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Orelle et télécabine (2007)
Arc, Orelle - Saint-Michel-de-Maurienne. Photo: Florian Pépellin, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

Arc, Orelle - Saint-Michel-de-Maurienne

Kayak spot · France

Whitewater: a river with rapids

Is it worth the trip?

43Poor out of 100 for your dates

Stay home

Best on Mon 9: Wind 1 kn gusting 17, Air 4 °C, River levels: no free forecast gives them, so check a gauge before you go

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Wed 4 · 40 out of 100

Wind
5 kn
Gusts
30kn
Air
-1°C
Rain
1.8 mm

Thu 5 · 42 out of 100

Wind
4 kn
Gusts
30kn
Air
1°C
Rain
0.2 mm

Fri 6 · 39 out of 100

Wind
1 kn
Gusts
13kn
Air
1°C
Rain
3.9 mm

Sat 7 · 40 out of 100

Wind
3 kn
Gusts
15kn
Air
0°C
Rain
0 mm

Sun 8 · 42 out of 100

Wind
1 kn
Gusts
8kn
Air
2°C
Rain
0 mm

Mon 9 · 47 out of 100

Wind
1 kn
Gusts
17kn
Air
4°C
Rain
0 mm

Tue 10 · 46 out of 100

Wind
2 kn
Gusts
21kn
Air
4°C
Rain
2.1 mm

Tap a day for wind, gusts, air and rain. Full forecast

Forecast: next 10 days

Full forecast
  1. Tue 344, poor
  2. Wed 440, poor
  3. Thu 542, poor
  4. Fri 639, poor
  5. Sat 740, poor
  6. Sun 842, poor
  7. Mon 947, fair
  8. Tue 1046, fair
  9. Wed 1147, fair
  10. Thu 1244, poor

The spot in three facts

  • Grade IVits hardest rapid IV+
  • Moving waterthe water
  • Best Jul–Aug7 good days in 7

Full forecast

every day, every number
Wind and weather forecast and score for each day at Arc, Orelle - Saint-Michel-de-Maurienne
DayScoreWindGustsAirRain
Tue 3Nov44, poor3 kn16kn3°C0 mm
Wed 4Nov40, poor5 kn30kn-1°C1.8 mm
Thu 5Nov42, poor4 kn30kn1°C0.2 mm
Fri 6Nov39, poor1 kn13kn1°C3.9 mm
Sat 7Nov40, poor3 kn15kn0°C0 mm
Sun 8Nov42, poor1 kn8kn2°C0 mm
Mon 9Nov47, fair1 kn17kn4°C0 mm
Tue 10Nov46, fair2 kn21kn4°C2.1 mm
Wed 11Nov47, fair3 kn25kn4°C0.3 mm
Thu 12Nov44, poor2 kn27kn3°C5.1 mm

Wind and gusts are in knots, rain in mm. River levels: no free forecast gives them, so check a gauge before you go. More

Forecast updated . It refreshes every three hours. Forecast data: ECMWF, DWD, Météo-France and NOAA, served by Open-Meteo.com (CC BY 4.0). Changed by us. Generated using E.U. Copernicus Marine Service Information.

Best time to go

best Jul–Aug

Good kayaking days in a typical week, each month, for expert paddlers, from 2016 on (ERA5 history scored the same way).

  1. Jan0of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
  2. Feb0of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
  3. Mar0of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
  4. Apr0of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
  5. May3of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
  6. Jun6of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
  7. Jul7of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
  8. Aug7of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
  9. Sep5of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
  10. Oct2of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
  11. Nov0of 7: a trip from Wed 4 Nov
  12. Dec0of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Dec

Tap a month to see this spot for a trip then.

Typical weather, not a forecast, and not the river's level: a month that is often good to be outside may still be low water.

Map

put-in, take-out, its town

Each place wears its best day on these dates: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.

The map needs JavaScript. Every place on it is listed on this page, and each place's page links to Google Maps.

One finger scrolls the page; two fingers move the map. Pins are our own positions. Map OpenFreeMap, © OpenMapTiles, data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Photos of Arc, Orelle - Saint-Michel-de-Maurienne

TGV Paris-Milan longeant l'Arc en Maurienne (avril 2022) 1
Photo: Florian Pépellin, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About Arc, Orelle - Saint-Michel-de-Maurienne

A river section on the Arc, from a put-in down to a take-out. Grade IV, its hardest rapid IV+, on the international scale. Suits expert paddlers only, by its grade. None within 10 km, the nearest 26 km away. For expert paddlers the best months are usually July and August, with about 7 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Orelle. Within 5 km we also list 1 ski resort and 1 climbing area.

  • River Arc
  • Grade Grade IV, its hardest rapid IV+, on the international scale.
  • Who it suits Suits expert paddlers only, by its grade.
  • Access No source states the access rules: check locally.
  • Schools, hire None within 10 km, the nearest 26 km away.

Spots and rivers: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL). Whitewater sections © Rivermap (rivermap.org), Riverzone and Jonathan Riddell, ODbL.

The score is the conditions only: the journey, the price and the partners never change it (how we score, how we earn).

Rough cost (estimate): about US$1,440–US$2,680 each

about US$1,440–US$2,680 each · 6 nights, 2 sharing: flights, hire car, stay, food, kayak hire.

Our estimate from typical public prices, not a quote: check the real prices before you book (where they come from). Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 2 November 2026.

How we worked it out 
Rough cost per person for this trip
WhatHow we worked it outEach
Flightsreturn ORD to MXP, estimated from distance and season, 1 airline on the route, with a hold bagabout US$497–US$1,030
Hire car6 days, sharedabout US$141–US$235
Stay6 nights, a mid-range double, sharedabout US$329–US$543
Food7 days eating outabout US$315–US$584
Kayak hire5 days, or about US$114 to fly your ownabout US$154–US$289
Totalabout US$1,440–US$2,680

Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.

Where to stay: Orelle

Ad Links marked Ad may pay us if you book. You pay the same, and they never change a score. How we earn

Closest

Orelle

4 min by car · 2 places to stay

about US$121/nightcountry average

See 2 places to stay in Orelle · Booking.com

About Orelle its beds, food and every spot near it

About US$121 a night is our estimate of the country's average 2-star double room that month: not each town's price, and not a quote. Drives are estimates. Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 2 November 2026.

Getting there: about 17h

About 17h door to door from Chicago

Fly ORD → MXP, direct, then 3h 20m by road

An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.

On the water

River level

River levels: no free forecast gives them, so check a gauge before you go.

Paddling schools, clubs and hire nearby

No paddling school, club or hire mapped within 25 km.

Schools, clubs and hire: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL). Credits