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Torrente Verzasca, Kristallklares Wasser - panoramio
Verzasca, Obere 2 (Croce - Brione). Photo: pyraniton, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

Verzasca, Obere 2 (Croce - Brione)

Kayak spot · Switzerland

Whitewater: a river with rapids

Is it worth the trip?

Not for grade III paddlers. Suits expert paddlers only, by its grade.

The spot in two facts

  • Grade IVits hardest rapid V-
  • Moving waterthe water

Full forecast

every day, every number

Not for grade III paddlers. Suits expert paddlers only, by its grade. See it for expert paddlers.

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.

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.

Photos of Verzasca, Obere 2 (Croce - Brione)

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About Verzasca, Obere 2 (Croce - Brione)

A river section on the Verzasca, from a put-in down to a take-out. Grade III to IV, its hardest rapid V-, on the international scale. Suits expert paddlers only, by its grade. None within 10 km, the nearest 36 km away. The town to stay in is Maggia. Within 5 km we also list 1 dive site, 3 kayak spots and 1 climbing area.

  • River Verzasca
  • Grade Grade III to IV, its hardest rapid V-, on the international scale.
  • Who it suits Suits expert paddlers only, by its grade.
  • Access No source states the access rules: check locally.
  • Schools, hire None within 10 km, the nearest 36 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$1,860–US$3,420 each

about US$1,860–US$3,420 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 MXP, estimated from distance and season, 1 airline on the route, with a hold bagabout US$496–US$1,030
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$1,860–US$3,420

Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.

Where to stay: Maggia

Closest

Maggia

21 min by car · 5 places to stay

about US$174/nightcountry average

See 5 places to stay in Maggia · Booking.com

About Maggia 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 15m

About 15h 15m door to door from Chicago

Fly ORD → MXP, direct, then 1h 40m 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

No paddling school, club or hire mapped within 25 km.

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