Water sports at the Parc des Eaux Vives in Huningue

My summary

What is the Parc des Eaux Vives?

Created in 1993, the park was designed to accommodate an artificial whitewater course. The idea? To enable the practice of water sports in the heart of the city, while preserving a green and accessible setting. There’s no other place like it in Alsace, and quite a few in France!

The Parc des eaux Vives has several different locations:

• a whitewater river about 350m long, with rapids
• a calm water area, perfect for warming up and taking it easy
• a canal leading back to the starting point from the whitewater area
• a reception building, the Timonerie, equipped with toilets and tables. You can also admire the old boats forming a small Canoe Kayak museum.
• a storage shed with all equipment

There’s no on-site catering , but you can picnic indoors or on the terrace, or head to Huningue town center, just a few minutes’ walk away, where you’ll find snack bars and restaurants.

Good to know, the park also has a group gîte that can accommodate up to 24 people (19 indoors, plus 5 in tents!). It’s aimed at groups, such as kayak or other clubs, who also book a service with the park.

What to do on site

Nautical activities

The park offers several water sports activities:

• Kayak (sit-on-top and freestyle)
• Rafting and canorafting
• Hydrospeed (white-water swimming)
• Stand-up paddle

You can book a supervised session, rent equipment or bring your own. Hydrospeed, kayak, stand-up paddle and canoraft are available for hire (canoraft only on Fridays at the end of the day).

Children are welcome fromage 9 for supervised sessions and 12 for rental. Children under 15 must have an adult on the water at the same time. Between 16 and 18, parental consent is required.

Please note: you need to be able to swim at least 25m and not be afraid to immerse yourself. Everything is safe and supervised by professionals. The team speaks French, German and English.

Other activities

If you prefer to stay dry, don’t worry: there are also play areas for the younger ones. It’s also a pleasant place to simply relax and enjoy the surroundings. It’s the perfect place to spend an afternoon with the family!

I tested it for you…

Stand-up paddle (SUP)

I’ve been to the park several times before. The first time, I went stand-up paddling. Let me reassure you, there’s no question of going into the rapids on a paddle, we practice on the initiation basin and on the canal, it’svery calm and accessible. A must if you’re looking for a peaceful activity!

Hydrospeed

Then I tried out some more “dynamic” activities, in particular hydrospeed, also known as white-water swimming. Although it may seem a little impressive at first glance, it’s the best activity to choose if you’re just starting out, as it doesn’t require any particular level of technique (at least not here, I imagine it’s different depending on the river!). Kayaking, for example, is much more technical.

You’ll be equipped with a large wetsuit, booties, flippers and a large board, into which you’ll wedge your forearms. Once you’ve got the hang of it in the introductory pool, all you have to do is go for it!

The sensations are really nice, you get a bit of a ride in the rapids, enough to make it fun but not enough to make it stressful. I really enjoyed myself! Once past the river, you get out of the water and walk back to the starting point… To start again! The only regret is that we wish the river was longer, so we could enjoy it for longer.

Canoraft

The last activity we tested was canorafting, a cross between canoeing and rafting. The nice thing about it is that it allows two people to paddle together (the not-so-nice thing is that it can create tension if you can’t manage to paddle together :-P). Here again, the sensations are really nice, although if I had to choose, I think I preferred to be immersed in the water with hydrospeed.

Access

Access to the park is easy. You can come by bus from the Saint-Louis station (line 220, Triangle stop), by car (free parking in front) or by bike.

A cycle path (Eurovélo 15) passes right in front of the park, so you can plan a fun day combining cycling and water sports! The park has been awarded the ” Accueil vélo” label, so you can even refill your bike (or do a little repair work), as well as recharging the battery of your VAE.

Ideas nearby

You can easily combine your visit with other activities in the area: a trip to the Petite Camargue Alsacienne, a visit to the Fernet-Branca Foundation, Landskron Castle, discovering Basel, wakeboarding in East Park, cycling the Petite Boucle des 3 Pays… Enough to easily fill a varied weekend!