Flat water: a lake, canal or slow river
Is it worth the trip?
98Good out of 100 for your dates
3 days tie for best
Mon 2 · 94 out of 100
- Wind
- 6 kn
- Gusts
- 11kn
- Air
- 17°C
- Rain
- 0.3 mm
Tue 3 · 100 out of 100
- Wind
- 2 kn
- Gusts
- 9kn
- Air
- 22°C
- Rain
- 0 mm
Wed 4 · 95 out of 100
- Wind
- 5 kn
- Gusts
- 11kn
- Air
- 24°C
- Rain
- 0 mm
Thu 5 · 94 out of 100
- Wind
- 7 kn
- Gusts
- 17kn
- Air
- 24°C
- Rain
- 0.6 mm
Fri 6 · 100 out of 100
- Wind
- 2 kn
- Gusts
- 13kn
- Air
- 22°C
- Rain
- 0 mm
Sat 7 · 97 out of 100
- Wind
- 4 kn
- Gusts
- 14kn
- Air
- 19°C
- Rain
- 0 mm
Sun 8 · 100 out of 100
- Wind
- 5 kn
- Gusts
- 11kn
- Air
- 21°C
- Rain
- 0 mm
Tap a day for wind, gusts, air and rain. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 196, good
- Mon 294, good
- Tue 3100, good
- Wed 495, good
- Thu 594, good
- Fri 6100, good
- Sat 797, good
- Sun 8100, good
- Mon 997, good
- Tue 1087, good
The spot in two facts
- Flat waterthe water
- 7.8 kmthe section
Full forecast
every day, every number
The score doesn't know the river level, weirs or your skill.
| Day | Score | Wind | Gusts | Air | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 96, good | 5 kn | 10kn | 17°C | 0 mm |
| Mon 2Nov | 94, good | 6 kn | 11kn | 17°C | 0.3 mm |
| Tue 3Nov | 100, good | 2 kn | 9kn | 22°C | 0 mm |
| Wed 4Nov | 95, good | 5 kn | 11kn | 24°C | 0 mm |
| Thu 5Nov | 94, good | 7 kn | 17kn | 24°C | 0.6 mm |
| Fri 6Nov | 100, good | 2 kn | 13kn | 22°C | 0 mm |
| Sat 7Nov | 97, good | 4 kn | 14kn | 19°C | 0 mm |
| Sun 8Nov | 100, good | 5 kn | 11kn | 21°C | 0 mm |
| Mon 9Nov | 97, good | 6 kn | 14kn | 20°C | 1.8 mm |
| Tue 10Nov | 87, good | 8 kn | 16kn | 15°C | 0 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.
Map
put-in, take-out, its town
Cooleemee Falls Portage on Google Maps · Directions
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.
More kayaking near here
5 places
- Cooleemee Access 2.5 km away
- US 601 River Access 6.1 km away
- NC 801 Access 7.7 km away
- Boone's Cave Access 8.6 km away
- Rowan County Pump Station Access 11.5 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Cooleemee Falls Portage
A river section on the South Yadkin River, from a put-in down to a take-out. It runs 7.8 km along the river. No grade stated: ask locally before you paddle. OpenStreetMap marks the water open to canoes and kayaks. None within 10 km, the nearest 40 km away. The town to stay in is Salisbury. Within 5 km we also list 1 kayak spot.
- River South Yadkin River
- Grade No grade is stated.
- Length 7.8 km along the river.
- Who it suits No grade stated: ask locally before you paddle.
- Access OpenStreetMap marks the water open to canoes and kayaks.
- Schools, hire None within 10 km, the nearest 40 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$1,190–US$2,150 each
about US$1,190–US$2,150 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 30 October 2026.
How we worked it out
| What | How we worked it out | Each |
|---|---|---|
| Flights | return ORD to GSO, estimated from distance and season, 2 airlines on the route, with a hold bag | about US$147–US$301 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | about US$154–US$255 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$348–US$583 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$342–US$636 |
| Kayak hire | 5 days, or about US$114 to fly your own | about US$201–US$375 |
| Total | about US$1,190–US$2,150 |
Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.
Where to stay: Salisbury
31 min by car · 7 places to stay
about US$134/nightcountry average
About Salisbury its beds, food and every spot near it
About US$134 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 30 October 2026.
Getting there: about 5h 20m
About 5h 20m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → GSO, direct, then 1h 25m by road
Flights ORD → GSO on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.
On the water
Kayak trips and courses in Salisbury · GetYourGuideKayak hire in Salisbury · GetYourGuide
River level
Gauge at SOUTH YADKIN RIVER NEAR MOCKSVILLE, NC, 14 km upstream: 3.06 m³/s, very low for November (updated 2 h ago). Low.
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 25 km.
Schools, clubs and hire: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL). Credits