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Vals-les-Bains
Kayak spot · France
Whitewater: a river with rapids
Is it worth the trip?
61Good out of 100 for your dates
Best on Fri 6: Wind 2 kn gusting 8, Air 13 °C, River levels: no free forecast gives them, so check a gauge before you go
Mon 2 · 54 out of 100
- Wind
- 12 kn
- Gusts
- 30kn
- Air
- 9°C
- Rain
- 0 mm
Tue 3 · 61 out of 100
- Wind
- 4 kn
- Gusts
- 12kn
- Air
- 11°C
- Rain
- 0 mm
Wed 4 · 53 out of 100
- Wind
- 4 kn
- Gusts
- 8kn
- Air
- 8°C
- Rain
- 5.7 mm
Thu 5 · 63 out of 100
- Wind
- 3 kn
- Gusts
- 9kn
- Air
- 11°C
- Rain
- 0 mm
Fri 6 · 66 out of 100
- Wind
- 2 kn
- Gusts
- 8kn
- Air
- 13°C
- Rain
- 0.3 mm
Sat 7 · 65 out of 100
- Wind
- 5 kn
- Gusts
- 14kn
- Air
- 13°C
- Rain
- 0.3 mm
Sun 8 · 43 out of 100
- Wind
- 2 kn
- Gusts
- 12kn
- Air
- 11°C
- Rain
- 22.5 mm
Tap a day for wind, gusts, air and rain. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 159, fair
- Mon 254, fair
- Tue 361, good
- Wed 453, fair
- Thu 563, good
- Fri 666, good
- Sat 765, good
- Sun 843, poor
- Mon 965, good
- Tue 1069, good
The spot in four facts
- Grade IIat its hardest
- Moving waterthe water
- 1.7 kmthe section
- Best Jun–Sep7 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
The score doesn't know the river level, weirs or your skill.
| Day | Score | Wind | Gusts | Air | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 59, fair | 13 kn | 33kn | 12°C | 0 mm |
| Mon 2Nov | 54, fair | 12 kn | 30kn | 9°C | 0 mm |
| Tue 3Nov | 61, good | 4 kn | 12kn | 11°C | 0 mm |
| Wed 4Nov | 53, fair | 4 kn | 8kn | 8°C | 5.7 mm |
| Thu 5Nov | 63, good | 3 kn | 9kn | 11°C | 0 mm |
| Fri 6Nov | 66, good | 2 kn | 8kn | 13°C | 0.3 mm |
| Sat 7Nov | 65, good | 5 kn | 14kn | 13°C | 0.3 mm |
| Sun 8Nov | 43, poor | 2 kn | 12kn | 11°C | 22.5 mm |
| Mon 9Nov | 65, good | 7 kn | 19kn | 14°C | 5.1 mm |
| Tue 10Nov | 69, good | 3 kn | 10kn | 15°C | 4.5 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 Jun–Sep
Good kayaking days in a typical week, each month, for expert paddlers, from 2016 on (ERA5 history scored the same way).
- Jan0of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb1of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar2of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr4of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May6of 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
- Oct5of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov1of 7: a trip from Mon 2 Nov
- 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
Vals-les-Bains on Google Maps · Directions
Each place wears its best day on these dates: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.
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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
3 places
- L'Ardèche 1.5 km away
- Boulogne, Chateau de Boulogne - Saint Privat 7 km away
- Volane, Antraigues (Pont d'Aubert) - Vals les Bains (Pont du Bridou) 8.9 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Vals-les-Bains
A river section on the L'Ardèche, from a put-in down to a take-out. Grade II, on the international scale. It runs 1.7 km along the river. Suits new paddlers and up, by its grade. None within 10 km, the nearest 12 km away. For expert paddlers the best months are usually June, July, August and September, with about 7 good days in 7; in January and December, about 0. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Vals les Bains. Within 5 km we also list 1 kayak spot.
- River L'Ardèche
- Grade Grade II, on the international scale.
- Length 1.7 km along the river.
- Who it suits Suits new paddlers and up, by its grade.
- Access No source states the access rules: check locally.
- Schools, hire None within 10 km, the nearest 12 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$1,430–US$2,660 each
about US$1,430–US$2,660 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 FNI, estimated from distance and season, changing at DUB, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$489–US$1,010 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | about US$141–US$234 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$328–US$543 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$315–US$583 |
| Kayak hire | 5 days, or about US$114 to fly your own | about US$154–US$288 |
| Total | about US$1,430–US$2,660 |
Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.
Where to stay: Vals les Bains
3 min by car · 25 places to stay
about US$121/nightcountry average
About Vals les Bains its beds, food and every spot near it
About US$121 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 50m
About 18h 50m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → FNI, changing at Dublin Airport (DUB), then 2h by road
Flights ORD → FNI on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.
On the water
Kayak trips and courses in Vals les Bains · GetYourGuideKayak hire in Vals les Bains · GetYourGuide
River level
River levels: no free forecast gives them, so check a gauge before you go.
Paddling schools, clubs and hire nearby
Les Argonautes 22 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