Ilwaco
Kitesurf spot · United States
Is it worth the trip?
61Good out of 100 for your dates
Best on Thu 5: 16 kn gusting 21, onshore, Water: waves 1.1 m
Mon 2 · 0 out of 100
- Wind
- E 9 kn
- Gusts
- 13kn
- Shore
- side
- Water
- 0.8 mwaves
- Air
- 12°C
Tue 3 · 0 out of 100
- Wind
- ENE 7 kn
- Gusts
- 9kn
- Shore
- side
- Water
- 1.0 mwaves
- Air
- 13°C
Wed 4 · 67 out of 100
- Wind
- S 14 kn
- Gusts
- 19kn
- Shore
- on
- Water
- chop
- Air
- 12°C
Thu 5 · 89 out of 100
- Wind
- S 16 kn
- Gusts
- 21kn
- Shore
- on
- Water
- 1.1 mwaves
- Air
- 12°C
Fri 6 · 0 out of 100
- Wind
- W 19 kn
- Gusts
- 25kn
- Shore
- cross-off
- Water
- 1.3 mwaves
- Air
- 12°C
Sat 7 · 75 out of 100
- Wind
- S 16 kn
- Gusts
- 21kn
- Shore
- side-on
- Water
- 1.0 mwaves
- Air
- 13°C
Sun 8 · 77 out of 100
- Wind
- S 19 kn
- Gusts
- 30kn
- Shore
- side-on
- Water
- 1.5 mwaves
- Air
- 13°C
Tap a day for wind, gusts, shore and air. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 10, poor
- Mon 20, poor
- Tue 30, poor
- Wed 467, good
- Thu 589, good
- Fri 60, poor
- Sat 775, good
- Sun 897, good
- Mon 90, poor
- Tue 1085, good
The spot in six facts
- Faces Sopen to the S
- Best wind: W or Ealong the shore
- Avoid: Nblows out to sea
- Shelteredto the swell
- Water 12 °C4/3 or 5/4, boots and gloves
- Best in Jan3 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
The score doesn't know gusts, offshore wind, tides or your skill.
| Day | Score | Wind | Gusts | Shore | Water | Air |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 0, poor | wind from the east, 6 knots | 10kn | side-on | chop | 10°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 0, poor | wind from the east, 9 knots | 13kn | side | 0.8 mwaves | 12°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 0, poor | wind from the east-north-east, 7 knots | 9kn | side | 1.0 mwaves | 13°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 67, good | wind from the south, 14 knots | 19kn | on | chop | 12°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 89, good | wind from the south, 16 knots | 21kn | on | 1.1 mwaves | 12°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 0, poor | wind from the west, 19 knots | 25kn | cross-off | 1.3 mwaves | 12°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 75, good | wind from the south, 16 knots | 21kn | side-on | 1.0 mwaves | 13°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 97, good | wind from the south, 19 knots | 30kn | side-on | 1.5 mwaves | 13°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 0, poor | wind from the east, 5 knots | 7kn | side-on | 1.2 mwaves | 14°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 85, good | wind from the south, 21 knots | 27kn | on | 1.0 mwaves | 14°C |
Wind is the day's best reading, mean and gusts, in knots; the arrow points where it blows to. Shore "off" blows out to sea. More
Tide
- Sun 1 NovHigh 05:29 +0.8 mLow 10:51 −0.3 mHigh 16:32 +1.0 mLow 23:41 −1.5 m
- Mon 2 NovHigh 06:34 +0.8 mLow 12:20 −0.4 mHigh 17:57 +0.8 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 00:47 −1.3 mHigh 07:32 +0.9 mLow 13:39 −0.7 mHigh 19:23 +0.8 m
Local clock times; heights about mean sea level. On open coasts the times are usually within a quarter of an hour; in bays, estuaries and on the Gulf of Mexico they can be an hour or more out. Tide: EOT20 global ocean tide model, Hart-Davis et al. 2021, DGFI-TUM (doi:10.17882/79489), CC BY 4.0. Times and heights computed by us. A model, not a tide table: check a local table before you go.
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 in Jan
Good kitesurf days in a typical week, each month, from 2016 on (ERA5 history scored the same way).
- Jan3of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb2of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar2of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr1of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May1of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun0of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul0of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug0of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep1of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct1of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov2of 7: a trip from Mon 2 Nov
- Dec2of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Dec
Tap a month to see this spot for a trip then.
Typical, not a forecast. Reanalysis wind misses some local thermal winds, so a spot known for an afternoon breeze may do better than this.
Map
the spot and its town
Ilwaco 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 kitesurf near here
1 place
- Cape Disappointment 3.4 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Ilwaco
Known for kitesurfing and windsurfing, by the OpenStreetMap map of the area. The shore faces S, so wind from the N blows out to sea (our estimate from the coastline).
Water about 12°C: 4/3 or 5/4, boots and gloves. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.
A spot for kitesurfing and windsurfing, as OpenStreetMap maps it, on a shore facing S. Wind from the S blows onshore, wind from the N blows out to sea, and wind from the W or E runs along the shore. It is sheltered to the open sea. The sea is about 8°C in February, its coldest month (5/4 or 6/5, hood, boots and gloves), and 15°C in July, its warmest (4/3 wetsuit and boots). For kitesurfing at intermediate level the best month is usually January, with about 3 good days in 7; in June, July and August, about 0. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Ilwaco. Within 5 km we also list 2 surf spots and 2 wind sports spots.
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$1,050–US$1,910 each
about US$1,050–US$1,910 each · 6 nights, 2 sharing: flights, hire car, stay, food.
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 MDW to PDX, estimated from distance and season, 1 airline on the route, with a hold bag | about US$248–US$516 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | about US$154–US$255 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$301–US$502 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$342–US$636 |
| Total | about US$1,050–US$1,910 |
Kit hire is not priced yet: we have no sourced price, so it is not in it. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.
Where to stay: Ilwaco
1 min by car · 17 places to stay
about US$114/nightcountry average
About Ilwaco its beds, food and every spot near it
About US$114 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 8h 45m
About 8h 45m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → PDX, direct, then 2h 40m by road
Flights MDW → PDX on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.