Staying Home Sucks, home
Lafayette, Louisiana 2019 bend in Jefferson Street
Lafayette, the nearest town, 6 km away. Photo: David Wilson, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

Vermilion River

Kayak spot · United States

Flat water: a lake, canal or slow river

Is it worth the trip?

95Good out of 100 for your dates

Home sucks

2 days tie for best

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Tue 3 · 82 out of 100

Wind
7 kn
Gusts
18kntoo gusty
Air
27°C
Rain
1.5 mm

Wed 4 · 95 out of 100

Wind
4 kn
Gusts
11kn
Air
24°C
Rain
0 mm

Thu 5 · 100 out of 100

Wind
1 kn
Gusts
5kn
Air
26°C
Rain
0 mm

Fri 6 · 100 out of 100

Wind
0 kn
Gusts
5kn
Air
27°C
Rain
0.3 mm

Sat 7 · 91 out of 100

Wind
5 kn
Gusts
12kn
Air
25°C
Rain
0 mm

Sun 8 · 94 out of 100

Wind
4 kn
Gusts
16kn
Air
22°C
Rain
0 mm

Mon 9 · 89 out of 100

Wind
5 kn
Gusts
13kn
Air
23°C
Rain
0 mm

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

Forecast: next 10 days

Full forecast
  1. Mon 20, poor
  2. Tue 382, good
  3. Wed 495, good
  4. Thu 5100, good
  5. Fri 6100, good
  6. Sat 791, good
  7. Sun 894, good
  8. Mon 989, good
  9. Tue 10100, good
  10. Wed 1193, 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 Vermilion River
DayScoreWindGustsAirRain
Mon 2Nov0, poor11 kn23kntoo gusty27°C0.6 mm
Tue 3Nov82, good7 kn18kntoo gusty27°C1.5 mm
Wed 4Nov95, good4 kn11kn24°C0 mm
Thu 5Nov100, good1 kn5kn26°C0 mm
Fri 6Nov100, good0 kn5kn27°C0.3 mm
Sat 7Nov91, good5 kn12kn25°C0 mm
Sun 8Nov94, good4 kn16kn22°C0 mm
Mon 9Nov89, good5 kn13kn23°C0 mm
Tue 10Nov100, good1 kn11kn21°C0 mm
Wed 11Nov93, good5 kn13kn22°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 new paddlers, from 2016 on (ERA5 history scored the same way).

  1. Jan5of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
  2. Feb6of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
  3. Mar6of 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. Nov6of 7: a trip from Tue 3 Nov
  12. 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

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 Vermilion River

A launch on the Vermilion 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 Lafayette.

  • River Vermilion 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$1,210–US$2,200 each

about US$1,210–US$2,200 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 2 November 2026.

How we worked it out 
Rough cost per person for this trip
WhatHow we worked it outEach
Flightsreturn MDW to MSY, estimated from distance and season, 1 airline on the route, with a hold bagabout US$168–US$349
Hire car6 days, sharedabout US$154–US$255
Stay6 nights, a mid-range double, sharedabout US$349–US$584
Food7 days eating outabout US$342–US$637
Kayak hire5 days, or about US$114 to fly your ownabout US$201–US$376
Totalabout US$1,210–US$2,200

Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.

Where to stay: Lafayette

Ad Links marked Ad may pay us if you book. You pay the same, and they never change a score. How we earn

Closest

Lafayette

about 10 min by car · 28 places to stay

about US$134/nightcountry average

See 28 places to stay in Lafayette · Booking.com

About Lafayette 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 2 November 2026.

Getting there: about 7h 25m

About 7h 25m door to door from Chicago

Fly MDW → MSY, direct, then 3h 20m by road

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