Flat water: a lake, canal or slow river
Is it worth the trip?
88Good out of 100 for your dates
3 days tie for best
Tue 3 · 87 out of 100
- Wind
- 2 kn
- Gusts
- 8kn
- Air
- 13°C
- Rain
- 0 mm
Wed 4 · 85 out of 100
- Wind
- 1 kn
- Gusts
- 9kn
- Air
- 13°C
- Rain
- 0 mm
Thu 5 · 85 out of 100
- Wind
- 2 kn
- Gusts
- 11kn
- Air
- 12°C
- Rain
- 0 mm
Fri 6 · 87 out of 100
- Wind
- 2 kn
- Gusts
- 8kn
- Air
- 13°C
- Rain
- 0 mm
Sat 7 · 89 out of 100
- Wind
- 3 kn
- Gusts
- 10kn
- Air
- 14°C
- Rain
- 0 mm
Sun 8 · 89 out of 100
- Wind
- 2 kn
- Gusts
- 8kn
- Air
- 13°C
- Rain
- 0 mm
Mon 9 · 89 out of 100
- Wind
- 3 kn
- Gusts
- 10kn
- Air
- 13°C
- Rain
- 0 mm
Tap a day for wind, gusts, air and rain. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Mon 20, poor
- Tue 387, good
- Wed 485, good
- Thu 585, good
- Fri 687, good
- Sat 789, good
- Sun 889, good
- Mon 989, good
- Tue 1089, good
- Wed 1183, 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.
| Day | Score | Wind | Gusts | Air | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 0, poor | 11 kn | 32kntoo gusty | 8°C | 1.6 mm |
| Tue 3Nov | 87, good | 2 kn | 8kn | 13°C | 0 mm |
| Wed 4Nov | 85, good | 1 kn | 9kn | 13°C | 0 mm |
| Thu 5Nov | 85, good | 2 kn | 11kn | 12°C | 0 mm |
| Fri 6Nov | 87, good | 2 kn | 8kn | 13°C | 0 mm |
| Sat 7Nov | 89, good | 3 kn | 10kn | 14°C | 0 mm |
| Sun 8Nov | 89, good | 2 kn | 8kn | 13°C | 0 mm |
| Mon 9Nov | 89, good | 3 kn | 10kn | 13°C | 0 mm |
| Tue 10Nov | 89, good | 0 kn | 7kn | 13°C | 0 mm |
| Wed 11Nov | 83, good | 7 kn | 18kn | 12°C | 0 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
No month stands out
Good kayaking days in a typical week, each month, for grade III paddlers, from 2016 on (ERA5 history scored the same way).
- Jan6of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb6of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar6of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr6of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May7of 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
- Oct7of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov7of 7: a trip from Tue 3 Nov
- Dec7of 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
Big Eddy Access on Google Maps · Directions
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 Big Eddy Access
A launch on the Rio Chama. No grade stated: ask locally before you paddle. OpenStreetMap marks the water open to canoes and kayaks. No paddling school, club or hire within 50 km on the map. The town to stay in is Santa Teresa.
- River Rio Chama
- Grade No grade is stated.
- Who it suits No grade stated: ask locally before you paddle.
- Access OpenStreetMap marks the water open to canoes and kayaks.
- 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$1,230–US$2,250 each
about US$1,230–US$2,250 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
| What | How we worked it out | Each |
|---|---|---|
| Flights | return ORD to SAF, estimated from distance and season, 1 airline on the route, with a hold bag | about US$188–US$396 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | about US$154–US$255 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$349–US$584 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$342–US$637 |
| Kayak hire | 5 days, or about US$114 to fly your own | about US$201–US$376 |
| Total | about US$1,230–US$2,250 |
Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.
Where to stay: Santa Teresa
Ad Links marked Ad may pay us if you book. You pay the same, and they never change a score. How we earn
about 35 min by car · 1 place to stay
about US$134/nightcountry average
About Santa Teresa its beds, food and every spot near it
Nearest town: Santa Teresa, 20 km. We have not checked places to stay in Santa Teresa yet. The nearest beds we have counted are in Los Alamos, 54 km away. Search before you plan on staying there.
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 6h 45m
About 6h 45m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → SAF, direct, then 1h 50m by road
Flights ORD → SAF on your dates · AviasalesAd
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.
On the water
Kayak trips and courses in Santa Teresa · GetYourGuideKayak hire in Santa Teresa · GetYourGuide
River level
Gauge at RIO CHAMA ABOVE ABIQUIU RESERVOIR, NM, 2 km upstream: 117 m³/s, very high for November (updated 1 h ago). In flood: stay off the water.
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
No paddling school, club or hire mapped within 50 km.
Schools, clubs and hire: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL). Credits
Saved: this link opens the same trip
The link holds the trip itself: nothing about you is kept. Check the forecast again before you book.