Staying Home Sucks, home
South abutments of Suncook Branch bridge over the Merrimack River, August 2016
Merrimack River. Photo: Pi.1415926535, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

Merrimack River

Kayak spot · United States

Flat water: a lake, canal or slow river

Is it worth the trip?

95Good out of 100 for your dates

Home sucks

Best on Wed 4: Wind 6 kn gusting 15, Air 23 °C

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Tue 3 · 99 out of 100

Wind
2 kn
Gusts
6kn
Air
21°C
Rain
0 mm

Wed 4 · 100 out of 100

Wind
6 kn
Gusts
15kn
Air
23°C
Rain
0 mm

Thu 5 · 94 out of 100

Wind
5 kn
Gusts
16kn
Air
20°C
Rain
0 mm

Fri 6 · 94 out of 100

Wind
4 kn
Gusts
11kn
Air
17°C
Rain
16.8 mm

Sat 7 · 94 out of 100

Wind
4 kn
Gusts
12kn
Air
17°C
Rain
4.5 mm

Sun 8 · 83 out of 100

Wind
7 kn
Gusts
21kn
Air
14°C
Rain
0 mm

Mon 9 · 88 out of 100

Wind
7 kn
Gusts
17kn
Air
14°C
Rain
0 mm

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

Forecast: next 10 days

Full forecast
  1. Mon 298, good
  2. Tue 399, good
  3. Wed 4100, good
  4. Thu 594, good
  5. Fri 694, good
  6. Sat 794, good
  7. Sun 883, good
  8. Mon 988, good
  9. Tue 1073, good
  10. Wed 1174, good

The spot in one fact

  • Flat waterthe water

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 Merrimack River
DayScoreWindGustsAirRain
Mon 2Nov98, good6 kn15kn21°C0 mm
Tue 3Nov99, good2 kn6kn21°C0 mm
Wed 4Nov100, good6 kn15kn23°C0 mm
Thu 5Nov94, good5 kn16kn20°C0 mm
Fri 6Nov94, good4 kn11kn17°C16.8 mm
Sat 7Nov94, good4 kn12kn17°C4.5 mm
Sun 8Nov83, good7 kn21kn14°C0 mm
Mon 9Nov88, good7 kn17kn14°C0 mm
Tue 10Nov73, good7 kn14kn10°C0 mm
Wed 11Nov74, good4 kn15kntoo gusty7°C1.2 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.

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).

  1. Jan5of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
  2. Feb6of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
  3. Mar6of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
  4. Apr6of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
  5. May7of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
  6. Jun7of 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. Sep7of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
  10. Oct7of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
  11. Nov6of 7: a trip from Tue 3 Nov
  12. Dec6of 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

the spot and 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.

Photos of Merrimack River

CSX Nashua Subdivison tracks near bridge over Merrimack River in Hooksett, NH June 2026 1
Photo: 4300streetcar, CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
North abutments of Suncook Branch bridge over the Merrimack River, August 2016
Photo: Pi.1415926535, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Railroad Bridge - May 2011
Photo: Josh Graciano, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About Merrimack River

A launch on the Merrimack River. No grade stated: ask locally before you paddle. OpenStreetMap marks the water open to canoes and kayaks. None within 10 km, the nearest 11 km away. The town to stay in is Hooksett. Within 5 km we also list 3 kayak spots.

  • River Merrimack River
  • Grade No grade is stated.
  • Who it suits No grade stated: ask locally before you paddle.
  • Access OpenStreetMap marks the water open to canoes and kayaks.
  • Schools, hire None within 10 km, the nearest 11 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$1,100–US$2,020 each

about US$1,100–US$2,020 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 
Rough cost per person for this trip
WhatHow we worked it outEach
Flightsreturn MDW to MHT, estimated from distance and season, 1 airline on the route, with a hold bagabout US$167–US$348
Taxiairport and back, sharedabout US$40–US$74
Stay6 nights, a mid-range double, sharedabout US$348–US$583
Food7 days eating outabout US$342–US$636
Kayak hire5 days, or about US$114 to fly your ownabout US$201–US$375
Totalabout US$1,100–US$2,020

Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.

Where to stay: Hooksett

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

Closest

Hooksett

about 10 min by car · 2 places to stay

about US$134/nightcountry average

See 2 places to stay in Hooksett · Booking.com

About Hooksett 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 30 October 2026.

Getting there: about 4h 50m

About 4h 50m door to door from Chicago

Fly MDW → MHT, direct, then 40 min 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 with a name mapped within 25 km: the map has one 11 km away with no name.

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