New Amenities Ramp Up Enjoyment of Pueblo Riverwalk
The City of Pueblo, CO, is enhancing the watery world created by the Arkansas River flowing through town with the development of two new amenities on The Pueblo Riverwalk.
The Pueblo Riverwalk has been attracting locals and visitors alike since it opened in 2000. But the 32-acre waterfront park has been lacking a central building that can be used for events, meetings, concessions and boat storage.
That is about to change with the impending opening by the end of 2025 of the two-story Boathouse, which will include two conference rooms with waterfront views as well as a rooftop deck that can be rented for public events.
“Now, we’ll have a building that we can use as an anchor for all our activities,” says Lynn Clark, executive director of the Historic Arkansas Riverwalk of Pueblo (HARP) Authority. “It’s going to be next to the Convention Center and a plaza that is used for live entertainment. So, this will tie those things together and help create a lot more activity.”
The Riverwalk already is used throughout the year for special events such as a July 4 celebration, a trick-or-treat trail at Halloween, and a holiday lighting event that includes Santa Claus arriving by boat. There are also more than a half-dozen restaurants along the Riverwalk.
“We’ve created a beautiful space that is free to the public, with no gates or hours,” Clark says. “Now the Boathouse will make it even better and give people another reason to visit.”
Meanwhile, the new Waterworks Park is providing a river playground for paddleboarders, kayakers and tubers. The $11 million project by Pueblo Water removed a dam that had been in place since 1915 and replaced it with a series of six drop pools. Not only did this change make that section of the river fully navigable for approximately 9 miles, but it also created a new outdoor recreation option for the community.
“Each drop pool has a different wave coming out of it, with the final drop being a pretty good surfing wave,” says Seth Clayron, Pueblo Water executive director. “We’ve already had a lot of people coming here from all over the state to enjoy it. I was there one weekend last July before it was even completely finished, and there were probably more than 200 people there. And they all had huge smiles. It’s just a great free amenity for the public.”
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