Whitewater: a river with rapids
Is it worth the trip?
57Fair out of 100 for your dates
Best on Mon 2: Wind 1 kn gusting 6, Air 10 °C, River levels: no free forecast gives them, so check a gauge before you go
Mon 2 · 60 out of 100
- Wind
- 1 kn
- Gusts
- 6kn
- Air
- 10°C
- Rain
- 0.5 mm
Tue 3 · 56 out of 100
- Wind
- 9 kn
- Gusts
- 18kn
- Air
- 9°C
- Rain
- 0 mm
Wed 4 · 56 out of 100
- Wind
- 8 kn
- Gusts
- 21kn
- Air
- 8°C
- Rain
- 0 mm
Thu 5 · 56 out of 100
- Wind
- 8 kn
- Gusts
- 17kn
- Air
- 9°C
- Rain
- 0 mm
Fri 6 · 56 out of 100
- Wind
- 7 kn
- Gusts
- 15kn
- Air
- 8°C
- Rain
- 0 mm
Sat 7 · 57 out of 100
- Wind
- 3 kn
- Gusts
- 9kn
- Air
- 9°C
- Rain
- 0 mm
Sun 8 · 54 out of 100
- Wind
- 9 kn
- Gusts
- 18kn
- Air
- 8°C
- Rain
- 4.5 mm
Tap a day for wind, gusts, air and rain. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 162, good
- Mon 260, good
- Tue 356, fair
- Wed 456, fair
- Thu 556, fair
- Fri 656, fair
- Sat 757, fair
- Sun 854, fair
- Mon 955, fair
- Tue 1052, fair
The spot in two facts
- Moving waterthe water
- 4.9 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 | 62, good | 2 kn | 6kn | 12°C | 0 mm |
| Mon 2Nov | 60, good | 1 kn | 6kn | 10°C | 0.5 mm |
| Tue 3Nov | 56, fair | 9 kn | 18kn | 9°C | 0 mm |
| Wed 4Nov | 56, fair | 8 kn | 21kn | 8°C | 0 mm |
| Thu 5Nov | 56, fair | 8 kn | 17kn | 9°C | 0 mm |
| Fri 6Nov | 56, fair | 7 kn | 15kn | 8°C | 0 mm |
| Sat 7Nov | 57, fair | 3 kn | 9kn | 9°C | 0 mm |
| Sun 8Nov | 54, fair | 9 kn | 18kn | 8°C | 4.5 mm |
| Mon 9Nov | 55, fair | 5 kn | 13kn | 8°C | 0 mm |
| Tue 10Nov | 52, fair | 4 kn | 13kn | 7°C | 3.6 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
No month stands out
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
- Feb1of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar3of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr5of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May7of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun7of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul7of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug7of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep7of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct5of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov1of 7: a trip from Mon 2 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
Ems on Google Maps · Directions
Each place wears its best day on these dates: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says. Days past the forecast count as they usually are.
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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.
More kayaking near here
5 places
- MS 1 0.7 km away
- Havichhorster Mühle 2.4 km away
- Sudmühle 3.5 km away
- ST 1 3.6 km away
- Werse 4 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Ems
A river section on the Ems, from a put-in down to a take-out. It runs 4.9 km along the river. Suits grade III paddlers and up: a river with no grade stated, which we never offer a new paddler. 4 paddling schools, clubs or hire within 10 km, the nearest 3.7 km away. The town to stay in is Münster. Within 5 km we also list 5 kayak spots.
- River Ems
- Grade No source states its grade: check a guidebook before you paddle it.
- Length 4.9 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 No source states the access rules: check locally.
- Schools, hire 4 paddling schools, clubs or hire within 10 km, the nearest 3.7 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$1,370–US$2,570 each
about US$1,370–US$2,570 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 AMS, estimated from distance and season, 2 airlines on the route, with a hold bag | about US$462–US$958 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | about US$147–US$248 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$308–US$509 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$295–US$549 |
| Kayak hire | 5 days, or about US$114 to fly your own | about US$161–US$308 |
| Total | about US$1,370–US$2,570 |
Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.
Where to stay: Münster
17 min by car · 88 places to stay
about US$114/nightcountry average
About Münster its beds, food and every spot near it
About US$114 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 16h 30m
About 16h 30m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → AMS, direct, then 3h 45m by road
Flights ORD → AMS on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.
On the water
Kayak trips and courses in Münster · GetYourGuideKayak hire in Münster · GetYourGuide
River level
Gauge at FUESTRUP, 1 km downstream: 1.15 m (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 Germany: PEGELONLINE, Wasserstraßen- und Schifffahrtsverwaltung des Bundes (WSV), DL-DE Zero 2.0. Credits
Paddling schools, clubs and hire nearby
Paddelsport Münster 5.5 km
Paddelclub Telgte e.V. 5.9 km
Kanustation Pleister Mühle 6.5 km
Canu Camp Münster 11 km
The nearest named schools, clubs and kayak or canoe hire within 25 km, in a straight line. Listings, not a recommendation. Schools, clubs and hire: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL). Credits