches all the basics to help visitors hang 10. Wipeouts are inevitable, but there are no sharks in the nonstop waters of the FlowRider surf machine. Found all over the world, these compact wavemakers keep endless, shallow water flowing atop a trampoline-like surface.
Test the Waters
Riverpark OKC is open daily 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the summer and on weekends in the late spring and early fall. Day passes and memberships are available. Each Thursday through Aug. 7, Riverpark offers NightWater Evening Rafting from 6 to 8 p.m.
The Charlotte Whitewater Center will celebrate Independence Day by hosting a free 2-day festival, July 3 and 4, with live music and more. Evening events these days include illuminated rafting and kayaking on the river’s Competition Channel, but this requires the purchase of an activity pass. See the center’s website for schedules, pass information, and events, plus details about any required gear and skill prerequisites.
In the hills above Charlotte, North Carolina, the U.S. National Whitewater Center caters to whitewater enthusiasts ranging from novice paddlers to Olympic athletes.