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Le Gave de Pau
Kayak spot · France
Whitewater: a river with rapids
Is it worth the trip?
63Good out of 100 for your dates
Best on Sun 8: Wind 4 kn gusting 11, Air 16 °C, River levels: no free forecast gives them, so check a gauge before you go
Mon 2 · 59 out of 100
- Wind
- 3 kn
- Gusts
- 11kn
- Air
- 10°C
- Rain
- 0 mm
Tue 3 · 50 out of 100
- Wind
- 3 kn
- Gusts
- 9kn
- Air
- 5°C
- Rain
- 0 mm
Wed 4 · 55 out of 100
- Wind
- 4 kn
- Gusts
- 10kn
- Air
- 7°C
- Rain
- 0 mm
Thu 5 · 61 out of 100
- Wind
- 3 kn
- Gusts
- 10kn
- Air
- 11°C
- Rain
- 0 mm
Fri 6 · 64 out of 100
- Wind
- 3 kn
- Gusts
- 10kn
- Air
- 12°C
- Rain
- 0 mm
Sat 7 · 66 out of 100
- Wind
- 4 kn
- Gusts
- 10kn
- Air
- 14°C
- Rain
- 0 mm
Sun 8 · 70 out of 100
- Wind
- 4 kn
- Gusts
- 11kn
- Air
- 16°C
- Rain
- 0 mm
Tap a day for wind, gusts, air and rain. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 163, good
- Mon 259, fair
- Tue 350, fair
- Wed 455, fair
- Thu 561, good
- Fri 664, good
- Sat 766, good
- Sun 870, good
- Mon 973, good
- Tue 1071, good
The spot in two facts
- Moving waterthe water
- 15.6 kmthe section
Full forecast
every day, every number
The score doesn't know the river level, weirs or your skill.
| Day | Score | Wind | Gusts | Air | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 63, good | 2 kn | 8kn | 12°C | 0 mm |
| Mon 2Nov | 59, fair | 3 kn | 11kn | 10°C | 0 mm |
| Tue 3Nov | 50, fair | 3 kn | 9kn | 5°C | 0 mm |
| Wed 4Nov | 55, fair | 4 kn | 10kn | 7°C | 0 mm |
| Thu 5Nov | 61, good | 3 kn | 10kn | 11°C | 0 mm |
| Fri 6Nov | 64, good | 3 kn | 10kn | 12°C | 0 mm |
| Sat 7Nov | 66, good | 4 kn | 10kn | 14°C | 0 mm |
| Sun 8Nov | 70, good | 4 kn | 11kn | 16°C | 0 mm |
| Mon 9Nov | 73, good | 1 kn | 9kn | 17°C | 0.6 mm |
| Tue 10Nov | 71, good | 3 kn | 10kn | 16°C | 0.3 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
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).
- Jan4of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb5of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar6of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr7of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May7of 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
- Sep7of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct7of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov6of 7: a trip from Mon 2 Nov
- Dec5of 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
Le Gave de Pau 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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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
4 places
- Gave de Pau, Lourdes - Rieulhès 2.3 km away
- Neez, Station Ourdon - Pont de Lugagnan 6.9 km away
- Gave de Pau, Rieulhès - Pont des Grottes 7.5 km away
- Gave de Pau, Stade d'Eaux Vives du Pont des Grottes 11.6 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Le Gave de Pau
A river section on the Le Gave de Pau, from a put-in down to a take-out. It runs 16 km along the river. Suits grade III paddlers and up: a river with no grade stated, which we never offer a new paddler. 2 paddling schools, clubs or hire within 10 km, the nearest 5.3 km away. The town to stay in is Lourdes. Within 5 km we also list 1 kayak spot.
- River Le Gave de Pau
- Grade No source states its grade: check a guidebook before you paddle it.
- Length 16 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 No source states the access rules: check locally.
- Schools, hire 2 paddling schools, clubs or hire within 10 km, the nearest 5.3 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$1,300–US$2,440 each
about US$1,300–US$2,440 each · 6 nights, 2 sharing: flights, taxi, 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 LDE, estimated from distance and season, changing at DUB, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$476–US$985 |
| Taxi | airport and back, shared | about US$27–US$40 |
| 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$1,300–US$2,440 |
Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.
Where to stay: Lourdes
1 min by car · 204 places to stay
about US$121/nightcountry average
About Lourdes 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 15m
About 17h 15m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → LDE, changing at Dublin Airport (DUB), then 30 min by road
Flights ORD → LDE on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.
On the water
Kayak trips and courses in Lourdes · GetYourGuideKayak hire in Lourdes · GetYourGuide
River level
River level at Le Gave de Pau à Lourdes - Paradis: its gauge has sent no reading in the last day, so check it before you go.
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
Ecolorado 5.3 km
Sport Nature Hautes-Pyrénées 8.8 km
Yes We Raft 13 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