Whitewater: a river with rapids
Is it worth the trip?
61Good out of 100 for your dates
Best on Sun 8: Wind 4 kn gusting 14, Air 13 °C, River levels: no free forecast gives them, so check a gauge before you go
Wed 4 · 57 out of 100
- Wind
- 4 kn
- Gusts
- 13kn
- Air
- 10°C
- Rain
- 0 mm
Thu 5 · 55 out of 100
- Wind
- 5 kn
- Gusts
- 17kn
- Air
- 8°C
- Rain
- 0 mm
Fri 6 · 54 out of 100
- Wind
- 1 kn
- Gusts
- 9kn
- Air
- 7°C
- Rain
- 0.3 mm
Sat 7 · 62 out of 100
- Wind
- 3 kn
- Gusts
- 11kn
- Air
- 13°C
- Rain
- 0 mm
Sun 8 · 65 out of 100
- Wind
- 4 kn
- Gusts
- 14kn
- Air
- 13°C
- Rain
- 0 mm
Mon 9 · 61 out of 100
- Wind
- 2 kn
- Gusts
- 13kn
- Air
- 11°C
- Rain
- 0 mm
Tue 10 · 61 out of 100
- Wind
- 5 kn
- Gusts
- 19kn
- Air
- 11°C
- Rain
- 1.2 mm
Tap a day for wind, gusts, air and rain. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Tue 358, fair
- Wed 457, fair
- Thu 555, fair
- Fri 654, fair
- Sat 762, good
- Sun 865, good
- Mon 961, good
- Tue 1061, good
- Wed 1161, good
- Thu 1240, poor
The spot in three facts
- Moving waterthe water
- 9.5 kmthe section
- Best Jul–Aug7 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
The score doesn't know the river level, weirs or your skill.
| Day | Score | Wind | Gusts | Air | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tue 3Nov | 58, fair | 1 kn | 8kn | 11°C | 0 mm |
| Wed 4Nov | 57, fair | 4 kn | 13kn | 10°C | 0 mm |
| Thu 5Nov | 55, fair | 5 kn | 17kn | 8°C | 0 mm |
| Fri 6Nov | 54, fair | 1 kn | 9kn | 7°C | 0.3 mm |
| Sat 7Nov | 62, good | 3 kn | 11kn | 13°C | 0 mm |
| Sun 8Nov | 65, good | 4 kn | 14kn | 13°C | 0 mm |
| Mon 9Nov | 61, good | 2 kn | 13kn | 11°C | 0 mm |
| Tue 10Nov | 61, good | 5 kn | 19kn | 11°C | 1.2 mm |
| Wed 11Nov | 61, good | 6 kn | 22kn | 11°C | 0 mm |
| Thu 12Nov | 40, poor | 6 kn | 31kn | 2°C | 6.3 mm |
Wind and gusts are in knots, rain in mm. The river's level is under In the water. 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).
- Jan0of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb0of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar0of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr1of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May5of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun6of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul7of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug7of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep6of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct3of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov0of 7: a trip from Wed 4 Nov
- 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
Big Falls Portage Put In on Google Maps · Directions
Each place wears its best day on these dates: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.
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One finger scrolls the page; two fingers move the map. Pins are our own positions. Map OpenFreeMap, © OpenMapTiles, data © OpenStreetMap contributors.
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Big Falls Portage Put In
A river section on the South Fork Payette River, from a put-in down to a take-out. It runs 9.5 km along the river. Suits grade III paddlers and up: a river with no grade stated, which we never offer a new paddler. OpenStreetMap marks the water open to canoes and kayaks. No paddling school, club or hire within 50 km on the map. For expert paddlers the best months are usually July and August, with about 7 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. No town nearby. Horseshoe Bend, 42 km away, is the nearest town we list; we have not checked places to stay there. Nearest place to stay we found: Pine Flats Campground, Crouch, 3 km. Nearest beds: Cascade, 56 km. Nearest airport: Boise Air Terminal/Gowen Field (BOI), 69 km.
- River South Fork Payette River
- Grade No source states its grade: check a guidebook before you paddle it.
- Length 9.5 km along the river.
- Who it suits Suits grade III paddlers and up: a river with no grade stated, which we never offer a new paddler.
- Access OpenStreetMap marks the water open to canoes and kayaks.
- Schools, hire No paddling school, club or hire within 50 km on the map.
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$919–US$1,730 each
about US$919–US$1,730 each · 6 nights, 2 sharing: flights, hire car, 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
| What | How we worked it out | Each |
|---|---|---|
| Flights | return MDW to BOI, estimated from distance and season, 1 airline on the route, with a hold bag | about US$221–US$463 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | about US$154–US$255 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$342–US$637 |
| Kayak hire | 5 days, or about US$114 to fly your own | about US$201–US$376 |
| Total | about US$919–US$1,730 |
No town nearby, so no stay is in it. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.
Where to stay: nearest beds 56 km away
Ad Links marked Ad may pay us if you book. You pay the same, and they never change a score. How we earn
No town nearby
Horseshoe Bend, 42 km away, is the nearest town we list; we have not checked places to stay there. Nearest place to stay we found: Pine Flats Campground, Crouch, 3 km. Nearest beds: Cascade, 56 km. Nearest airport: Boise Air Terminal/Gowen Field (BOI), 69 km.
See places to stay near Cascade, 56 km away · Booking.comGetting there: about 7h
About 7h door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → BOI, direct, then 1h 30m by road
Flights MDW → BOI on your dates · AviasalesAd
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.
On the water
Kayak trips and courses in Big Falls Portage Put In · GetYourGuideKayak hire in Big Falls Portage Put In · GetYourGuide
River level
Gauge at SOUTH FORK PAYETTE RIVER AT LOWMAN, ID, 15 km upstream: 9.46 m³/s, normal for November (updated 57 min ago). Running.
Bands are this gauge's own record: under its usual low, running, high, and in flood on its few highest days a year. Not a runnable range for the section: check before you go. River levels in the United States: U.S. Geological Survey (public domain). Credits
Paddling schools, clubs and hire nearby
No paddling school, club or hire mapped within 50 km.
Schools, clubs and hire: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL). Credits