Stories, Gear, and Outdoor Culture

Mill City Park has the potential to transform Franklin from a forgotten mill city to a viable player in the Lakes Region’s tourism industry

With an ambitious master plan anchored by an in-river whitewater park with an adjacent 13-acre land-based park and a 21-acre conservation area

By late 2016, the city began to embrace the park idea as a driver of economic development and even created an economic development team

The Winnipesaukee’s significant drop just before that meeting point made it a prime location for mills, an opportunity soon seized upon. The first to harness the power of Franklin Falls were saw, grist and shingle mills, active by the 1770s, followed by woolen, pulp and hosiery mills. 

Less than two months after its grand opening during Winni River Days, the Franklin Whitewater Park is already proving its ability to attract paddlers.

Six years of work at transforming the Three Rivers City from a former mill town to that of a modern micro-urban community reached its goal on June 17 with the ribbon-cutting ceremony for Mill City Park’s first river feature — a stationary wave that allows kayakers to hone their skills while remaining in one spot — and an amphitheater for spectators to watch the river activities.

Now that the mills are long shuttered, the river is making a comeback, not as a driver of industry, but as a nexus of recreation and exploration of the natural world.

It’s been a long time coming but the first whitewater park in New England will be officially opened Friday – not that the lack of ribbon-cutting has kept kayakers from trying it out for months.

While highlighting a unique relationship between two nonprofit groups, and to the delight of prospective snow kayaker Belle England, Boat Bash Snow Crash returned Saturday to cap off the 60th Franklin Winter Carnival.

The City of Franklin, NH, is looking forward to the completion of a whitewater kayaking park on the Winnipesaukee River, the first of its kind in the northeast.

In celebrating the start of 2022 on Saturday, Dana Glow also ticked cold whitewater rafting off his bucket list.

Kayaking may not be the first thing that comes to mind at the start of winter unless your name is Marty Parichand.