Staying Home Sucks, home
Downtown Rochester, Michigan (Christmas)
Rochester, the nearest town, 3 km away. Photo: Lrgjr72, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

Yates Park CRWT access

Kayak spot · United States

Flat water: a lake, canal or slow river

Is it worth the trip?

76Good out of 100 for your dates

Home sucks

Best on Fri 6: Wind 2 kn gusting 5, Air 11 °C

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Tue 3 · 78 out of 100

Wind
8 kn
Gusts
18kn
Air
22°C
Rain
0 mm

Wed 4 · 80 out of 100

Wind
5 kn
Gusts
10kn
Air
18°C
Rain
8.8 mm

Thu 5 · 40 out of 100

Wind
5 kn
Gusts
12kntoo gusty
Air
16°C
Rain
0 mm

Fri 6 · 85 out of 100

Wind
2 kn
Gusts
5kn
Air
11°C
Rain
2.1 mm

Sat 7 · 79 out of 100

Wind
5 kn
Gusts
12kn
Air
11°C
Rain
0 mm

Sun 8 · 73 out of 100

Wind
4 kn
Gusts
15kn
Air
8°C
Rain
0.3 mm

Mon 9 · 71 out of 100

Wind
5 kn
Gusts
19kn
Air
8°C
Rain
0.3 mm

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

Forecast: next 10 days

Full forecast
  1. Mon 280, good
  2. Tue 378, good
  3. Wed 480, good
  4. Thu 540, poor
  5. Fri 685, good
  6. Sat 779, good
  7. Sun 873, good
  8. Mon 971, good
  9. Tue 1061, good
  10. Wed 1176, good

The spot in three facts

  • Flat waterthe water
  • 36.7 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.

Wind and weather forecast and score for each day at Yates Park CRWT access
DayScoreWindGustsAirRain
Mon 2Nov80, good6 kn13kntoo gusty16°C0 mm
Tue 3Nov78, good8 kn18kn22°C0 mm
Wed 4Nov80, good5 kn10kn18°C8.8 mm
Thu 5Nov40, poor5 kn12kntoo gusty16°C0 mm
Fri 6Nov85, good2 kn5kn11°C2.1 mm
Sat 7Nov79, good5 kn12kn11°C0 mm
Sun 8Nov73, good4 kn15kn8°C0.3 mm
Mon 9Nov71, good5 kn19kn8°C0.3 mm
Tue 10Nov61, good6 kn12kntoo gusty12°C0 mm
Wed 11Nov76, good4 kn14kn9°C0 mm

Wind and gusts are in knots, rain in mm. The river's level is under In the water. 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 new paddlers, from 2016 on (ERA5 history scored the same way).

  1. Jan2of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
  2. Feb2of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
  3. Mar3of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
  4. Apr5of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
  5. May6of 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. Oct5of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
  11. Nov3of 7: a trip from Tue 3 Nov
  12. Dec2of 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 Yates Park CRWT access

A river section on the Clinton River, from a put-in down to a take-out. It runs 37 km along the river. No grade stated: ask locally before you paddle. OpenStreetMap marks the water open to canoes and kayaks. None within 10 km, the nearest 15 km away. For new paddlers the best months are usually June, July, August and September, with about 7 good days in 7; in January, February and December, about 2. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Rochester. Within 5 km we also list 1 kayak spot and 1 mountain bike area.

  • River Clinton River
  • Grade No grade is stated.
  • Length 37 km along the river.
  • Who it suits No grade stated: ask locally before you paddle.
  • Access OpenStreetMap marks the water open to canoes and kayaks.
  • Schools, hire None within 10 km, the nearest 15 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$1,160–US$2,080 each

about US$1,160–US$2,080 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 MDW to DTW, estimated from distance and season, 2 airlines on the route, with a hold bagabout US$114–US$234
Hire car6 days, sharedabout US$154–US$255
Stay6 nights, a mid-range double, sharedabout US$348–US$583
Food7 days eating outabout US$342–US$636
Kayak hire5 days, or about US$114 to fly your ownabout US$201–US$375
Totalabout US$1,160–US$2,080

Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.

Where to stay: Rochester

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

Closest

Rochester

about 10 min by car · 6 places to stay

about US$134/nightcountry average

See 6 places to stay in Rochester · Booking.com

About Rochester 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 10m

About 4h 10m door to door from Chicago

Fly MDW → DTW, direct, then 1h 15m by road

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

On the water

River level

Gauge at CLINTON RIVER AT STERLING HEIGHTS, MI: 2.57 m³/s, very low for November (updated 2 h ago). Low.

Bands are this gauge's own record: under its usual low, running, high, and in flood on its few highest days a year. Not a runnable range for the section: check before you go. River levels in the United States: U.S. Geological Survey (public domain). Credits

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