Whitewater: a river with rapids
Is it worth the trip?
77Good out of 100 for your dates
3 days tie for best
Tue 3 · 62 out of 100
- Wind
- 6 kn
- Gusts
- 19kn
- Air
- 13°C
- Rain
- 8.1 mm
Wed 4 · 67 out of 100
- Wind
- 6 kn
- Gusts
- 17kn
- Air
- 15°C
- Rain
- 0 mm
Thu 5 · 75 out of 100
- Wind
- 6 kn
- Gusts
- 16kn
- Air
- 18°C
- Rain
- 0 mm
Fri 6 · 78 out of 100
- Wind
- 4 kn
- Gusts
- 11kn
- Air
- 19°C
- Rain
- 0 mm
Sat 7 · 80 out of 100
- Wind
- 1 kn
- Gusts
- 12kn
- Air
- 21°C
- Rain
- 0 mm
Sun 8 · 80 out of 100
- Wind
- 1 kn
- Gusts
- 11kn
- Air
- 23°C
- Rain
- 0 mm
Mon 9 · 80 out of 100
- Wind
- 3 kn
- Gusts
- 13kn
- Air
- 21°C
- Rain
- 0 mm
Tap a day for wind, gusts, air and rain. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Mon 268, good
- Tue 362, good
- Wed 467, good
- Thu 575, good
- Fri 678, good
- Sat 780, good
- Sun 880, good
- Mon 980, good
- Tue 1072, good
- Wed 1158, fair
The spot in two facts
- Moving waterthe water
- Best Jun–Sep7 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
The score doesn't know the river level, weirs or your skill.
| Day | Score | Wind | Gusts | Air | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 68, good | 2 kn | 11kn | 15°C | 0 mm |
| Tue 3Nov | 62, good | 6 kn | 19kn | 13°C | 8.1 mm |
| Wed 4Nov | 67, good | 6 kn | 17kn | 15°C | 0 mm |
| Thu 5Nov | 75, good | 6 kn | 16kn | 18°C | 0 mm |
| Fri 6Nov | 78, good | 4 kn | 11kn | 19°C | 0 mm |
| Sat 7Nov | 80, good | 1 kn | 12kn | 21°C | 0 mm |
| Sun 8Nov | 80, good | 1 kn | 11kn | 23°C | 0 mm |
| Mon 9Nov | 80, good | 3 kn | 13kn | 21°C | 0 mm |
| Tue 10Nov | 72, good | 6 kn | 20kn | 16°C | 0 mm |
| Wed 11Nov | 58, fair | 4 kn | 13kn | 9°C | 0.6 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
best Jun–Sep
Good kayaking days in a typical week, each month, for expert paddlers, from 2016 on (ERA5 history scored the same way).
- Jan2of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb3of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar4of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr6of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May6of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun7of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul7of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug7of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep7of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct6of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov5of 7: a trip from Tue 3 Nov
- Dec2of 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
Oxbow Put-In on Google Maps · Directions
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
- North Fork American River 18.7 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Oxbow Put-In
A launch on the Middle Fork American River. Suits grade III paddlers and up: a river with no grade stated, which we never offer a new paddler. No paddling school, club or hire within 50 km on the map. For expert paddlers the best months are usually June, July, August and September, with about 7 good days in 7; in January and December, about 2. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Colfax.
- River Middle Fork American River
- Grade No source states its grade: check a guidebook before you paddle it.
- Who it suits Suits grade III paddlers and up: a river with no grade stated, which we never offer a new paddler.
- 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$1,300–US$2,370 each
about US$1,300–US$2,370 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
| What | How we worked it out | Each |
|---|---|---|
| Flights | return MDW to SMF, estimated from distance and season, 1 airline on the route, with a hold bag | about US$255–US$523 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | about US$154–US$255 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$348–US$583 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$342–US$636 |
| Kayak hire | 5 days, or about US$114 to fly your own | about US$201–US$375 |
| Total | about US$1,300–US$2,370 |
Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.
Where to stay: Colfax
about 40 min by car · 3 places to stay
about US$134/nightcountry average
About Colfax 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 7h 55m
About 7h 55m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → SMF, direct, then 1h 45m by road
Flights MDW → SMF on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.
On the water
Kayak trips and courses in Colfax · GetYourGuideKayak hire in Colfax · GetYourGuide
River level
River levels: no free forecast gives them, so check a gauge before you go.
Paddling schools, clubs and hire nearby
No paddling school, club or hire mapped within 50 km.
Schools, clubs and hire: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL). Credits