Payette River
Kayak spot · United States
Whitewater: a river with rapids
Is it worth the trip?
60Good out of 100 for your dates
Best on Mon 9: Wind 0 kn gusting 9, Air 12 °C, River levels: no free forecast gives them, so check a gauge before you go
Tue 3 · 60 out of 100
- Wind
- 4 kn
- Gusts
- 10kn
- Air
- 11°C
- Rain
- 0 mm
Wed 4 · 59 out of 100
- Wind
- 4 kn
- Gusts
- 13kn
- Air
- 10°C
- Rain
- 0 mm
Thu 5 · 57 out of 100
- Wind
- 4 kn
- Gusts
- 12kn
- Air
- 9°C
- Rain
- 0 mm
Fri 6 · 57 out of 100
- Wind
- 2 kn
- Gusts
- 11kn
- Air
- 9°C
- Rain
- 0 mm
Sat 7 · 59 out of 100
- Wind
- 1 kn
- Gusts
- 9kn
- Air
- 10°C
- Rain
- 0 mm
Sun 8 · 61 out of 100
- Wind
- 1 kn
- Gusts
- 10kn
- Air
- 11°C
- Rain
- 0 mm
Mon 9 · 64 out of 100
- Wind
- 0 kn
- Gusts
- 9kn
- Air
- 12°C
- Rain
- 0 mm
Tap a day for wind, gusts, air and rain. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Mon 256, fair
- Tue 360, good
- Wed 459, fair
- Thu 557, fair
- Fri 657, fair
- Sat 759, fair
- Sun 861, good
- Mon 964, good
- Tue 1072, good
- Wed 1145, fair
The spot in three facts
- Moving waterthe water
- 24.3 kmthe section
- 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 | 56, fair | 5 kn | 14kn | 9°C | 0 mm |
| Tue 3Nov | 60, good | 4 kn | 10kn | 11°C | 0 mm |
| Wed 4Nov | 59, fair | 4 kn | 13kn | 10°C | 0 mm |
| Thu 5Nov | 57, fair | 4 kn | 12kn | 9°C | 0 mm |
| Fri 6Nov | 57, fair | 2 kn | 11kn | 9°C | 0 mm |
| Sat 7Nov | 59, fair | 1 kn | 9kn | 10°C | 0 mm |
| Sun 8Nov | 61, good | 1 kn | 10kn | 11°C | 0 mm |
| Mon 9Nov | 64, good | 0 kn | 9kn | 12°C | 0 mm |
| Tue 10Nov | 72, good | 4 kn | 14kn | 16°C | 0 mm |
| Wed 11Nov | 45, fair | 7 kn | 21kn | 7°C | 10.8 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.
Best time to go
best Jun–Sep
Good kayaking days in a typical week, each month, for grade III paddlers, from 2016 on (ERA5 history scored the same way).
- Jan0of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb0of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar2of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr4of 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
- Oct4of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov1of 7: a trip from Tue 3 Nov
- Dec0of 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
put-in, take-out, its town
Payette River 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
- Horseshoe Dam Boat Ramp 3.2 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Payette River
A river section on the Payette River, from a put-in down to a take-out. It runs 24 km along the river. Suits grade III paddlers and up: a river with no grade stated, which we never offer a new paddler. OpenStreetMap marks the water open to canoes and kayaks. No paddling school, club or hire within 50 km on the map. For grade III paddlers the best months are usually June, July, August and September, with about 7 good days in 7; in January, February and December, about 0. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Horseshoe Bend. Within 5 km we also list 1 kayak spot.
- River Payette River
- Grade No source states its grade: check a guidebook before you paddle it.
- Length 24 km along the river.
- Who it suits Suits grade III paddlers and up: a river with no grade stated, which we never offer a new paddler.
- 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$1,200–US$2,200 each
about US$1,200–US$2,200 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
| What | How we worked it out | Each |
|---|---|---|
| Flights | return MDW to BOI, estimated from distance and season, 1 airline on the route, with a hold bag | about US$221–US$462 |
| Taxi | airport and back, shared | about US$87–US$147 |
| 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$1,200–US$2,200 |
Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.
Where to stay: Horseshoe Bend
about 5 min by car
about US$134/nightcountry average
About Horseshoe Bend its beds, food and every spot near it
Nearest town: Horseshoe Bend, 1 km. We have not checked places to stay in Horseshoe Bend yet. The nearest beds we have counted are in Boise, 33 km away (about 1h by car). Search before you plan on staying there.
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 6h 25m
About 6h 25m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → BOI, direct, then 1h by road
Flights MDW → BOI on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.
On the water
Kayak trips and courses in Horseshoe Bend · GetYourGuideKayak hire in Horseshoe Bend · GetYourGuide
River level
Gauge at PAYETTE RIVER NR HORSESHOE BEND ID, 5 km upstream: 25.1 m³/s, low for November (updated 2 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