Staying Home Sucks, home
Ohio River Islands National Wildlife Refuge, WV. Credit- USFWS
Ohio River. Photo: U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service - Northeast Region, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons

Ohio River

Kayak spot · United States

Flat water: a lake, canal or slow river

Is it worth the trip?

91Good out of 100 for your dates

Home sucks

2 days tie for best

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Tue 3 · 100 out of 100

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

Wed 4 · 87 out of 100

Wind
6 kn
Gusts
13kn
Air
25°C
Rain
0.8 mm

Thu 5 · 87 out of 100

Wind
6 kn
Gusts
13kntoo gusty
Air
22°C
Rain
0 mm

Fri 6 · 100 out of 100

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

Sat 7 · 86 out of 100

Wind
4 kn
Gusts
10kn
Air
15°C
Rain
0.3 mm

Sun 8 · 79 out of 100

Wind
3 kn
Gusts
6kn
Air
13°C
Rain
1.2 mm

Mon 9 · 76 out of 100

Wind
3 kn
Gusts
7kn
Air
12°C
Rain
0.3 mm

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

Forecast: next 10 days

Full forecast
  1. Mon 294, good
  2. Tue 3100, good
  3. Wed 487, good
  4. Thu 587, good
  5. Fri 6100, good
  6. Sat 786, good
  7. Sun 879, good
  8. Mon 976, good
  9. Tue 1066, good
  10. Wed 1188, 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 Ohio River
DayScoreWindGustsAirRain
Mon 2Nov94, good2 kn8kn19°C0 mm
Tue 3Nov100, good3 kn10kn23°C0 mm
Wed 4Nov87, good6 kn13kn25°C0.8 mm
Thu 5Nov87, good6 kn13kntoo gusty22°C0 mm
Fri 6Nov100, good2 kn7kn21°C0 mm
Sat 7Nov86, good4 kn10kn15°C0.3 mm
Sun 8Nov79, good3 kn6kn13°C1.2 mm
Mon 9Nov76, good3 kn7kn12°C0.3 mm
Tue 10Nov66, good5 kn15kntoo gusty12°C0 mm
Wed 11Nov88, good3 kn9kn12°C0 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 new paddlers, from 2016 on (ERA5 history scored the same way).

  1. Jan4of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
  2. Feb5of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
  3. Mar5of 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. Nov5of 7: a trip from Tue 3 Nov
  12. 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

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 Ohio River

Volunteers play an integral role at Ohio River Islands National Wildlife Refuge in West Virginia. Credit- USFWS
Photo: U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service - Northeast Region, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About Ohio River

A launch on the Ohio 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 Marietta.

  • River Ohio 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 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$1,180–US$2,130 each

about US$1,180–US$2,130 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 CKB, estimated from distance and season, 1 airline on the route, with a hold bagabout US$134–US$275
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$1,180–US$2,130

Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.

Where to stay: Marietta

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

Closest

Marietta

about 10 min by car · 13 places to stay

about US$134/nightcountry average

See 13 places to stay in Marietta · Booking.com

About Marietta 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 5h 40m

About 5h 40m door to door from Chicago

Fly ORD → CKB, direct, then 2h 05m 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