Nebraska’s First Whitewater Park

Over the 4th of July weekend, I took a trip to Norfolk, NE to check out their new whitewater park. The in-river features opened earlier this summer in June, but the riverside amenities and access points were still under construction when I visited in July. (I hear they are near completion soon! Fall 2024)

Located in northeast Nebraska, Norfolk is home to the first whitewater park in the state. This park is just over a quarter mile in length. It has 7 whitewater drop structures with nice long pools behind each one throughout the park. There are longer float trips, up to 3 miles, that people can combine with the whitewater park for a longer trip. The local outfitter, Tony at North Fork Outfitting, is super friendly! He rents equipment, offers shuttle rides, and is an absolute joy to chat with. Be sure to stop by and see Tony!

Feature #3 at the Norfolk Whitewater park.

The park was set to the low flow setting when I visited. I gather flows through the park are based off of area rainfall and Norfolk parks and recreation flow control settings.

The first feature is a surf wave designed primarily for boards. The wave itself was shallow and mushy, but I was able to stationary surf my inflatable Badfish surfboard. Bomb dropping onto the wave from the sides created great entertainment. Would love to ride this wave at the high water setting. Looks like more water allows for carves and ollies.

Running the surf wave feature.

Features 2-7 vary from little foamy piles to green chutes. The small foamy piles were conducive for some front surfing and flat spins; great for beginner boaters to learn on. At the low setting, these features were too shallow for vertical moves.

Feature #4 had great eddylines for slicing.

Feature #5.

The pools after features 2-7 are glorious! Each one has at least one eddyline that is deep and powerful enough for slicing and dicing! The Mixmaster was my boat of choice at Norfolk! Splat rocks too!

Kayakers practicing their whitewater skills.

Overall, the park is beautiful! There were people out enjoying the area in numerous ways; tubing, recreational kayaking, surfing, boogie boarding, paddle boarding, and watching the in-stream action. The features are inviting for beginners and is a great place to get introduced to moving water. The terracing along the banks makes access easy in multiple places. The on-bank amenities will add even more to this already gorgeous whitewater park. If you find yourself in northeast Nebraska, go check out Norfolk and get your gills wet.

-Hannah RayJ