Wave Description:

Another artificial park in the Ark valley that gives up some good surfing. It’s no coincidence that Badfish Paddleboards makes their home in Salida. Features vary on flow, but generally you’ll find wave holes that give up friendly surfs over 300 cfs.

In the fall of 2022 Salida completed the Scout Wave 2.0 project. Even at low flows (350 cfs or so), it’s produced a wide, glassy wave, along the lines of a wider Sixx at River Run Park, but bigger at solid flows. It’s surfable at 250, better at 350, and the upper limit is currently a work in progress. The powers that be have been altering the wave with sandbags, in part to tame down the hole that forms at high flows, and depending on sandbag location the wave has washed out in the mid 800s or held through 1200 cfs. As of July 2023, Scout 2.0 is the best surf wave in Colorado, at least in my opinion.

The new wave is just downstream of the F Street Bridge.

There is a webcam that works most of the time here. Click play on the mountain road scene.

Gauge Information:

Anything over 300 cfs on the Nathrop gauge should get you something here, but more water is usually better until things get scary; where that happens depends on your skill and tolerances, but could be as low as 1,500 or as high as never. So far Scout 2.0 is holding at flows up to 1200 cfs, though it’s still a work in progress. Here is an alternative gauge, since the Nathrop gauge is only operated seasonally. And check here for a webcam (though it’s not always pointed at the wave). Here is a newer static camera that is on the wave.

For photos of the waves at specific flows, check out the River Surf Report.

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Directions:

Park near the boat ramp or near the bridge and the features will be obvious.