La Bonne, Valbonnais - Pont de la N85
Kayak spot · France
Whitewater: a river with rapids
Is it worth the trip?
59Fair out of 100 for your dates
Best on Thu 5: Wind 2 kn gusting 9, Air 13 °C, River levels: no free forecast gives them, so check a gauge before you go
Wed 4 · 57 out of 100
- Wind
- 2 kn
- Gusts
- 8kn
- Air
- 8°C
- Rain
- 0.3 mm
Thu 5 · 65 out of 100
- Wind
- 2 kn
- Gusts
- 9kn
- Air
- 13°C
- Rain
- 0 mm
Fri 6 · 46 out of 100
- Wind
- 2 kn
- Gusts
- 7kn
- Air
- 5°C
- Rain
- 9 mm
Sat 7 · 58 out of 100
- Wind
- 2 kn
- Gusts
- 9kn
- Air
- 9°C
- Rain
- 0 mm
Sun 8 · 60 out of 100
- Wind
- 5 kn
- Gusts
- 16kn
- Air
- 11°C
- Rain
- 0 mm
Mon 9 · 59 out of 100
- Wind
- 6 kn
- Gusts
- 19kn
- Air
- 11°C
- Rain
- 0 mm
Tue 10 · 60 out of 100
- Wind
- 6 kn
- Gusts
- 21kn
- Air
- 14°C
- Rain
- 1.2 mm
Tap a day for wind, gusts, air and rain. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Tue 358, fair
- Wed 454, fair
- Thu 566, good
- Fri 646, fair
- Sat 758, fair
- Sun 859, fair
- Mon 961, good
- Tue 1066, good
- Wed 1166, good
- Thu 1260, good
The spot in three facts
- Grade IVits hardest rapid V
- Moving waterthe water
- Best Jun–Aug7 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
The score doesn't know the river level, weirs or your skill.
| Day | Score | Wind | Gusts | Air | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tue 3Nov | 58, fair | 3 kn | 10kn | 10°C | 0 mm |
| Wed 4Nov | 54, fair | 2 kn | 8kn | 8°C | 0.3 mm |
| Thu 5Nov | 66, good | 2 kn | 9kn | 13°C | 0 mm |
| Fri 6Nov | 46, fair | 2 kn | 7kn | 5°C | 9 mm |
| Sat 7Nov | 58, fair | 2 kn | 9kn | 9°C | 0 mm |
| Sun 8Nov | 59, fair | 5 kn | 16kn | 11°C | 0 mm |
| Mon 9Nov | 61, good | 6 kn | 19kn | 11°C | 0 mm |
| Tue 10Nov | 66, good | 6 kn | 21kn | 14°C | 1.2 mm |
| Wed 11Nov | 66, good | 6 kn | 24kn | 15°C | 3.9 mm |
| Thu 12Nov | 60, good | 4 kn | 23kn | 11°C | 13.5 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–Aug
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
- Feb0of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar0of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr1of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May4of 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
- Sep6of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct3of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov0of 7: a trip from Wed 4 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
La Bonne, Valbonnais - Pont de la N85 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
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About La Bonne, Valbonnais - Pont de la N85
A river section on the La Bonne, from a put-in down to a take-out. Grade III to IV, its hardest rapid V, on the international scale. Suits expert paddlers only, by its grade. 1 paddling school, club or hire within 10 km, the nearest 0.8 km away. For expert paddlers the best months are usually June, July and August, with about 7 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Valbonnais. Within 5 km we also list 1 climbing area.
- River La Bonne
- Grade Grade III to IV, its hardest rapid 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 0.8 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$1,440–US$2,680 each
about US$1,440–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 2 November 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$497–US$1,030 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | about US$141–US$235 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$329–US$543 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$315–US$584 |
| Kayak hire | 5 days, or about US$114 to fly your own | about US$154–US$289 |
| Total | about US$1,440–US$2,680 |
Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.
Where to stay: Valbonnais
Ad Links marked Ad may pay us if you book. You pay the same, and they never change a score. How we earn
2 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 2 November 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 · AviasalesAdeSIM for your phone · Search on AiraloAd
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], 4 km upstream: 1.2 m³/s, very low for November (updated 45 min 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 19 km
Integral Rafting 20 km
Canoë kayak Oisans 21 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