Staying Home Sucks, home
Checking Her Purse (Unsplash)
Greenville South Carolina, the nearest town, 10 km away. Photo: Lee Campbell leecampbell, CC0, Wikimedia Commons

Saluda River

Kayak spot · United States

Flat water: a lake, canal or slow river

Is it worth the trip?

96Good out of 100 for your dates

Home sucks

2 days tie for best

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Mon 2 · 81 out of 100

Wind
7 kn
Gusts
16kn
Air
19°C
Rain
0 mm

Tue 3 · 92 out of 100

Wind
5 kn
Gusts
13kn
Air
21°C
Rain
0 mm

Wed 4 · 100 out of 100

Wind
1 kn
Gusts
6kn
Air
22°C
Rain
1.2 mm

Thu 5 · 86 out of 100

Wind
5 kn
Gusts
14kn
Air
24°C
Rain
1.2 mm

Fri 6 · 100 out of 100

Wind
2 kn
Gusts
7kn
Air
22°C
Rain
0 mm

Sat 7 · 98 out of 100

Wind
1 kn
Gusts
8kn
Air
19°C
Rain
0 mm

Sun 8 · 98 out of 100

Wind
2 kn
Gusts
12kn
Air
19°C
Rain
0 mm

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

Forecast: next 10 days

Full forecast
  1. Sun 174, good
  2. Mon 281, good
  3. Tue 392, good
  4. Wed 4100, good
  5. Thu 586, good
  6. Fri 6100, good
  7. Sat 798, good
  8. Sun 898, good
  9. Mon 990, good
  10. Tue 1085, 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 Saluda River
DayScoreWindGustsAirRain
Sun 1Nov74, good6 kn14kntoo gusty15°C0.9 mm
Mon 2Nov81, good7 kn16kn19°C0 mm
Tue 3Nov92, good5 kn13kn21°C0 mm
Wed 4Nov100, good1 kn6kn22°C1.2 mm
Thu 5Nov86, good5 kn14kn24°C1.2 mm
Fri 6Nov100, good2 kn7kn22°C0 mm
Sat 7Nov98, good1 kn8kn19°C0 mm
Sun 8Nov98, good2 kn12kn19°C0 mm
Mon 9Nov90, good4 kn11kntoo gusty20°C2.7 mm
Tue 10Nov85, good4 kn13kn14°C0 mm

Wind and gusts are in knots, rain in mm. The river's level is under In the water. 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 new paddlers, from 2016 on (ERA5 history scored the same way).

  1. Jan6of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
  2. Feb7of 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 Saluda River

A launch on the Saluda River. No grade stated: ask locally before you paddle. 1 paddling school, club or hire within 10 km, the nearest 5.5 km away. The town to stay in is Greenville South Carolina.

  • River Saluda 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 1 paddling school, club or hire within 10 km, the nearest 5.5 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$1,090–US$1,990 each

about US$1,090–US$1,990 each · 6 nights, 2 sharing: flights, taxi, 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 GSP, estimated from distance and season, 3 airlines on the route, with a hold bagabout US$147–US$301
Taxiairport and back, sharedabout US$54–US$94
Stay6 nights, a mid-range double, sharedabout US$348–US$583
Food7 days eating outabout US$342–US$636
Kayak hire5 days, or about US$114 to fly your ownabout US$201–US$375
Totalabout US$1,090–US$1,990

Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.

Where to stay: Greenville South Carolina

Closest

Greenville South Carolina

18 min by car · 30 places to stay

about US$134/nightcountry average

See 30 places to stay in Greenville South Carolina · Booking.com

About Greenville South Carolina its beds, food and every spot near it

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 4h 35m

About 4h 35m door to door from Chicago

Fly ORD → GSP, direct, then 45 min by road

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

On the water

River level

Gauge at SALUDA RIVER NEAR GREENVILLE, SC, 8 km downstream: 3.29 m³/s, low for November (updated 2 h ago). Low.

Bands are this gauge's own record: under its usual low, running, high, and in flood on its few highest days a year. Not a runnable range for the section: check before you go. River levels in the United States: U.S. Geological Survey (public domain). Credits

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