Staying Home Sucks, home
Veterans Monument Park Fairfield, Maine
Fairfield Maine, the nearest town. Photo: Duhc0mmunity, CC0, Wikimedia Commons

Kennebec River

Kayak spot · United States

Flat water: a lake, canal or slow river

Is it worth the trip?

90Good out of 100 for your dates

Home sucks

Best on Wed 4: Wind 5 kn gusting 13, Air 17 °C

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Tue 3 · 91 out of 100

Wind
0 kn
Gusts
3kn
Air
14°C
Rain
0.4 mm

Wed 4 · 95 out of 100

Wind
5 kn
Gusts
13kn
Air
17°C
Rain
0.4 mm

Thu 5 · 94 out of 100

Wind
7 kn
Gusts
15kn
Air
19°C
Rain
0.9 mm

Fri 6 · 94 out of 100

Wind
2 kn
Gusts
7kn
Air
18°C
Rain
1.2 mm

Sat 7 · 73 out of 100

Wind
7 kn
Gusts
17kn
Air
10°C
Rain
1.8 mm

Sun 8 · 74 out of 100

Wind
8 kn
Gusts
22kn
Air
9°C
Rain
0 mm

Mon 9 · 83 out of 100

Wind
1 kn
Gusts
10kn
Air
9°C
Rain
0 mm

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

Forecast: next 10 days

Full forecast
  1. Mon 293, good
  2. Tue 391, good
  3. Wed 495, good
  4. Thu 594, good
  5. Fri 694, good
  6. Sat 773, good
  7. Sun 874, good
  8. Mon 983, good
  9. Tue 1086, good
  10. Wed 1170, good

The spot in one fact

  • Flat waterthe water

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 Kennebec River
DayScoreWindGustsAirRain
Mon 2Nov93, good6 kn14kn17°C0 mm
Tue 3Nov91, good0 kn3kn14°C0.4 mm
Wed 4Nov95, good5 kn13kn17°C0.4 mm
Thu 5Nov94, good7 kn15kn19°C0.9 mm
Fri 6Nov94, good2 kn7kn18°C1.2 mm
Sat 7Nov73, good7 kn17kn10°C1.8 mm
Sun 8Nov74, good8 kn22kn9°C0 mm
Mon 9Nov83, good1 kn10kn9°C0 mm
Tue 10Nov86, good3 kn8kn11°C0 mm
Wed 11Nov70, good8 kn16kn8°C18.6 mm

Wind and gusts are in knots, rain in mm. River levels: no free forecast gives them, so check a gauge before you go. 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 grade III paddlers, from 2016 on (ERA5 history scored the same way).

  1. Jan5of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
  2. Feb5of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
  3. Mar5of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
  4. Apr6of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
  5. May7of 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. Oct7of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
  11. Nov6of 7: a trip from Tue 3 Nov
  12. Dec6of 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

the spot and 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.

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About Kennebec River

A launch on the Kennebec River. No grade stated: ask locally before you paddle. OpenStreetMap marks the water open to canoes and kayaks. None within 10 km, the nearest 41 km away. The town to stay in is Fairfield Maine.

  • River Kennebec River
  • Grade No grade is stated.
  • 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 41 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$1,230–US$2,220 each

about US$1,230–US$2,220 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 
Rough cost per person for this trip
WhatHow we worked it outEach
Flightsreturn ORD to BGR, estimated from distance and season, 2 airlines on the route, with a hold bagabout US$181–US$375
Hire car6 days, sharedabout US$154–US$255
Stay6 nights, a mid-range double, sharedabout US$348–US$583
Food7 days eating outabout US$342–US$636
Kayak hire5 days, or about US$114 to fly your ownabout US$201–US$375
Totalabout US$1,230–US$2,220

Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.

Where to stay: Fairfield Maine

Closest

Fairfield Maine

about 5 min by car

about US$134/nightcountry average

See places to stay in Fairfield Maine · Booking.com

About Fairfield Maine 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 6h 05m

About 6h 05m door to door from Chicago

Fly ORD → BGR, direct, then 1h 25m by road

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

On the water

Paddling schools, clubs and hire nearby

No paddling school, club or hire mapped within 25 km.

Schools, clubs and hire: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL). Credits