Our little corner of the world is great for some things.  We have lots of lakes, dense, green forests and easy-paddling rivers.  We lack other great things.  This area does not have high mountains nor much whitewater.

The City of South Bend, however, has taken it upon itself to make up some of the whitewater void.  About twenty years ago, the city converted an old mill run into an artificial whitewater course.

The run branches from the St. Joseph River in downtown South Bend.  It is roughly bordered by Niles Avenue, Jefferson Boulevard and St. Joseph Street.  At times the run passes by man-made obstacles.

At other times, underwater structures make for artificial waterfalls.

In still other locations, protruding walls create challenging whitewater features.

The course is so good that it once hosted the U.S. Olympic whitewater kayaking trials.  And if Chicago wins its bid to host the Summer Olympics, this course would be sure to get some consideration as an Olympic venue.

While expert kayakers have much of the fun on this course, the City allows for whitewater rafting tours on summer weekends.  Check the links below for more details.

The course also makes for an interesting city walk.  There aren’t many midwestern cities in which one can hear the crash of waves like in downtown South Bend.  And from my visit, it appears that the course has helped to create a festive atmosphere in the neighborhood.

Here’s a Google map that shows the East Race whitewater course:

http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=41.679499,-86.245798&spn=0.003542,0.007231&t=h&z=17&om=1

This is the official City of South Bend site related to the course:

http://www.sbpark.org/parks/erace.htm

This site shows some nice pictures of the East Race:

http://www.sbpark.org/parks/eracephotos.htm

This is a YouTube video that another visitor filmed of a kayaker on a section of the East Race:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rZeuphk7Ptg

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