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Braunwald - panoramio
Braunwald, the nearest town, 13 km away. Photo: Fulvio Barudoni, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

Sernf, Elm - Engi

Kayak spot · Switzerland

Whitewater: a river with rapids

Is it worth the trip?

48Fair out of 100 for your dates

Stay home

Best on Fri 6: Wind 0 kn gusting 7, Air 7 °C, River levels: no free forecast gives them, so check a gauge before you go

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Mon 2 · 41 out of 100

Wind
2 kn
Gusts
10kn
Air
1°C
Rain
0 mm

Tue 3 · 44 out of 100

Wind
1 kn
Gusts
8kn
Air
3°C
Rain
0 mm

Wed 4 · 45 out of 100

Wind
6 kn
Gusts
23kn
Air
3°C
Rain
0 mm

Thu 5 · 51 out of 100

Wind
2 kn
Gusts
14kn
Air
6°C
Rain
0 mm

Fri 6 · 53 out of 100

Wind
0 kn
Gusts
7kn
Air
7°C
Rain
0 mm

Sat 7 · 49 out of 100

Wind
2 kn
Gusts
10kn
Air
5°C
Rain
0.3 mm

Sun 8 · 44 out of 100

Wind
5 kn
Gusts
17kn
Air
3°C
Rain
0.9 mm

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

Forecast: next 10 days

Full forecast
  1. Sun 140, poor
  2. Mon 241, poor
  3. Tue 344, poor
  4. Wed 445, fair
  5. Thu 551, fair
  6. Fri 653, fair
  7. Sat 749, fair
  8. Sun 844, poor
  9. Mon 936, poor
  10. Tue 1048, fair

The spot in three facts

  • Grade IIIat its hardest
  • Moving waterthe water
  • Best in Jul7 good days in 7

Full forecast

every day, every number
Wind and weather forecast and score for each day at Sernf, Elm - Engi
DayScoreWindGustsAirRain
Sun 1Nov40, poor3 kn20kn-2°C0 mm
Mon 2Nov41, poor2 kn10kn1°C0 mm
Tue 3Nov44, poor1 kn8kn3°C0 mm
Wed 4Nov45, fair6 kn23kn3°C0 mm
Thu 5Nov51, fair2 kn14kn6°C0 mm
Fri 6Nov53, fair0 kn7kn7°C0 mm
Sat 7Nov49, fair2 kn10kn5°C0.3 mm
Sun 8Nov44, poor5 kn17kn3°C0.9 mm
Mon 9Nov36, poor1 kn19kn2°C11.1 mm
Tue 10Nov48, fair2 kn16kn4°C0.9 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

best in Jul

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

  1. Jan0of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
  2. Feb0of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
  3. Mar1of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
  4. Apr2of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
  5. May4of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
  6. Jun6of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
  7. Jul7of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
  8. Aug6of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
  9. Sep5of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
  10. Oct3of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
  11. Nov0of 7: a trip from Mon 2 Nov
  12. Dec0of 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

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 Sernf, Elm - Engi

A river section on the Sernf, from a put-in down to a take-out. Grade II to III, on the international scale. Suits grade III paddlers and up, by its grade. None within 10 km, the nearest 17 km away. For grade III paddlers the best month is usually July, with about 7 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Braunwald. Within 5 km we also list 1 ski resort and 2 kayak spots.

  • River Sernf
  • Grade Grade II to III, on the international scale.
  • Who it suits Suits grade III paddlers and up, by its grade.
  • Access No source states the access rules: check locally.
  • Schools, hire None within 10 km, the nearest 17 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$1,850–US$3,410 each

about US$1,850–US$3,410 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 ZRH, estimated from distance and season, 2 airlines on the route, with a hold bagabout US$489–US$1,020
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$1,850–US$3,410

Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.

Where to stay: Braunwald

Closest

Braunwald

23 min by car · 16 places to stay

about US$174/nightcountry average

See 16 places to stay in Braunwald · Booking.com

About Braunwald 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 05m

About 15h 05m door to door from Chicago

Fly ORD → ZRH, direct, then 1h 35m 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

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