Staying Home Sucks, home
North Carolina Highway 28 Bridge in Fontana Dam, NC, was built in 1945 and spans the Little Tennessee River 01
Panel Branch Lake Access. Photo: Harrison Keely, CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

Panel Branch Lake Access

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 Tue 3: Wind 9 kn gusting 25, Air 21 °C

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Tue 3 · 100 out of 100

Wind
9 kn
Gusts
25kn
Air
21°C
Rain
0 mm

Wed 4 · 94 out of 100

Wind
9 kn
Gusts
27kn
Air
18°C
Rain
5 mm

Thu 5 · 99 out of 100

Wind
3 kn
Gusts
11kn
Air
20°C
Rain
0.4 mm

Fri 6 · 96 out of 100

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

Sat 7 · 90 out of 100

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

Sun 8 · 89 out of 100

Wind
7 kn
Gusts
19kn
Air
13°C
Rain
0 mm

Mon 9 · 79 out of 100

Wind
8 kn
Gusts
27kn
Air
6°C
Rain
0.9 mm

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

Forecast: next 10 days

Full forecast
  1. Mon 297, good
  2. Tue 3100, good
  3. Wed 494, good
  4. Thu 599, good
  5. Fri 696, good
  6. Sat 790, good
  7. Sun 889, good
  8. Mon 979, good
  9. Tue 1086, good
  10. Wed 1194, good

The spot in two facts

  • Flat waterthe water
  • 0.6 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 Panel Branch Lake Access
DayScoreWindGustsAirRain
Mon 2Nov97, good9 kn26kn19°C0 mm
Tue 3Nov100, good9 kn25kn21°C0 mm
Wed 4Nov94, good9 kn27kn18°C5 mm
Thu 5Nov99, good3 kn11kn20°C0.4 mm
Fri 6Nov96, good6 kn18kn18°C0 mm
Sat 7Nov90, good5 kn17kn14°C0 mm
Sun 8Nov89, good7 kn19kn13°C0 mm
Mon 9Nov79, good8 kn27kn6°C0.9 mm
Tue 10Nov86, good6 kn18kn11°C0 mm
Wed 11Nov94, good4 kn14kn17°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.

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.

Photos of Panel Branch Lake Access

Little Tennessee River, Fontana Dam, NC - 51418935934
Photo: w_lemay, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Cliffs, Little Tennessee River Gorge, Fontana Dam, NC - 51418436273
Photo: w_lemay, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Fontana Dam in North Carolina is the tallest dam in the Eastern United States 03
Near Panel Branch Lake Access. Photo: Harrison Keely, CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

More kayaking near here

5 places

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About Panel Branch Lake Access

A river section on the Little Tennessee River, from a put-in down to a take-out. It runs 0.6 km along the river. No grade stated: ask locally before you paddle. None within 10 km, the nearest 22 km away. The town to stay in is Robbinsville. Within 5 km we also list 1 kayak spot.

  • River Little Tennessee River
  • Grade No grade is stated.
  • Length 0.6 km along the river.
  • Who it suits No grade stated: ask locally before you paddle.
  • Access No source states the access rules: check locally.
  • Schools, hire None within 10 km, the nearest 22 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$1,180–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 30 October 2026.

How we worked it out 
Rough cost per person for this trip
WhatHow we worked it outEach
Flightsreturn MDW to TYS, estimated from distance and season, 1 airline on the route, with a hold bagabout US$134–US$281
Hire car6 days, sharedabout US$154–US$255
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$1,180–US$2,130

Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.

Where to stay: Robbinsville

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

Closest

Robbinsville

about 25 min by car · 8 places to stay

about US$134/nightcountry average

See 8 places to stay in Robbinsville · Booking.com

About Robbinsville 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 35m

About 4h 35m door to door from Chicago

Fly MDW → TYS, direct, then 1h 10m by road

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

On the water

Paddling schools, clubs and hire nearby

  • Adventurous Fast Rivers 22 km

The nearest named schools, clubs and kayak or canoe hire within 25 km, in a straight line. Listings, not a recommendation. Schools, clubs and hire: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL). Credits