Staying Home Sucks, home
Bellwald 360 Grad Panorama
Bellwald, the nearest town, 1 km away. Photo: Daniel Reust, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

Rhône / Rotten, Obere Rhoneschlucht

Kayak spot · Switzerland

Whitewater: a river with rapids

Is it worth the trip?

Not for grade III paddlers. Suits expert paddlers only, by its grade.

The spot in two facts

  • Grade VIat its hardest
  • Moving waterthe water

Full forecast

every day, every number

Not for grade III paddlers. Suits expert paddlers only, by its grade. See it for expert paddlers.

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.

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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

2 places

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About Rhône / Rotten, Obere Rhoneschlucht

A river section on the Rhône / Rotten, from a put-in down to a take-out. Grade V to VI, on the international scale. Suits expert paddlers only, by its grade. None within 10 km, the nearest 37 km away. The town to stay in is Bellwald. Within 5 km we also list 1 ski resort.

  • River Rhône / Rotten
  • Grade Grade V to VI, on the international scale.
  • Who it suits Suits expert paddlers only, by its grade.
  • Access No source states the access rules: check locally.
  • Schools, hire None within 10 km, the nearest 37 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$1,860–US$3,420 each

about US$1,860–US$3,420 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 MXP, estimated from distance and season, 1 airline on the route, with a hold bagabout US$496–US$1,030
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$1,860–US$3,420

Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.

Where to stay: Bellwald

Closest

Bellwald

2 min by car · 14 places to stay

about US$174/nightcountry average

See 14 places to stay in Bellwald · Booking.com

About Bellwald 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 35m

About 15h 35m door to door from Chicago

Fly ORD → MXP, direct, then 2h 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