Staying Home Sucks, home
France-002875 - Verdon River (Leaving Castellane)
Castellane, the nearest town, 5 km away. Photo: Dennis G. Jarvis, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

Le Verdon

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 three facts

  • Grade IVat its hardest
  • Moving waterthe water
  • 34.2 kmthe section

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

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.

More kayaking near here

3 places

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About Le Verdon

A river section on the Le Verdon, from a put-in down to a take-out. Grade II to IV, on the international scale. It runs 34 km along the river. Suits expert paddlers only, by its grade. 3 paddling schools, clubs or hire within 10 km, the nearest 2.0 km away. The town to stay in is Castellane. Within 5 km we also list 1 kayak spot and 1 mountain bike area.

  • River Le Verdon
  • Grade Grade II to IV, on the international scale.
  • Length 34 km along the river.
  • Who it suits Suits expert paddlers only, by its grade.
  • Access No source states the access rules: check locally.
  • Schools, hire 3 paddling schools, clubs or hire within 10 km, the nearest 2.0 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$2,690 each

about US$1,430–US$2,690 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 NCE, estimated from distance and season, changing at CDG, full-service airlines, with a hold bagabout US$496–US$1,040
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$2,690

Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.

Where to stay: Castellane

Closest

Castellane

9 min by car · 23 places to stay

about US$121/nightcountry average

See 23 places to stay in Castellane · Booking.com

About Castellane 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 20m

About 18h 20m door to door from Chicago

Fly ORD → NCE, changing at Charles de Gaulle International Airport (CDG), then 1h 20m by road

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

On the water

River level

River level at Le Verdon à Demandolx [QNR Castillon] - EDF: 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

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