Whitewater: a river with rapids
Is it worth the trip?
Not for new paddlers. Suits grade III paddlers and up: a river with no grade stated, which we never offer a new paddler.
The spot in two facts
- Moving waterthe water
- 9.5 kmthe section
Full forecast
every day, every number
Not for new paddlers. Suits grade III paddlers and up: a river with no grade stated, which we never offer a new paddler. See it for grade III paddlers.
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
Deadwood Put-In/Take-out 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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About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Deadwood Put-In/Take-out
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. No town nearby. Horseshoe Bend, 47 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, 57 km. Nearest airport: Boise Air Terminal/Gowen Field (BOI), 73 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 57 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, 47 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, 57 km. Nearest airport: Boise Air Terminal/Gowen Field (BOI), 73 km.
See places to stay near Cascade, 57 km away · Booking.comGetting there: about 7h 05m
About 7h 05m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → BOI, direct, then 1h 35m 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 Deadwood Put-In/Take-out · GetYourGuideKayak hire in Deadwood Put-In/Take-out · GetYourGuide
River level
Gauge at SOUTH FORK PAYETTE RIVER AT LOWMAN, ID, 5 km upstream: 9.63 m³/s, normal for November (updated 3 h 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