Staying Home Sucks, home
Le Monetier les Bains - Village vu du haut
Le Monêtier-les-Bains, the nearest town, 2 km away. Photo: Paul.genix, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

La Guisane

Kayak spot · France

Whitewater: a river with rapids

Is it worth the trip?

46Fair out of 100 for your dates

Stay home

Best on Mon 9: Wind 3 kn gusting 16, Air 8 °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 · 47 out of 100

Wind
2 kn
Gusts
11kn
Air
4°C
Rain
0 mm

Wed 4 · 40 out of 100

Wind
3 kn
Gusts
13kn
Air
0°C
Rain
0.5 mm

Thu 5 · 43 out of 100

Wind
2 kn
Gusts
11kn
Air
2°C
Rain
0 mm

Fri 6 · 43 out of 100

Wind
0 kn
Gusts
5kn
Air
2°C
Rain
3.6 mm

Sat 7 · 46 out of 100

Wind
0 kn
Gusts
9kn
Air
3°C
Rain
0 mm

Sun 8 · 41 out of 100

Wind
1 kn
Gusts
12kn
Air
2°C
Rain
4.8 mm

Mon 9 · 55 out of 100

Wind
3 kn
Gusts
16kn
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 250, fair
  2. Tue 347, fair
  3. Wed 440, poor
  4. Thu 543, poor
  5. Fri 643, poor
  6. Sat 746, fair
  7. Sun 841, poor
  8. Mon 955, fair
  9. Tue 1036, poor
  10. Wed 1143, poor

The spot in four facts

  • Grade IIIat its hardest
  • Moving waterthe water
  • 6.5 kmthe section
  • Best Jul–Aug7 good days in 7

Full forecast

every day, every number
Wind and weather forecast and score for each day at La Guisane
DayScoreWindGustsAirRain
Mon 2Nov50, fair3 kn12kn5°C0 mm
Tue 3Nov47, fair2 kn11kn4°C0 mm
Wed 4Nov40, poor3 kn13kn0°C0.5 mm
Thu 5Nov43, poor2 kn11kn2°C0 mm
Fri 6Nov43, poor0 kn5kn2°C3.6 mm
Sat 7Nov46, fair0 kn9kn3°C0 mm
Sun 8Nov41, poor1 kn12kn2°C4.8 mm
Mon 9Nov55, fair3 kn16kn8°C0 mm
Tue 10Nov36, poor1 kn13kn5°C19.2 mm
Wed 11Nov43, poor0 kn10kn4°C7.2 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 Jul–Aug

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. Feb0of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
  3. Mar0of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
  4. Apr0of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
  5. May2of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
  6. Jun5of 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. Sep5of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
  10. Oct1of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
  11. Nov0of 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.

Live webcam

press to load it

Live webcam

At Serre Chevalier, 4 km away

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More kayaking near here

2 places

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About La Guisane

A river section on the La Guisane, from a put-in down to a take-out. Grade III, on the international scale. It runs 6.5 km along the river. Suits grade III paddlers and up, by its grade. 2 paddling schools, clubs or hire within 10 km, the nearest 2.9 km away. For grade III paddlers the best months are usually July and August, with about 7 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Le Monêtier-les-Bains. Within 5 km we also list 1 ski resort, 3 kayak spots and 2 climbing areas.

  • River La Guisane
  • Grade Grade III, on the international scale.
  • Length 6.5 km along the river.
  • Who it suits Suits grade III paddlers and up, by its grade.
  • Access No source states the access rules: check locally.
  • Schools, hire 2 paddling schools, clubs or hire within 10 km, the nearest 2.9 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$2,680 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 
Rough cost per person for this trip
WhatHow we worked it outEach
Flightsreturn ORD to MXP, estimated from distance and season, 1 airline on the route, with a hold bagabout US$496–US$1,030
Hire car6 days, sharedabout US$141–US$234
Stay6 nights, a mid-range double, sharedabout US$328–US$543
Food7 days eating outabout US$315–US$583
Kayak hire5 days, or about US$114 to fly your ownabout US$154–US$288
Totalabout US$1,430–US$2,680

Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.

Where to stay: Le Monêtier-les-Bains

Closest

Le Monêtier-les-Bains

about 5 min by car · 19 places to stay

about US$121/nightcountry average

See 19 places to stay in Le Monêtier-les-Bains · Booking.com

About Le Monêtier-les-Bains 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 17h 10m

About 17h 10m door to door from Chicago

Fly ORD → MXP, direct, then 3h 35m by road

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

On the water

River level

Gauge at La Guisane au Monêtier-les-Bains [Le Casset] - Pisciculture, 4 km upstream: 1.61 m³/s, normal for November (updated 3 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