Staying Home Sucks, home
438 A East Hamlin St. Building on the Grand River EatonRapids, Michigan
Grand River. Photo: Catherine Ottarson, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

Grand River

Kayak spot · United States

Whitewater: a river with rapids

Is it worth the trip?

69Good out of 100 for your dates

Home sucks

Best on Tue 3: Wind 10 kn gusting 22, Air 22 °C, River levels: no free forecast gives them, so check a gauge before you go

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Tue 3 · 78 out of 100

Wind
10 kn
Gusts
22kn
Air
22°C
Rain
0 mm

Wed 4 · 77 out of 100

Wind
11 kn
Gusts
25kn
Air
20°C
Rain
1.4 mm

Thu 5 · 69 out of 100

Wind
10 kn
Gusts
21kn
Air
16°C
Rain
0.1 mm

Fri 6 · 64 out of 100

Wind
2 kn
Gusts
6kn
Air
13°C
Rain
0.3 mm

Sat 7 · 61 out of 100

Wind
6 kn
Gusts
13kn
Air
11°C
Rain
0.6 mm

Sun 8 · 56 out of 100

Wind
7 kn
Gusts
15kn
Air
9°C
Rain
3.6 mm

Mon 9 · 59 out of 100

Wind
10 kn
Gusts
26kn
Air
10°C
Rain
0 mm

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

Forecast: next 10 days

Full forecast
  1. Mon 271, good
  2. Tue 378, good
  3. Wed 477, good
  4. Thu 569, good
  5. Fri 664, good
  6. Sat 761, good
  7. Sun 856, fair
  8. Mon 959, fair
  9. Tue 1057, fair
  10. Wed 1158, fair

The spot in three facts

  • Moving waterthe water
  • 6.9 kmthe section
  • Best Jun–Sep7 good days in 7

Full forecast

every day, every number

The score doesn't know the river level, weirs or your skill.

Wind and weather forecast and score for each day at Grand River
DayScoreWindGustsAirRain
Mon 2Nov71, good10 kn21kn16°C0 mm
Tue 3Nov78, good10 kn22kn22°C0 mm
Wed 4Nov77, good11 kn25kn20°C1.4 mm
Thu 5Nov69, good10 kn21kn16°C0.1 mm
Fri 6Nov64, good2 kn6kn13°C0.3 mm
Sat 7Nov61, good6 kn13kn11°C0.6 mm
Sun 8Nov56, fair7 kn15kn9°C3.6 mm
Mon 9Nov59, fair10 kn26kn10°C0 mm
Tue 10Nov57, fair16 kn31kn12°C0 mm
Wed 11Nov58, fair8 kn18kn10°C0 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 Jun–Sep

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. Mar2of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
  4. Apr4of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
  5. May6of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
  6. Jun7of 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. Sep7of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
  10. Oct5of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
  11. Nov1of 7: a trip from Tue 3 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 Grand River

Fishing on the Grand River from the G.A.R. Island in EatonRapids, Michigan
Photo: Catherine Ottarson, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
M-188 Grand River
Photo: Imzadi1979, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Hiram Webster House Eaton Rapids
Photo: kennethaw88, CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

More kayaking near here

2 places

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About Grand River

A river section on the Grand River, from a put-in down to a take-out. It runs 6.9 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. 1 paddling school, club or hire within 10 km, the nearest 0.0 km away. For expert paddlers the best months are usually June, July, August and September, with about 7 good days in 7; in January, February and December, about 0. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Eaton Rapids.

  • River Grand River
  • Grade No source states its grade: check a guidebook before you paddle it.
  • Length 6.9 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 OpenStreetMap marks the water open to canoes and kayaks.
  • Schools, hire 1 paddling school, club or hire within 10 km, the nearest 0.0 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$933–US$1,650 each

about US$933–US$1,650 each · 6 nights, 2 sharing: fuel, 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
Fuelabout 620 km there and back, sharedabout US$40–US$54
Stay6 nights, a mid-range double, sharedabout US$349–US$584
Food7 days eating outabout US$342–US$637
Kayak hire5 days, or bring your ownabout US$201–US$376
Totalabout US$933–US$1,650

Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.

Where to stay: Eaton Rapids

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

Closest

Eaton Rapids

about 5 min by car · 3 places to stay

about US$134/nightcountry average

See 3 places to stay in Eaton Rapids · Booking.com

About Eaton Rapids 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 2 November 2026.

Getting there: about 3h 45m

About 3h 45m door to door from Chicago

Drive: Drive, about 3h 45m

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

On the water

River level

River level at GRAND RIVER NEAR EATON RAPIDS, MI: its gauge has sent no reading in the last day, so check it before you go.

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

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