Staying Home Sucks, home
Irving Dam Thornapple River DSCN0162
Irving, the nearest town, 5 km away. Photo: Larry Pieniazek, Lar (commons) or User:Lar (primary), CC BY 2.5, Wikimedia Commons

Riverside Park Canoe Launch

Kayak spot · United States

Flat water: a lake, canal or slow river

Is it worth the trip?

86Good out of 100 for your dates

Home sucks

Best on Mon 2: Wind 7 kn gusting 13, Air 19 °C

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Mon 2 · 90 out of 100

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

Tue 3 · 84 out of 100

Wind
10 kn
Gusts
21kn
Air
22°C
Rain
0 mm

Wed 4 · 77 out of 100

Wind
12 kn
Gusts
25kn
Air
20°C
Rain
5.9 mm

Thu 5 · 86 out of 100

Wind
6 kn
Gusts
15kn
Air
13°C
Rain
1.5 mm

Fri 6 · 87 out of 100

Wind
4 kn
Gusts
11kn
Air
13°C
Rain
4.5 mm

Sat 7 · 85 out of 100

Wind
3 kn
Gusts
9kn
Air
10°C
Rain
0 mm

Sun 8 · 80 out of 100

Wind
9 kn
Gusts
18kn
Air
12°C
Rain
0.6 mm

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

Forecast: next 10 days

Full forecast
  1. Sun 199, good
  2. Mon 290, good
  3. Tue 384, good
  4. Wed 477, good
  5. Thu 586, good
  6. Fri 687, good
  7. Sat 785, good
  8. Sun 880, good
  9. Mon 984, good
  10. Tue 1062, good

The spot in one fact

  • Flat waterthe water

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 Riverside Park Canoe Launch
DayScoreWindGustsAirRain
Sun 1Nov99, good3 kn8kn19°C0 mm
Mon 2Nov90, good7 kn13kn19°C0 mm
Tue 3Nov84, good10 kn21kn22°C0 mm
Wed 4Nov77, good12 kn25kn20°C5.9 mm
Thu 5Nov86, good6 kn15kn13°C1.5 mm
Fri 6Nov87, good4 kn11kn13°C4.5 mm
Sat 7Nov85, good3 kn9kn10°C0 mm
Sun 8Nov80, good9 kn18kn12°C0.6 mm
Mon 9Nov84, good6 kn14kn10°C1.2 mm
Tue 10Nov62, good12 kn25kn9°C3 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

No month stands out

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

  1. Jan5of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
  2. Feb5of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
  3. Mar5of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
  4. Apr6of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
  5. May7of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
  6. Jun7of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
  7. Jul7of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
  8. Aug7of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
  9. Sep7of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
  10. Oct7of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
  11. Nov6of 7: a trip from Mon 2 Nov
  12. Dec5of 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

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

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About Riverside Park Canoe Launch

A launch on the Thornapple River. No grade stated: ask locally before you paddle. None within 10 km, the nearest 15 km away. The town to stay in is Irving.

  • River Thornapple River
  • Grade No grade is stated.
  • 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 15 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$918–US$1,640 each

about US$918–US$1,640 each · 6 nights, 2 sharing: fuel, 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
Fuelabout 490 km there and back, sharedabout US$27–US$47
Stay6 nights, a mid-range double, sharedabout US$348–US$583
Food7 days eating outabout US$342–US$636
Kayak hire5 days, or bring your ownabout US$201–US$375
Totalabout US$918–US$1,640

Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.

Where to stay: Irving

Closest

Irving

8 min by car

about US$134/nightcountry average

See places to stay in Irving · Booking.com

About Irving its beds, food and every spot near it

Nearest town: Irving, 5 km. We have not checked places to stay in Irving yet. The nearest beds we have counted are in Hastings, 16 km away (about 30 min 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 3h 05m

About 3h 05m door to door from Chicago

Drive: Drive, about 3h 05m

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

On the water

Paddling schools, clubs and hire nearby

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