Staying Home Sucks, home
Auberge de l'Ill (Illhaeusern) (1)
Illhaeusern, the nearest town. Photo: Gzen92, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

Illhäusern

Kayak spot · France

Whitewater: a river with rapids

Is it worth the trip?

54Fair out of 100 for your dates

Stay home

3 days tie for best

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Tue 3 · 52 out of 100

Wind
8 kn
Gusts
21kn
Air
8°C
Rain
0 mm

Wed 4 · 54 out of 100

Wind
8 kn
Gusts
19kn
Air
8°C
Rain
0 mm

Thu 5 · 55 out of 100

Wind
1 kn
Gusts
6kn
Air
8°C
Rain
0 mm

Fri 6 · 51 out of 100

Wind
2 kn
Gusts
8kn
Air
5°C
Rain
0 mm

Sat 7 · 55 out of 100

Wind
1 kn
Gusts
5kn
Air
8°C
Rain
1.8 mm

Sun 8 · 55 out of 100

Wind
2 kn
Gusts
7kn
Air
8°C
Rain
0 mm

Mon 9 · 54 out of 100

Wind
2 kn
Gusts
8kn
Air
8°C
Rain
0 mm

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

Forecast: next 10 days

Full forecast
  1. Mon 255, fair
  2. Tue 352, fair
  3. Wed 454, fair
  4. Thu 555, fair
  5. Fri 651, fair
  6. Sat 755, fair
  7. Sun 855, fair
  8. Mon 954, fair
  9. Tue 1057, fair
  10. Wed 1160, good

The spot in three facts

  • Moving waterthe water
  • 9.1 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 Illhäusern
DayScoreWindGustsAirRain
Mon 2Nov55, fair8 kn17kn9°C0 mm
Tue 3Nov52, fair8 kn21kn8°C0 mm
Wed 4Nov54, fair8 kn19kn8°C0 mm
Thu 5Nov55, fair1 kn6kn8°C0 mm
Fri 6Nov51, fair2 kn8kn5°C0 mm
Sat 7Nov55, fair1 kn5kn8°C1.8 mm
Sun 8Nov55, fair2 kn7kn8°C0 mm
Mon 9Nov54, fair2 kn8kn8°C0 mm
Tue 10Nov57, fair1 kn6kn9°C0 mm
Wed 11Nov60, good2 kn8kn12°C4.2 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 grade III paddlers, from 2016 on (ERA5 history scored the same way).

  1. Jan0of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
  2. Feb1of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
  3. Mar3of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
  4. Apr5of 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.

More kayaking near here

1 place

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About Illhäusern

A river section on the L'Ill, from a put-in down to a take-out. It runs 9.1 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. 2 paddling schools, clubs or hire within 10 km, the nearest 6.9 km away. For grade III paddlers the best months are usually June, July, August and September, with about 7 good days in 7; in January and December, about 0. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Illhaeusern. Within 5 km we also list 2 kayak spots.

  • River L'Ill
  • Grade No source states its grade: check a guidebook before you paddle it.
  • Length 9.1 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 2 paddling schools, clubs or hire within 10 km, the nearest 6.9 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$1,430–US$2,670 each

about US$1,430–US$2,670 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 2 November 2026.

How we worked it out 
Rough cost per person for this trip
WhatHow we worked it outEach
Flightsreturn ORD to ZRH, estimated from distance and season, 2 airlines on the route, with a hold bagabout US$490–US$1,020
Hire car6 days, sharedabout US$141–US$235
Stay6 nights, a mid-range double, sharedabout US$329–US$543
Food7 days eating outabout US$315–US$584
Kayak hire5 days, or about US$114 to fly your ownabout US$154–US$289
Totalabout US$1,430–US$2,670

Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.

Where to stay: Illhaeusern

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

Closest

Illhaeusern

1 min by car · 5 places to stay

about US$121/nightcountry average

See 5 places to stay in Illhaeusern · Booking.com

About Illhaeusern its beds, food and every spot near it

About US$121 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 15h 45m

About 15h 45m door to door from Chicago

Fly ORD → ZRH, direct, then 2h 20m by road

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

On the water

River level

Gauge at L'Ill à Illhaeusern: 9.24 m³/s, very low for November (updated 2 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 flow in France: Hub'Eau (hubeau.eaufrance.fr), data from the hydrometric services (SCHAPI, DREAL), Licence Ouverte 2.0. 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