Staying Home Sucks, home

Shiawassee River

Kayak spot · United States

Flat water: a lake, canal or slow river

Is it worth the trip?

82Good out of 100 for your dates

Home sucks

Best on Tue 3: Wind 10 kn gusting 18, Air 21 °C

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Tue 3 · 86 out of 100

Wind
10 kn
Gusts
18kn
Air
21°C
Rain
0 mm

Wed 4 · 79 out of 100

Wind
9 kn
Gusts
17kntoo gusty
Air
19°C
Rain
5.3 mm

Thu 5 · 81 out of 100

Wind
10 kn
Gusts
24kn
Air
17°C
Rain
0 mm

Fri 6 · 83 out of 100

Wind
6 kn
Gusts
13kn
Air
11°C
Rain
9.9 mm

Sat 7 · 73 out of 100

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

Sun 8 · 85 out of 100

Wind
6 kn
Gusts
13kn
Air
11°C
Rain
0 mm

Mon 9 · 80 out of 100

Wind
7 kn
Gusts
14kn
Air
10°C
Rain
1.8 mm

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

Forecast: next 10 days

Full forecast
  1. Mon 287, good
  2. Tue 386, good
  3. Wed 479, good
  4. Thu 581, good
  5. Fri 683, good
  6. Sat 773, good
  7. Sun 885, good
  8. Mon 980, good
  9. Tue 1053, fair
  10. Wed 1176, 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 Shiawassee River
DayScoreWindGustsAirRain
Mon 2Nov87, good9 kn18kn19°C0 mm
Tue 3Nov86, good10 kn18kn21°C0 mm
Wed 4Nov79, good9 kn17kntoo gusty19°C5.3 mm
Thu 5Nov81, good10 kn24kn17°C0 mm
Fri 6Nov83, good6 kn13kn11°C9.9 mm
Sat 7Nov73, good3 kn10kn9°C12.3 mm
Sun 8Nov85, good6 kn13kn11°C0 mm
Mon 9Nov80, good7 kn14kn10°C1.8 mm
Tue 10Nov53, fair14 kn24kntoo gusty9°C3.6 mm
Wed 11Nov76, good8 kn19kn10°C0 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. Nov5of 7: a trip from Tue 3 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.

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About Shiawassee River

A launch on the Shiawassee River. No grade stated: ask locally before you paddle. No paddling school, club or hire within 50 km on the map. The town to stay in is Chesaning.

  • River Shiawassee 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 No paddling school, club or hire within 50 km on the map.

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$938–US$1,670 each

about US$938–US$1,670 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 780 km there and back, sharedabout US$47–US$74
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$938–US$1,670

Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.

Where to stay: Chesaning

Closest

Chesaning

about 5 min by car · 4 places to stay

about US$134/nightcountry average

See 4 places to stay in Chesaning · Booking.com

About Chesaning 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 40m

About 4h 40m door to door from Chicago

Drive: Drive, about 4h 40m

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

On the water

Paddling schools, clubs and hire nearby

No paddling school, club or hire mapped within 50 km.

Schools, clubs and hire: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL). Credits