During events the course is open to those participants who are ACA account holders, have registered, paid and signed the appropriate ACA waiver and Wausau Whitewater Park waiver.

Wausau Whitewater park does not rent boats or paddling equipment. Kayaks and gear are provided by Whitecap Kayak as part of the kayak classes provided at the course. Rutabaga Paddlesports also provides kayaks for purchase and demo during Recreational Releases.

Along with your kayak, whitewater canoe or boogie board, helmets and personal flotation devices (PFDs) are required on the course. We also strongly recommend float bags for your boats, secure footwear such as river shoes and appropriate clothing for the water and air temperatures (synthetic blends, wet suit, dry tops, etc). Noseplugs and earplugs are nice to have, but optional.

The whitewater park has rescue throw bags placed along the shore for use. Lifeguards are not on duty and individuals are responsible for self-rescue and collection of their own belongings and gear.

Wausau Whitewater Park’s water levels are controlled by a dam operated by Wisconsin Public Service (WPS). During our events, WPS opens the dam “releasing” water onto the course at a predetermined level for optimal flow and feature formation.

The American Canoe Association and Wausau Whitewater each require a separate waiver.

It is valid from the date completed until 12/31 of the same calendar year.

The ACA is the American Canoe Association. Founded in 1880, it is the oldest and largest national nonprofit paddlesports organization in the U.S.. It serves over 15,000 members and 300 clubs, focusing on education, stewardship, and safety for canoeing, kayaking, and rafting.

Yes, all participants must have an account. Participants are not required to pay for annual membership.

1. Open your favorite browser and navigate to https://aca.sport80.com/public/wizard/a/1370/home

2. Enter your email address and click Continue.

   If it states you already have an account, use the forgot password link. You can still choose to be a non-member if you have a lapsed membership.

3. Fill in the details about your paddler account and select Register. If asked for a club/organization, you can use Wausau Kayak Canoe Corporation.

4. You will receive a one-time code to the email used to register the account. Retrieve that code and fill in the one-time code field. Click Continue.

5. Fill in the Communications preferences. Click Confirm.

6. Select your profile.

   You can add multiple family members instead, but you can also do that later. The advantage to this is that families can fill out all of their ACA Non-Member Waivers from one portal.

7. After selecting your profile, you will be redirected to a page to fill in your FREE event waiver.

   Instructions for this are located in the How do I Fill out an ACA Non-Member Event Waiver? FAQ.

8. To add another family member ACA account, click “Home” and “Add New Member”. Repeat the waiver process for each member and each event to be attended.

You can access your ACA Account here.

ACA Non-Members: The event waiver expires at the end of the event. A separate event waiver is required for every event for ACA Account Holders.

ACA Annual Members: The ACA waiver is valid for the period of your annual membership except in 2026. In 2026, you need to complete an ACA waiver for the time period leading to the expiration of your current membership. You will complete another annual waiver when you renew your annual membership. That process will then align your ACA waiver with your ACA annual membership period moving forward.

Yes. To participate in Wausau Whitewater events, all paddlers must hold a valid American Canoe Association (ACA) membership for insurance purposes. The ACA offers Annual and Event based membership options.

An ACA Event Membership is purchased on-site at Wausau Whitewater for $10 per event and will be valid for the duration of the event (day, weekend, week). Lesson prices already include this $10 event membership fee.

To re-cap: 1) complete the FREE Event Waiver on the ACA Website, then 2) pay the $10 ACA Event Membership at the Wausau Whitewater Park when you check-in for your event.

If attending multiple events throughout the season, it may be more cost effective to purchase an Annual Membership. An Annual ACA Membership can be purchased at American Canoe Association and comes with the added benefit of requiring the ACA waiver to be completed only once per membership cycle.

Credit cards and cash are accepted as forms of payment at the registration tent at the park.

No. During a release there are high flows, very strong currents and numerous boats on the water making swimming and tubing dangerous for everyone involved.

Since whitewater enthusiasts spend much of their time splashing around on or even under water, a little rain will not make them any wetter and will not close the whitewater park. The only exception to this is in the case of lightning when boaters may need to exit the water temporarily. Safety instructions will be issued to all participants on the river in the case of severe weather with lightning.

GREAT NEWS ABOUT WAIVERS FOR ACA MEMBERS: ACA Member waivers will be valid for the matching period to your ACA Membership…with the exception of 2026.

If you will be attending Wausau Whitewater before your membership renews, you will fill out an ACA Waiver now and again when you renew. After your renewal in 2026, you will fill out an ACA waiver when you renew your membership.

Note: Wausau Whitewater waivers (the other waiver) are still only valid for the date completed through 12/31 of that same year.

1. Open your favorite Browser

2. Navigate to American Canoe Association | Canoe, Kayak, SUP, Raft, Rescue

3. Click Login in the top right corner

4. Enter your username/password or click forgot password under the “Sign In” button

   If your old username was not an email address, don’t fret. Your new username is the email address from your ACA account.

