Clear Creek Whitewater Park
West end of 10th St
Golden, CO 80401
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
7 reviews for Clear Creek Whitewater Park
If you're coming here to actually kayak, bring your patience. The tubers have no control over their vehicles, the inexperienced ones tend to flip out of their tubes when it comes to the rocks, and in the spring when the current is so fast, this can be dangerous.
Yes, the water is freezing. But this is your chance to navigate an actual course while surrounded by lots of others who have been there before - they can give you hundreds of tips on being successful.
And now, for the tubers. I recommend doing the taxi method. One person parks close to the Washington Ave bridge, the other drives the tubes and the people (so someone with a truck...) up to tunnel #1 on the canyon road, AKA Rt. 6 West.
At tunnel #1 there's a rock you can go cliff-jumping off, it's not that high, but it's fun and certainly refreshing in the heat of the summer! Just drop in on your tube here, and float down the river. It's a long and refreshing ride, make sure you wear your sunscreen! And don't go if it's looking cloudy, the trip can take 45 minutes to get down river... and lightning isn't the best scenery while you're floating. The end of the trip takes you through the Whitewater Park. As you go over the rocks, lean forward to avoid getting trapped in the currents.
And right before the Washington Ave bridge, there's a rope swing on the right. Lots of fun on Clear Creek!
cannot go wrong with tubing! even when there's a ton of people there, it's still fun. bring your beer, but put a sleeve on it because alcohol is no bueno there. also, whatever you do, don't take your beer on the tube with you like i did, because you'll probably tip over and lose it. doing that sucks in two ways. one, you wasted a beer and two, you leave a can in the creek. not cool. i'm nice and beat up from tubing yesterday, and i cannot think of a better thing to do on a hot day. love it.
The place to go when you are learning to kayak in Denver. Although, yes...the water is freezing in May and June and just plain cold the rest of the time. You can't beat it for the quality of the features and access to the metro area. During the summer, it's like some sort of white trash barbeque and it can be a really fun place to tube and boat. Plenty of bikini's and bad tattoos to enjoy as you have a beer (discreetly) at the take-out.
For a beginner, don't be deceived...CC can still administer an ass-kicking to the newbie, I would still call it a class 3 rapid. Some of the eddies can be sticky so be prepared to do some swimming if you don't have a solid roll.
People thought this was:
- Useful (1)
I came here with Jessica B because she was so yippie-skippy-doodly-excited to go tubing. Too bad it had just snowed up on the mountains and Clear Creek was now full of a liquid form of ice some people call "water."
"I have an ice-cream headache in my feet" was Jessica's perfect way of describing the pain. I was a good enabler in telling her she didn't have to prove anything and we could just hobble back to the car.
Other than that, this looks to me like a pretty kick-ass place. I'll give it another star when I don't fear my nuts jumping up from the cold and giving me a double-chin.
People thought this was:
- Useful (1)
- Funny (6)
- Cool (3)
It is hot out, and I'm thristy, so I load up my trunk with a cooler full of beer, and a couple of inner tubes and an inflatable shark. My beau and I park at the softball fields, pound a cool frosty beer, and make the short hike up to the top of the rapids. As I lower my hot a55 into my innertube, the steam rises. 5 minutes, and ten rapids later, my vocal cords are punished enough to need my second beer. So we take the short hike back to the car, and pop another cold one.
If you cannot afford, or cannot stand the screaming children at any local water park or pool, head out to Golden with your innertube and a cooler of beer. (Is alcohol legal here? I don't know, so keep it inconspicuous)
Clear Creek Whitewater Park is my own piece of heaven. Here you can practice your kayak roll, float through rapids on any piece of inflatable equipment you can find at Target, and watch hot-bodied young men and women risking their lives jumping into the rapids.
People thought this was:
- Useful (3)
- Cool (1)
I actually did not set any parts of my body in the water, but we went there for our wedding pictures. It was in Octopber, it was nice weather, it was beautiful. The colors were perfect, and there are a few places to take group pictures. We went the day before to scout some specific places and we saw a photograph taking pictures of a girl there too, so it must be a pretty well known spot. Anyway, i loved it, now i have my nice pictures.
Also a few kayak went by and said hi, it was fun.
People thought this was:
- Useful (1)
- Cool (1)
I haven't actually gone in the water here, but love walking along the sidewalk and watching the tubers and kayakers.