New River Wave and Rapids Proposed for Missoula’s West Broadway Corridor

When you do some online research about Missoula, there are a few things that come up repeatedly. One of them is our award-winning library. The other is that people in Missoula can surf almost all year long on Brennan’s Wave. 

Brennan’s Wave has been a staple in Missoula since it’s completion in 2006, named after Brennan Guth, who died in Chile in 2001. Next year will mark the 20th anniversary of the downtown fixture. 

How the New Wave Would Change River Recreation 

The city of Missoula is considering the addition of another wave like Brennan’s Wave a little further down the Clark Fork River as part of the West Broadway River Corridor Project. Not only that, but the city is also looking at creating some Class II rapids in the river for kayakers and rafters. 

What Class II Rapids Mean for Kayakers and Rafters

According to Western River, Class II River rapids are described as: 

Class II rapids are easy to navigate, generally broad sections of water moving fast enough to create 1 - 3 foot whitecaps. These are waves that are readily seen amidst broad channels that can be spotted without scouting the route from the shoreline. Some maneuvering is required to keep boat headed straight into each approaching wave. 

There are other proposed improvements in the West Broadway corridor, and the public comment period for the improvements is now open.  

READ MORE: Missoula Public Library Wins Third Impressive Award

These improvements aren’t going to happen overnight; the corridor project is a multi-year project with planned completion by 2031.