Staying Home Sucks, home
5th Street NW to Former Library-Bemidji, Minnesota
Bemidji, the nearest town, 10 km away. Photo: Myotus, CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

Mississippi River

Kayak spot · United States

Flat water: a lake, canal or slow river

Is it worth the trip?

80Good out of 100 for your dates

Home sucks

2 days tie for best

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Wed 4 · 73 out of 100

Wind
12 kn
Gusts
24kn
Air
8°C
Rain
5.9 mm

Thu 5 · 79 out of 100

Wind
8 kn
Gusts
18kn
Air
6°C
Rain
0 mm

Fri 6 · 82 out of 100

Wind
7 kn
Gusts
15kn
Air
9°C
Rain
0 mm

Sat 7 · 80 out of 100

Wind
8 kn
Gusts
16kn
Air
9°C
Rain
2.1 mm

Sun 8 · 77 out of 100

Wind
10 kn
Gusts
23kn
Air
7°C
Rain
0 mm

Mon 9 · 82 out of 100

Wind
6 kn
Gusts
18kn
Air
8°C
Rain
0 mm

Tue 10 · 79 out of 100

Wind
6 kn
Gusts
19kn
Air
6°C
Rain
0 mm

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

Forecast: next 10 days

Full forecast
  1. Tue 378, good
  2. Wed 473, good
  3. Thu 579, good
  4. Fri 682, good
  5. Sat 780, good
  6. Sun 877, good
  7. Mon 982, good
  8. Tue 1079, good
  9. Wed 1185, good
  10. Thu 1287, 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 Mississippi River
DayScoreWindGustsAirRain
Tue 3Nov78, good12 kn25kn9°C0.2 mm
Wed 4Nov73, good12 kn24kn8°C5.9 mm
Thu 5Nov79, good8 kn18kn6°C0 mm
Fri 6Nov82, good7 kn15kn9°C0 mm
Sat 7Nov80, good8 kn16kn9°C2.1 mm
Sun 8Nov77, good10 kn23kn7°C0 mm
Mon 9Nov82, good6 kn18kn8°C0 mm
Tue 10Nov79, good6 kn19kn6°C0 mm
Wed 11Nov85, good10 kn21kn10°C0 mm
Thu 12Nov87, good9 kn18kn12°C0 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.

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.

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About Mississippi River

A launch on the Mississippi River. No grade stated: ask locally before you paddle. No paddling school, club or hire within 50 km on the map. The town to stay in is Bemidji.

  • River Mississippi River
  • Grade No grade is stated.
  • Who it suits No grade stated: ask locally before you paddle.
  • Access No source states the access rules: check locally.
  • 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$1,170–US$2,120 each

about US$1,170–US$2,120 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 ORD to DLH, estimated from distance and season, 1 airline on the route, with a hold bagabout US$127–US$268
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$1,170–US$2,120

Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.

Where to stay: Bemidji

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

Closest

Bemidji

about 20 min by car · 7 places to stay

about US$134/nightcountry average

See 7 places to stay in Bemidji · Booking.com

About Bemidji 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 7h 20m

About 7h 20m door to door from Chicago

Fly ORD → DLH, direct, then 3h 50m by road

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

On the water

River level

Gauge at MISSISSIPPI RIVER NEAR BEMIDJI, MN, 2 km downstream: 6.8 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 levels in the United States: U.S. Geological Survey (public domain). Credits

Paddling schools, clubs and hire nearby

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

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