Prairie Rapids

The genesis of playboating in Iowa began at Clay Hole in Cedar Falls, Iowa, circa early 2000’s. This spot on the Cedar River was an old, dilapidated low head dam. This “beauty” dam caught the eyes of a local group of playboaters, Prairie Rapids Paddlers (PRP). Leading the charge, Ty Graham saw the potential for whitewater kayaking right in his back yard. The old dam had failed in a way that created a whitewater playspot, but it had some issues with in-river hazards. Ty and the PRP crew went to work cleaning up the deteriorating dam area of rebar and other hazardous obstructions. This created a place for paddlers to learn and practice freestyle kayaking, in an area (the state of Iowa) with very little accessible whitewater play spots and no whitewater or river parks…yet.

Before: Clay Hole, left and Now: Prairie Rapids, right.

Twenty plus years later and thanks in large part to Ty and PRP, Cedar Falls is now home to Iowa’s newest river park. Prairie Rapids at Gateway Park completed in-river construction this summer. This river park is catered towards brand new and advanced beginner users. Multiple crafts will find the features appealing such as kayaks, tubes, sups, and boogie boards. This river park is much more accessible to a wide range of ages and skills than old dam site that once stood there.

Boogie kiddos riding Alpha Wave at Prairie Rapids.

The river park has 2 features on the south side of the river. They create some interesting eddy lines among the placed boulders. The north side of the river has 3 features. The first two come in at higher flows. The bottom feature is comprised of 3 whitewater plates that come in at different water levels. From river left to river right the plates are referred to as Alpha, Bravo, Charley. These plates offer beginner level front surfing, side surfing, and flatspins. In river center there is also an ode to the old Clay Hole. A wave still remains here, but with improved eddy access via a large placed boulder.

Left, top to bottom: Alpha, Bravo, Charley, and ode to Clay Hole. Right: placed boulders make fun eddylines to play on.

Splat Rock!

River bank amenities are nearing full completion. The on-land amenities feature ADA compliant walkways, boulder seating, riverscape landscaping, and gathering plaza.

Riverbank enhancements create multiple accesses to the water, places to relax and view the river from multiple vantage points.

ADA accessible river walk and riverbank landscaping.

In addition to the river park, Ty and PRP are creating the Youth River Education and Stewardship Program in Cedar Falls, Iowa.

From Ty Graham and PRP: “This educational stewardship program will teach the next generation of leaders, an appropriate way to responsibly use and recreate in this latest addition to our parks system. In a fun, friendly, all inclusive group setting our goal is to educate individuals in a safe manner of using our river. A river recreation 101 if you will. This program will introduce users to different pieces of equipment such as; standup paddle boards, river surf boards, body boards, kayaks, canoes, and techniques of reading and swimming in current. Our mission is to develop a new generation of river stewards who can confidently pass their knowledge on to subsequent generations.”

For more information check out the Prairie Rapids at Gateway Park facebook page: www.facebook.com/prairierapids