Articles

If you’ve ever paddled Browns Canyon, you know how special that stretch of the Arkansas River is. The river, the canyon, and the landscape surrounding it are a treasure, and it is a true joy to be able to recreate there. Browns Canyon is a real gem for others, too – hunters, fishermen, locals and visitors all can enjoy its beauty, outstanding trout fishing and amazing whitewater boating. For all of these reasons — and many more, including the economics

The Upper Youghiogheny River is a classic with a long and colorful history of whitewater boating. Predictable summer releases make this one of the main Class-IV+ playgrounds in the east. The rapids are continuous, technical, beautiful, and intoxicating.    Access to the river has also been a long running issue. American Whitewater signed an agreement in June 2001 with the state of Maryland to manage the Sang Run put-in access on the Upper Yough. However, limited take-out parking overwhelmed the

Remember that the National Paddling Film Festival is right around the corner. Ticket are available at a discount through the American Whitewater website here.   Come see American Whitewater and the year's best photos and videos at the National Paddling Film Festival (NPFF)! This year's NPFF will be held on February 20-21 in Frankfort, KY at the Buffalo Trace Distillery. You can buy a ticket to the magic via this easy online order form. Tickets are $20 online (offer expires Thursday 2/19 @

Come see American Whitewater and the year's best photos and videos at the National Paddling Film Festival (NPFF)! This year's NPFF will be held on February 20-21 in Frankfort, KY at the Buffalo Trace Distillery. You can buy a ticket to the magic via this easy online order form. Tickets are $20 online or $25 at the door.   For 33 years the National Paddling Film Festival has been hosting a competition to determine the best in paddle sport videos

American Whitewater is pleased to recognize Matt Booth as our February 2015 Volunteer of the Month!   Matt is one of the original organizers of the Lyons Outdoor Games in Lyons, Colorado and has worked passionately to grow the event into a world-class showcase of human-powered recreation – including slalom, boatercross, freestyle and creek events on the Saint Vrain River. After the destructive floods that hit the river and local communities in September 2013, Matt worked to give recreation a

American Whitewater is pleased to announce the availability of our 2015 Member Rewards. These are the items that we give as a thank you to our $100 and above members in recognition of their substantial support for AW. Also, as in years past, all $100 – $2,500 memberships include a complimentary copy of the next American Whitewater Calendar. The river stewardship program of American Whitewater is supported by membership and donations. These incentives are a small way of saying thank

We are pleased to share the 2015 schedule of Class IV and V scheduled dam releases for Western North Carolina and North Georgia.  American Whitewater and our partners negotiated these releases over the past two decades, and the result is 34 days of outstanding paddling opportunities for advanced paddlers on the Cheoah, Tallulah, Upper Nantahala, and West Fork of the Tuckasegee. This year a few things will be a bit different. The 2015 summer Upper Nantahala releases will mostly be

The proposed Clean Water Protection Rule is under attack, and your voices are needed today to protect clean water!   The Clean Water Protection Rule was developed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Army Corps of Engineers in 2014 to bring clarity to which rivers, streams and wetlands are and are not protected by the Clean Water Act. The rule comes in response to two Supreme Court decisions in 2001 and 2006 that created uncertainty about the Act, leaving

Earlier this month the Kootenai National Forest found two incredible Montana streams to be eligible for Wild and Scenic designation as a result of an appeal filed by American Whitewater and American Rivers.  13 miles of Callahan Creek and 7.4 miles of Ross Creek will now be protected from dam building for the benefit of Montanans and visitors alike. The Forest dismissed requests for additional eligible streams.  Under a similar appeal, the Idaho Panhandle National Forest denied all requests for

2000 comments support protecting river flows Spokane – Today river advocates criticized the Washington Department of Ecology ("Ecology") for adopting a flow rule for the Spokane River that allows further dewatering of the popular urban river. The Spokane River flows from Lake Coeur d'Alene through eastern Washington to its confluence with the Columbia River. The River supports important fisheries and wildlife, and a vibrant boating and recreation industry. Two thousand people sent comments to the agency opposing the draft rule

The legislative session is underway in Washington State and earlier this week we were shocked to learn of a bill that would severely limit access to the state's rivers and shorelines. Specifically the bill would prohibit water access on small parcels of public land unless the managing agency provides a formal river access site and parking lot. While we support the development of river access sites and designated parking at sites where use levels justify the investment, many of the

As many paddlers know, the future of the Colorado River is fraught with competing demands to pump and pipe water to faraway cities, against efforts to protect what little water is left in the river. It’s rare to see unvarnished assessments of both the scale of the problem, and the most promising solutions, that face all seven Colorado River basin states as the climate warms and dries, and populations grow. That’s why we are especially happy to see that a