Staying Home Sucks, home
Syberg & Hengstey lake at the Ruhr
Ruhr. Photo: Arnoldius, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

Ruhr

Kayak spot · Germany

Flat water: a lake, canal or slow river

Is it worth the trip?

81Good out of 100 for your dates

Home sucks

Best on Mon 2: Wind 2 kn gusting 6, Air 10 °C

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Mon 2 · 84 out of 100

Wind
2 kn
Gusts
6kn
Air
10°C
Rain
0.3 mm

Tue 3 · 77 out of 100

Wind
5 kn
Gusts
12kn
Air
8°C
Rain
0 mm

Wed 4 · 76 out of 100

Wind
7 kn
Gusts
16kn
Air
8°C
Rain
0.1 mm

Thu 5 · 82 out of 100

Wind
6 kn
Gusts
13kn
Air
9°C
Rain
0 mm

Fri 6 · 82 out of 100

Wind
3 kn
Gusts
9kn
Air
9°C
Rain
0 mm

Sat 7 · 83 out of 100

Wind
5 kn
Gusts
12kn
Air
9°C
Rain
0 mm

Sun 8 · 72 out of 100

Wind
8 kn
Gusts
17kn
Air
8°C
Rain
2.7 mm

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

Forecast: next 10 days

Full forecast
  1. Sun 185, good
  2. Mon 284, good
  3. Tue 377, good
  4. Wed 476, good
  5. Thu 582, good
  6. Fri 682, good
  7. Sat 783, good
  8. Sun 872, good
  9. Mon 983, good
  10. Tue 1078, 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 Ruhr
DayScoreWindGustsAirRain
Sun 1Nov85, good4 kn11kn10°C0 mm
Mon 2Nov84, good2 kn6kn10°C0.3 mm
Tue 3Nov77, good5 kn12kn8°C0 mm
Wed 4Nov76, good7 kn16kn8°C0.1 mm
Thu 5Nov82, good6 kn13kn9°C0 mm
Fri 6Nov82, good3 kn9kn9°C0 mm
Sat 7Nov83, good5 kn12kn9°C0 mm
Sun 8Nov72, good8 kn17kn8°C2.7 mm
Mon 9Nov83, good5 kn12kn9°C0 mm
Tue 10Nov78, good4 kn10kn8°C3.6 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. Jan7of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
  2. Feb6of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
  3. Mar7of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
  4. Apr7of 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. Nov7of 7: a trip from Mon 2 Nov
  12. 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

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

2 places

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About Ruhr

A launch on the Ruhr. No grade stated: ask locally before you paddle. 17 paddling schools, clubs or hire within 10 km, the nearest 0.9 km away. The town to stay in is Hagen. Within 5 km we also list 1 wind sports spot, 2 kayak spots and 1 climbing area.

  • River Ruhr
  • 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 17 paddling schools, clubs or hire within 10 km, the nearest 0.9 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$1,390–US$2,610 each

about US$1,390–US$2,610 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 FRA, estimated from distance and season, 3 airlines on the route, with a hold bagabout US$482–US$998
Hire car6 days, sharedabout US$147–US$248
Stay6 nights, a mid-range double, sharedabout US$308–US$509
Food7 days eating outabout US$295–US$549
Kayak hire5 days, or about US$114 to fly your ownabout US$161–US$308
Totalabout US$1,390–US$2,610

Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.

Where to stay: Hagen

Closest

Hagen

8 min by car · 23 places to stay

about US$114/nightcountry average

See 23 places to stay in Hagen · Booking.com

About Hagen its beds, food and every spot near it

About US$114 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 16h 30m

About 16h 30m door to door from Chicago

Fly ORD → FRA, direct, then 3h 15m by road

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