Staying Home Sucks, home
SBB Re 6-6 Re 4-4 Gurtnellen
Gurtnellen, the nearest town, 6 km away. Photo: Kabelleger / David Gubler ( https://www.bahnbilder.ch ), CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

Reuss, Amsteg - Autobahnrastplatz

Kayak spot · Switzerland

Whitewater: a river with rapids

Is it worth the trip?

43Poor out of 100 for your dates

Stay home

Best on Fri 6: Wind 0 kn gusting 17, Air 7 °C, River levels: no free forecast gives them, so check a gauge before you go

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Mon 2 · 40 out of 100

Wind
3 kn
Gusts
12kn
Air
0°C
Rain
0 mm

Tue 3 · 44 out of 100

Wind
1 kn
Gusts
6kn
Air
3°C
Rain
0 mm

Wed 4 · 23 out of 100

Wind
6 kn
Gusts
35kn
Air
2°C
Rain
0 mm

Thu 5 · 37 out of 100

Wind
3 kn
Gusts
21kn
Air
4°C
Rain
0 mm

Fri 6 · 51 out of 100

Wind
0 kn
Gusts
17kn
Air
7°C
Rain
0 mm

Sat 7 · 49 out of 100

Wind
1 kn
Gusts
9kn
Air
6°C
Rain
0 mm

Sun 8 · 33 out of 100

Wind
4 kn
Gusts
26kn
Air
2°C
Rain
0.9 mm

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

Forecast: next 10 days

Full forecast
  1. Sun 140, poor
  2. Mon 240, poor
  3. Tue 344, poor
  4. Wed 423, poor
  5. Thu 537, poor
  6. Fri 651, fair
  7. Sat 749, fair
  8. Sun 833, poor
  9. Mon 937, poor
  10. Tue 1028, poor

The spot in three facts

  • Grade IIIits hardest rapid IV
  • Moving waterthe water
  • Best Jul–Aug6 good days in 7

Full forecast

every day, every number
Wind and weather forecast and score for each day at Reuss, Amsteg - Autobahnrastplatz
DayScoreWindGustsAirRain
Sun 1Nov40, poor5 kn25kn0°C0 mm
Mon 2Nov40, poor3 kn12kn0°C0 mm
Tue 3Nov44, poor1 kn6kn3°C0 mm
Wed 4Nov23, poor6 kn35kn2°C0 mm
Thu 5Nov37, poor3 kn21kn4°C0 mm
Fri 6Nov51, fair0 kn17kn7°C0 mm
Sat 7Nov49, fair1 kn9kn6°C0 mm
Sun 8Nov33, poor4 kn26kn2°C0.9 mm
Mon 9Nov37, poor2 kn21kn3°C12.3 mm
Tue 10Nov28, poor4 kn29kn5°C1.5 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 Jul–Aug

Good kayaking days in a typical week, each month, for grade III paddlers, from 2016 on (ERA5 history scored the same way).

  1. Jan0of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
  2. Feb0of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
  3. Mar0of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
  4. Apr0of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
  5. May2of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
  6. Jun5of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
  7. Jul6of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
  8. Aug6of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
  9. Sep4of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
  10. Oct1of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
  11. Nov0of 7: a trip from Mon 2 Nov
  12. 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

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.

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About Reuss, Amsteg - Autobahnrastplatz

A river section on the Reuss, from a put-in down to a take-out. Grade II to III, its hardest rapid IV, on the international scale. Suits grade III paddlers and up, by its grade. None within 10 km, the nearest 32 km away. For grade III paddlers the best months are usually July and August, with about 6 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Gurtnellen. Within 5 km we also list 1 dive site and 3 kayak spots.

  • River Reuss
  • Grade Grade II to III, its hardest rapid IV, on the international scale.
  • Who it suits Suits grade III paddlers and up, by its grade.
  • Access No source states the access rules: check locally.
  • Schools, hire None within 10 km, the nearest 32 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$1,850–US$3,410 each

about US$1,850–US$3,410 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 ORD to ZRH, estimated from distance and season, 2 airlines on the route, with a hold bagabout US$489–US$1,020
Hire car6 days, sharedabout US$188–US$315
Stay6 nights, a mid-range double, sharedabout US$462–US$764
Food7 days eating outabout US$449–US$831
Kayak hire5 days, or about US$114 to fly your ownabout US$261–US$482
Totalabout US$1,850–US$3,410

Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.

Where to stay: Gurtnellen

Closest

Gurtnellen

10 min by car · 3 places to stay

about US$174/nightcountry average

See 3 places to stay in Gurtnellen · Booking.com

About Gurtnellen its beds, food and every spot near it

About US$174 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 15h 10m

About 15h 10m door to door from Chicago

Fly ORD → ZRH, direct, then 1h 40m by road

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

On the water

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