Clear Creek Whitewater Park

Enjoying Watersports Safely on Clear Creek

The City of Golden wants you to enjoy your visit and recreate safely on Clear Creek! Please understand that tubing, kayaking and swimming in the Creek can be dangerous, and you do so at your own risk. The water is extremely cold and runs faster than many people anticipate.

Know the rules before you go! Please go to VisitGolden.com/creek-info before your visit to know what is and what is not allowed when recreating on and by the Creek.

Parking & Clear Creek Use Map

Map showing trail for pedestrians and tubers on the north side of the bank, cyclists and faster traffic on the south bank, public parking garages, and creek access and take-out points.

Clear Creek Corridor Use and Parking Map pdf download
(download for printable version)

Tube and Kayak Rentals

Visit Golden and the City of Golden DO NOT rent tubing or kayak equipment, or manage an online reservation system for tubing. If you need to rent water sports equipment, including tubes and life jackets, we encourage you to visit a local whitewater sports gear rental company. Visit VisitGolden.com/creek-info for a list of local water sports guides and outfitters who rent equipment.

As of June 1, 2022, if you are a watersports outfitter conducting commercial operations within the City of Golden, you MUST first obtain a permit.

Clear Creek runs through the heart of Golden, offering scenic beauty, recreation, and a valuable natural resource. Over recent years, the number of visitors who come to Golden to enjoy tubing and kayaking on Clear Creek has increased dramatically. Many visitors and residents also enjoy cycling and walking on Clear Creek Trail. Golden strives to provide an enjoyable and safe experience for all. Please help us to protect this amazing resource and ensure everyone has an enjoyable experience.

Clear Creek Kayaks

Dedicated in 1998, the Clear Creek Whitewater Park is one of Golden’s most unique recreational attractions. Built for recreational canoeing and kayaking, the course is one quarter of a mile of adventurous, splashing fun!

This innovative recreational experience is divided into sections. The course is 800 feet in length, built with natural boulders and divided into sections. The top is a series of drops and pools of different experience levels and has some fast eddies. The middle portion consists of flat, broad, shallow surf waves with huge random boulders – a prime workplace for gates. The bottom section entertains paddlers with more extreme surf and wave drops.

The class of this course will require paddlers proficient on fast moving, cold water, particularly during high flow season. There are no fees for drop-in usage and the course is unsupervised. Parking is located at Lions Park, the ball fields and adjacent areas. Vanover Park is also available for parking and provides a take-out site for those continuing downstream after maneuvering the course.

In 2002 six additional drop structures were constructed. These structures provide a great recreational opportunity for white water access. They are located downstream from the competitive course behind City Hall and on either side of the Washington Avenue Bridge. With this expansion, Golden now provides 7 city blocks of whitewater activity on Clear Creek.

Clear Creek KayakerThe course has hosted various events including the Colorado School of Mines Spring Icebreaker, The Clear Creek Whitewater Festival, The Open Canoe Championships, The Junior Olympic Championships, and the Eddie Bauer Invitational to name a few. There are also reported sightings of the U.S. Olympic Kayak Team practicing at the course!

Parking

Please see our Visitor Parking page for information on parking, including maps of the area.

COG Mesa

 Golden has 402 acres of open space
and maintains 253 acres of parks right within the city itself.

Additional Resources

City of Golden, Colorado
COG Mesa
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