Saale
Kayak spot · Germany
Flat water: a lake, canal or slow river
Is it worth the trip?
79Good out of 100 for your dates
Best on Sun 8: Wind 3 kn gusting 8, Air 10 °C
Tue 3 · 74 out of 100
- Wind
- 7 kn
- Gusts
- 14kn
- Air
- 7°C
- Rain
- 0 mm
Wed 4 · 70 out of 100
- Wind
- 8 kn
- Gusts
- 16kn
- Air
- 6°C
- Rain
- 0.1 mm
Thu 5 · 78 out of 100
- Wind
- 6 kn
- Gusts
- 15kn
- Air
- 7°C
- Rain
- 0 mm
Fri 6 · 78 out of 100
- Wind
- 5 kn
- Gusts
- 12kn
- Air
- 6°C
- Rain
- 0 mm
Sat 7 · 77 out of 100
- Wind
- 1 kn
- Gusts
- 7kn
- Air
- 6°C
- Rain
- 0 mm
Sun 8 · 84 out of 100
- Wind
- 3 kn
- Gusts
- 8kn
- Air
- 10°C
- Rain
- 0.3 mm
Mon 9 · 79 out of 100
- Wind
- 4 kn
- Gusts
- 15kn
- Air
- 8°C
- Rain
- 0 mm
Tap a day for wind, gusts, air and rain. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Mon 280, good
- Tue 374, good
- Wed 470, good
- Thu 578, good
- Fri 678, good
- Sat 777, good
- Sun 884, good
- Mon 979, good
- Tue 1075, good
- Wed 1192, good
The spot in three facts
- Flat waterthe water
- 3.5 kmthe section
- 1 portagecarry round
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 | 80, good | 4 kn | 10kn | 7°C | 0 mm |
| Tue 3Nov | 74, good | 7 kn | 14kn | 7°C | 0 mm |
| Wed 4Nov | 70, good | 8 kn | 16kn | 6°C | 0.1 mm |
| Thu 5Nov | 78, good | 6 kn | 15kn | 7°C | 0 mm |
| Fri 6Nov | 78, good | 5 kn | 12kn | 6°C | 0 mm |
| Sat 7Nov | 77, good | 1 kn | 7kn | 6°C | 0 mm |
| Sun 8Nov | 84, good | 3 kn | 8kn | 10°C | 0.3 mm |
| Mon 9Nov | 79, good | 4 kn | 15kn | 8°C | 0 mm |
| Tue 10Nov | 75, good | 6 kn | 14kn | 7°C | 5.4 mm |
| Wed 11Nov | 92, good | 5 kn | 12kn | 16°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
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).
- Jan5of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb5of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar6of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr7of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May7of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun7of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul7of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug7of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep7of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct7of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov6of 7: a trip from Tue 3 Nov
- Dec6of 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
Saale 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.
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Saale
A river section on the Saale, from a put-in down to a take-out. It runs 3.5 km along the river. 1 portage mapped: a weir, fall or hazard to carry round. No grade stated: ask locally before you paddle. OpenStreetMap marks the water open to canoes and kayaks. 2 paddling schools, clubs or hire within 10 km, the nearest 1.8 km away. The town to stay in is Bad Sulza. Within 5 km we also list 6 kayak spots.
- River Saale
- Grade No grade is stated.
- Length 3.5 km along the river.
- Portages 1 portage mapped: a weir, fall or hazard to carry round.
- Who it suits No grade stated: ask locally before you paddle.
- Access OpenStreetMap marks the water open to canoes and kayaks.
- Schools, hire 2 paddling schools, clubs or hire within 10 km, the nearest 1.8 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$1,400–US$2,630 each
about US$1,400–US$2,630 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 ORD to LEJ, estimated from distance and season, changing at FRA, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$489–US$1,010 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | about US$147–US$248 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$308–US$509 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$295–US$549 |
| Kayak hire | 5 days, or about US$114 to fly your own | about US$161–US$308 |
| Total | about US$1,400–US$2,630 |
Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.
Where to stay: Bad Sulza
about 15 min by car · 22 places to stay
about US$114/nightcountry average
About Bad Sulza 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 18h 10m
About 18h 10m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → LEJ, changing at Frankfurt Main Airport (FRA), then 1h 20m by road
Flights ORD → LEJ on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.
On the water
Kayak trips and courses in Bad Sulza · GetYourGuideKayak hire in Bad Sulza · GetYourGuide
Paddling schools, clubs and hire nearby
KanuTours Camburg 2.5 km
Kanuclub SV Jenapharm 16 km
Saalestrand Kanu 16 km
Naumburger Kanu Club e.V. 17 km
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