Cooling off at Kelso is about to get a whole lot…well, cooler.
Just in time for summer break, the local conservation area will soon be introducing its 50-by-170-foot inflatable obstacle course waterpark – the addition of which Conservation Halton officials have been exploring for the past two years.
"Just the way we’ve had the last couple of winters go and a couple of good summer seasons, things just lined up really well for this to be the spring that we introduce this," said A.J. Leeming, CH’s senior manager of programs and services.
Leeming says installation and testing is set for later this month in preparation for what’s expected to be an early July opening: "Our goal is always to be innovating the experience of how people can get out and be active in nature."
Dubbed Kelso Cove, the waterpark – a $250,000 investment situated near the boat rental and picnic area – will be a paid attraction and includes 26 individual features along a figure-eight design.
The minimum age for admission is five, or 48 inches, while children nine and under must be accompanied by an adult and 9 to 15-year-olds will need a parent or guardian watching in the general vicinity.
The course can accommodate up to 100 people at a time and begins with a more manageable loop before progressing to trickier challenges resemblng things like a climbing wall or balance beam.
"They may require you to jump from one part of a feature to the next or hop across pedestals, that type of thing," said Leeming, noting the waterpark is among the more highly-anticipated additions to Kelso, which already includes boat rentals, biking trails, an archery range, disc golf and challenge course.
Even the most coordinated of visitors, he ensures, should expect to get wet.
“That’s part of the fun, the way our summers have been lately. Falling off the feature is all part of the game. I think it will be a ton of fun. It’s a feature that’s got a track record at a lot of other parks that have these type of things and have had great success using them.”
Designed by Aquaglide, Kelso Cove requires users to wear a life jacket and take a swim test. A team of lifeguards will be on hand at all times, both patrolling around the course and watching from an aerial vantage point.
Two-hour time slots (which include life jacket fitting and orientation) can be booked online closer to the waterpark’s opening, with admission at $20 for youth and $25 for adults, plus gate fees.
Leeming expects spots to fill up fast, suggesting Kelso Cove will be a popular activity for teams and birthday parties.
"We’ve got the teaser message out to our members and the response to that has been pretty loud and powerful," he said.
Visit conservationhalton.ca/parks/kelso for updates on Kelso Cove and other park happenings.