La Bonne, Barrage du Pont Haut - Pont de Ponsonnas (D526)
Kayak spot · France
Whitewater: a river with rapids
Is it worth the trip?
Not for grade III paddlers. Suits expert paddlers only, by its grade.
The spot in two facts
- Grade Vat its hardest
- Moving waterthe water
Full forecast
every day, every number
Not for grade III paddlers. Suits expert paddlers only, by its grade. See it for expert 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
La Bonne, Barrage du Pont Haut - Pont de Ponsonnas (D526) 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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More kayaking near here
1 place
- La Bonne, Valbonnais - Pont de la N85 7.3 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About La Bonne, Barrage du Pont Haut - Pont de Ponsonnas (D526)
A river section on the La Bonne, from a put-in down to a take-out. Grade IV to V, on the international scale. Suits expert paddlers only, by its grade. 1 paddling school, club or hire within 10 km, the nearest 6.5 km away. The town to stay in is Valbonnais. Within 5 km we also list 1 climbing area.
- River La Bonne
- Grade Grade IV to V, on the international scale.
- Who it suits Suits expert paddlers only, by its grade.
- Access No source states the access rules: check locally.
- Schools, hire 1 paddling school, club or hire within 10 km, the nearest 6.5 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$2,680 each
about US$1,430–US$2,680 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 MXP, estimated from distance and season, 1 airline on the route, with a hold bag | about US$496–US$1,030 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | about US$141–US$234 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$328–US$543 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$315–US$583 |
| Kayak hire | 5 days, or about US$114 to fly your own | about US$154–US$288 |
| Total | about US$1,430–US$2,680 |
Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.
Where to stay: Valbonnais
12 min by car · 3 places to stay
about US$121/nightcountry average
About Valbonnais 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 30 October 2026.
Getting there: about 18h
About 18h door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → MXP, direct, then 4h 20m by road
Flights ORD → MXP on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.
On the water
Kayak trips and courses in Valbonnais · GetYourGuideKayak hire in Valbonnais · GetYourGuide
River level
Gauge at La Bonne à Entraigues [Pont Battant], 13 km upstream: 1.38 m³/s, low for November (updated 1 h ago). Low: it may be too low to paddle.
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
Treffort Voile 12 km
Canoë kayak Oisans 24 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