5. Click on your profile card (this should be in the “My Members” section of the main screen where you can add additional family members.)

   THE NEXT FEW STEPS ARE CRITICAL. If not performed correctly, we will need to ask you to do this before being able to pay and play at the course.

6. Click Annual Membership from the profile menu on the left-hand nav column.

Notes about what you will see:

If your annual membership is not current (invalid), you will be renewing as a part of this process. If your membership is current, you will need to fill out your annual waiver. (Refer to the “How long is my ACA waiver valid?” FAQ).

FOR “INVALID” MEMBERSHIPS:

For “expired” Memberships, you will clearly see your membership marked as invalid.

1. Click the “three dots” at the end of the line and select “Edit”. Proceed through the wizard to renew your membership.

2. ON THE SECOND SCREEN for club info, 1) click to select a club, 2) type in “Wausau” and 3) select “Wausau Kayak Canoe Corporation (WI – 10779949)”
   

   NOTE: Wausau Whitewater does not need to be your primary club. Additionally, you can have multiple clubs “see” your annual waiver by utilizing “Add Another Club”.

3. Complete your renewal process and payment.

   NOTE: If you already renewed and are just editing to add additional clubs, click “Save” after adding additional clubs. You do not need to pay again.

FOR “VALID” MEMBERSHIPS:

1. Click the “three dots” at the end of the line and select “Edit”.

   1. Click on the Club info page.

   2. If Wausau Kayak Canoe Corporation is not visible, 1) click to select a club, 2) type in “Wausau” and 3) select “Wausau Kayak Canoe Corporation (WI – 10779949)”
      

      NOTE: Wausau Whitewater does not need to be your primary club. Additionally, you can have multiple clubs “see” your annual waiver by utilizing “Add Another Club”.

      NOTE: If you are just editing to add additional clubs, click “Save” after adding additional clubs. You will not need to pay again.

The ACA has self-service help information at Membership Account FAQs – ACA Paddlesports or the ACA can be contacted through the following form: Submit a request – ACA Paddlesports

1. To allow Wausau Whitewater to access your waiver:

   1. Click to select a Club

   2. Type in “Wausau”

   3. Select “Wausau Kayak Canoe Corporation (WI – 10779949)”
      

2. Type in the event name. The event name will be “Rec Release” for general paddlers, “Lessons” for those taking Whitewater Kayak Lessons, and the Event name for all others such as “Team River Runner”, ”Jackson Kayak/Midwest Freestyle” or “Open Boat Nationals”.

   PLEASE BE PRECISE. If we cannot find your waiver, we will need to make you do it again.

3. For the start date, select the first day of the event. Complete ONE waiver for multi-day events.

4. For the Sponsoring Club or Organization, type in “Wausau Whitewater”

5. Complete the Participant Address and Emergency Contact info as requested.

6. On the certification page, please read the contents of the waiver you are signing, checkmark the “Yes” box and click “Add”.

The ACA has self-service help information at Membership Account FAQs – ACA Paddlesports or the ACA can be contacted through the following form: Submit a request – ACA Paddlesports

The Wausau Whitewater park has a lost and found located at the registration tent.

This FAQ is tailored for newer whitewater paddlers, focusing on key techniques to avoid potentially dangerous situations.

If you flip over and cannot roll up, perform a “wet exit”.

Individuals are responsible for self-rescue on the course. This means that in the event you exit your boat on the water, your priority is to get yourself and your gear (if possible) safely to shore. Instructors and experienced paddlers may provide verbal guidance to you, so your first priority is to STAY CALM.

Quickly assessing your surroundings and finding the closest eddy you can successflly swim to is key to a successful self-rescue. The longer you float at the whim of the current, the longer you are at risk.

Avoid foot entrapments, where your foot gets snagged in an underwater obstacle, by floating on your back with your feet downstream, keeping your toes up, raising your bum, and keeping your face/nose out of the water and ensuring everything stays clear of the river bottom. DO NOT TRY TO STAND in moving water; wait until safely in an eddy.

When approaching an eddy, transition to a front crawl and swim aggressively, keeping your feet up and kicking hard until you are completely in the eddy.

If you need to go through a feature, always maneuver to the center of the river and remain in the “nose up toes up” position, leading with your feet. Wausau water features are heavily bouldered at the edges and these are not fun to swim over. After clearing the feature be ready to swim aggressively into an eddy.

Keeping your paddle with you is appreciated, but the priority is to get yourself into an eddy quickly and safely.

Although there are no hard and fast rules, at a whitewater play park like Wausau, there is generally accepted “river etiquette” that should be followed for the safety and enjoyment of all.

Review the river etiquette here, along with some basic on-water communication.