Staying Home Sucks, home
July 4th Parade Ennis Montana 2014 01
Ennis, the nearest town, 6 km away. Photo: Mike Cline, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

Madison River

Kayak spot · United States

Flat water: a lake, canal or slow river

Is it worth the trip?

84Good out of 100 for your dates

Home sucks

Best on Mon 9: Wind 1 kn gusting 8, Air 11 °C

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Tue 3 · 83 out of 100

Wind
2 kn
Gusts
8kn
Air
11°C
Rain
0 mm

Wed 4 · 83 out of 100

Wind
3 kn
Gusts
9kn
Air
10°C
Rain
0 mm

Thu 5 · 83 out of 100

Wind
7 kn
Gusts
14kn
Air
10°C
Rain
0.4 mm

Fri 6 · 82 out of 100

Wind
10 kn
Gusts
19kn
Air
9°C
Rain
0 mm

Sat 7 · 83 out of 100

Wind
5 kn
Gusts
12kn
Air
10°C
Rain
0 mm

Sun 8 · 86 out of 100

Wind
5 kn
Gusts
14kn
Air
10°C
Rain
0 mm

Mon 9 · 87 out of 100

Wind
1 kn
Gusts
8kn
Air
11°C
Rain
0 mm

Tap a day for wind, gusts, air and rain. Full forecast

Forecast: next 10 days

Full forecast
  1. Mon 279, good
  2. Tue 383, good
  3. Wed 483, good
  4. Thu 583, good
  5. Fri 682, good
  6. Sat 783, good
  7. Sun 886, good
  8. Mon 987, good
  9. Tue 1088, good
  10. Wed 1178, good

The spot in two facts

  • Flat waterthe water
  • 2 kmthe section

Full forecast

every day, every number

The score doesn't know the river level, weirs or your skill.

Wind and weather forecast and score for each day at Madison River
DayScoreWindGustsAirRain
Mon 2Nov79, good4 kn11kn7°C0.1 mm
Tue 3Nov83, good2 kn8kn11°C0 mm
Wed 4Nov83, good3 kn9kn10°C0 mm
Thu 5Nov83, good7 kn14kn10°C0.4 mm
Fri 6Nov82, good10 kn19kn9°C0 mm
Sat 7Nov83, good5 kn12kn10°C0 mm
Sun 8Nov86, good5 kn14kn10°C0 mm
Mon 9Nov87, good1 kn8kn11°C0 mm
Tue 10Nov88, good6 kn13kn12°C0.6 mm
Wed 11Nov78, good5 kn12kn6°C1.5 mm

Wind and gusts are in knots, rain in mm. River levels: no free forecast gives them, so check a gauge before you go. 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.

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

1 place

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About Madison River

A river section on the Madison River, from a put-in down to a take-out. It runs 2.0 km along the river. No grade stated: ask locally before you paddle. OpenStreetMap marks the water open to canoes and kayaks. No paddling school, club or hire within 50 km on the map. The town to stay in is Ennis.

  • River Madison River
  • Grade No grade is stated.
  • Length 2.0 km along the river.
  • Who it suits No grade stated: ask locally before you paddle.
  • Access OpenStreetMap marks the water open to canoes and kayaks.
  • Schools, hire No paddling school, club or hire within 50 km on the map.

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$1,250–US$2,270 each

about US$1,250–US$2,270 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 
Rough cost per person for this trip
WhatHow we worked it outEach
Flightsreturn MDW to BZN, estimated from distance and season, 1 airline on the route, with a hold bagabout US$201–US$416
Hire car6 days, sharedabout US$154–US$255
Stay6 nights, a mid-range double, sharedabout US$349–US$584
Food7 days eating outabout US$342–US$637
Kayak hire5 days, or about US$114 to fly your ownabout US$201–US$376
Totalabout US$1,250–US$2,270

Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.

Where to stay: Ennis

Ad Links marked Ad may pay us if you book. You pay the same, and they never change a score. How we earn

Closest

Ennis

about 10 min by car · 13 places to stay

about US$134/nightcountry average

See 13 places to stay in Ennis · Booking.com

About Ennis its beds, food and every spot near it

About US$134 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 6h 30m

About 6h 30m door to door from Chicago

Fly MDW → BZN, direct, then 1h 35m by road

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

On the water

Paddling schools, clubs and hire nearby

No paddling school, club or hire mapped within 50 km.

Schools, clubs and hire: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL). Credits