The Big List of 2023 US Whitewater Events
Below is an ongoing list of whitewater events for the 2023 season, sorted by state. If anything is missing or incorrect, please leave a comment.
California
- April 22, 2023. Brush Creek Race.
- TBD. Feather Fest.
Colorado
- May 26-29, 2023. CKS Paddlefest.
- June 3-4, 2023. Yampa River Festival.
- June 8-11, 2023. GoPro Mountain Games.
- June 15-18, 2023. FIBArk Whitewater Festival.
- June 24, 2023. Ridgway Riverfest.
- July 21-22, 2023. Royal Gorge Whitewater Festival.
- TBD. Gunnison River Festival.
- TBD. Animas River Days.
- TBD. PouFest.
- TBD. Oh Be Joyful Race.
- TBD. Gore Fest.
- TBD. Bailey Fest.
Idaho
- May 27-29, 2023. Lochsa River Madness. And our Lochsa River Madness blogpost here.
- June 3, 2023. Big Water Blowout.
Maine
- April 15, 2023. Smalls to the Wall.
- TBD. Maine Whitewater Championship.
Massachusetts
Missouri
- March 17-20, 2023. 56th Annual Missouri Whitewater Championships (MWC) – Slalom and Downriver Races.
Montana
- May 26-28, 2023. Bigfork Whitewater Festival.
- TBD. Gallatin Whitewater Festival.
Nevada
- June 9-11, 2023. Reno River Festival.
New Hampshire
- TBD June, 2023. Winni River Days
New Mexico
- May 14, 2023. Mother’s Day Whitewater.
New York
- Big Calendar of upstate NY releases and events is located here.
- Likely Labor Day, 2023. Beaverfest. (No link as of yet.)
- TBD. Moose River Fest
- TBD. Black River Festival
Oregon
- May 20-21, 2023. Upper Clackamas Festival.
Pennsylvania
- May 19-21, 2023. Stonycreek Rendezvous.
Tennessee
- April 14, 2023. Noli Fest.
Vermont
- April 8, 2023. And a backup date of April 15. New Haven Race.
- April 22, 2023. Westfield River Wildwater Races
- May 6, 2023. Peavine Whitewater Race
- Likely May 6-7, 2023. West River Release
- Likely September 23-24, 2023. West River Festival
Virginia
- May 19-21, 2023. River Rock.
- TBD. Russel Fork Rendevous
West Virginia
- Early April TBD. Webster Wildwater Weekend.
- May 5-6, 2023. Cheat River Festival.
- September 15-17, 2023. Gauley Fest.
How about New York?
– Beaverfest (Labor Day weekend)
– Moose River (spring release weekend)
– Moose River Festival (fall release weekend – October 13-15?)
– Black River Festival (July ??)
Here are two more, via https://vtstateparks.com/jamaica.html:
**Vermont**
• West River – spring whitewater release – May 6-7 weekend
• West River Festival – fall whitewater release – September 23-24 weekend
These are definitely rafting events, with Crabapple Whitewater and Zoar Outdoor represented, as well as some private rafts.
American Whitewater has sponsored some live music at the fall release for the past several years (discounting the off years, including 2022).
Thank you! I’ll get the post updated shortly
**New Hampshire:**
Winni River Days is coming up in June 2023, on the Winnipesaukee River in Franklin, NH. This event goes back a few years.
https://www.google.com/search?q=winni+river+days
Franklin officially opened a whitewater park on the Winni early in 2022. It is part of Mill City Park:
https://www.millcitypark.com/event-details/winni-river-days-1
**Maine**
– Smalls to the Wall kayak race, Rangeley, ME (https://www.facebook.com/smallstothewall/)
– Maine Whitewater Championship (https://www.facebook.com/MaineWWC)
The most recent running of the event was on July 30, 2022:
https://www.facebook.com/MaineWWC/posts/pfbid07ThHJVCBLBctX12C93E6ZEbHZDfL7BtXB36HiKsvgLrtAv6wFHUD8sYnNoWSph5fl
**Vermont**
– New Haven Ledges Race (https://www.facebook.com/NewHavenRace) – April 1, 2023
* another creek race returning after a 3-year hiatus (with new organizers)
– Peavine Whitewater Race (https://paddleguru.com/races/PeavineWhitewaterRace2023) – May 6, 2023
* This is a Class II-III downriver race on the White River, being run for the second time in 2023.
It relies on natural flow; the river is undammed.
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Concerning Class IV-V events, see the recent developments summarized in this post:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/144535472407550/posts/2153676121493465/
Thank you, Chris!
-MV