Whitewater: a river with rapids
Is it worth the trip?
68Good out of 100 for your dates
Best on Wed 4: Wind 2 kn gusting 9, Air 21 °C, Rain 8.1 mm
Tue 3 · 73 out of 100
- Wind
- 7 kn
- Gusts
- 18kn
- Air
- 18°C
- Rain
- 0.6 mm
Wed 4 · 74 out of 100
- Wind
- 2 kn
- Gusts
- 9kn
- Air
- 21°C
- Rain
- 8.1 mm
Thu 5 · 63 out of 100
- Wind
- 12 kn
- Gusts
- 27kn
- Air
- 16°C
- Rain
- 0.9 mm
Fri 6 · 56 out of 100
- Wind
- 12 kn
- Gusts
- 29kn
- Air
- 18°C
- Rain
- 0 mm
Sat 7 · 48 out of 100
- Wind
- 8 kn
- Gusts
- 25kn
- Air
- 12°C
- Rain
- 3.3 mm
Sun 8 · 67 out of 100
- Wind
- 6 kn
- Gusts
- 17kn
- Air
- 14°C
- Rain
- 0 mm
Mon 9 · 73 out of 100
- Wind
- 8 kn
- Gusts
- 19kn
- Air
- 18°C
- Rain
- 0 mm
Tap a day for wind, gusts, air and rain. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Mon 279, good
- Tue 373, good
- Wed 474, good
- Thu 563, good
- Fri 656, fair
- Sat 748, fair
- Sun 867, good
- Mon 973, good
- Tue 1078, good
- Wed 1175, good
The spot in two facts
- Moving waterthe water
- Best Dec–Mar7 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 | 79, good | 4 kn | 12kn | 21°C | 5 mm |
| Tue 3Nov | 73, good | 7 kn | 18kn | 18°C | 0.6 mm |
| Wed 4Nov | 74, good | 2 kn | 9kn | 21°C | 8.1 mm |
| Thu 5Nov | 63, good | 12 kn | 27kn | 16°C | 0.9 mm |
| Fri 6Nov | 56, fair | 12 kn | 29kn | 18°C | 0 mm |
| Sat 7Nov | 48, fair | 8 kn | 25kn | 12°C | 3.3 mm |
| Sun 8Nov | 67, good | 6 kn | 17kn | 14°C | 0 mm |
| Mon 9Nov | 73, good | 8 kn | 19kn | 18°C | 0 mm |
| Tue 10Nov | 78, good | 5 kn | 15kn | 19°C | 0 mm |
| Wed 11Nov | 75, good | 10 kn | 22kn | 20°C | 0 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 Dec–Mar
Good kayaking days in a typical week, each month, for grade III paddlers, from 2016 on (ERA5 history scored the same way).
- Jan7of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb7of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar7of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr6of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May5of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun3of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul3of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug3of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep5of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct6of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov6of 7: a trip from Tue 3 Nov
- Dec7of 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
Pumping Station Intake 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
4 places
- Bruntons Bridge 15.6 km away
- Horseshoe Bend Tunnel 18.8 km away
- Cowarr Weir 24.3 km away
- Thomson Dam 32.3 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Pumping Station Intake
A launch. Suits grade III paddlers and up: a river with no grade stated, which we never offer a new paddler. For grade III paddlers the best months are usually January, February, March and December, with about 7 good days in 7; in June, July and August, about 3. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Walhalla.
- 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.
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$1,980–US$3,790 each
about US$1,980–US$3,790 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 MEL, estimated from distance and season, changing at LAX, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$958–US$2,000 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | about US$147–US$241 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$362–US$603 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$322–US$596 |
| Kayak hire | 5 days, or about US$114 to fly your own | about US$194–US$355 |
| Total | about US$1,980–US$3,790 |
Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.
Where to stay: Walhalla
about 40 min by car · 13 places to stay
about US$134/nightcountry average
About Walhalla 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 30h 45m
About 30h 45m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → MEL, changing at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), then 2h 55m by road
Flights MDW → MEL on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.
On the water
Kayak trips and courses in Walhalla · GetYourGuideKayak hire in Walhalla · 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 25 km.
Schools, clubs and hire: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL). Credits