Staying Home Sucks, home
University of Michigan–Flint July 2018 1 (First Street Residence Hall)
Flint, the nearest town, 3 km away. Photo: Michael Barera, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

Flint River

Kayak spot · United States

Flat water: a lake, canal or slow river

Is it worth the trip?

84Good out of 100 for your dates

Home sucks

3 days tie for best

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Tue 3 · 86 out of 100

Wind
10 kn
Gusts
23kn
Air
22°C
Rain
0 mm

Wed 4 · 82 out of 100

Wind
9 kn
Gusts
18kn
Air
18°C
Rain
5.7 mm

Thu 5 · 84 out of 100

Wind
8 kn
Gusts
21kntoo gusty
Air
16°C
Rain
0.2 mm

Fri 6 · 86 out of 100

Wind
4 kn
Gusts
9kn
Air
11°C
Rain
3.3 mm

Sat 7 · 86 out of 100

Wind
5 kn
Gusts
13kn
Air
11°C
Rain
0.6 mm

Sun 8 · 81 out of 100

Wind
6 kn
Gusts
16kn
Air
8°C
Rain
0.3 mm

Mon 9 · 77 out of 100

Wind
4 kn
Gusts
8kn
Air
9°C
Rain
0 mm

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

Forecast: next 10 days

Full forecast
  1. Mon 287, good
  2. Tue 386, good
  3. Wed 482, good
  4. Thu 584, good
  5. Fri 686, good
  6. Sat 786, good
  7. Sun 881, good
  8. Mon 977, good
  9. Tue 1070, good
  10. Wed 1181, 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 Flint River
DayScoreWindGustsAirRain
Mon 2Nov87, good8 kn17kn16°C0 mm
Tue 3Nov86, good10 kn23kn22°C0 mm
Wed 4Nov82, good9 kn18kn18°C5.7 mm
Thu 5Nov84, good8 kn21kntoo gusty16°C0.2 mm
Fri 6Nov86, good4 kn9kn11°C3.3 mm
Sat 7Nov86, good5 kn13kn11°C0.6 mm
Sun 8Nov81, good6 kn16kn8°C0.3 mm
Mon 9Nov77, good4 kn8kn9°C0 mm
Tue 10Nov70, good7 kn14kntoo gusty11°C0 mm
Wed 11Nov81, good5 kn15kn8°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

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).

  1. Jan5of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
  2. Feb5of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
  3. Mar5of 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. Dec5of 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 Flint River

A launch on the Flint River. No grade stated: ask locally before you paddle. OpenStreetMap marks the water open to canoes and kayaks. None within 10 km, the nearest 30 km away. The town to stay in is Flint.

  • River Flint River
  • 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 None within 10 km, the nearest 30 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$1,030–US$1,870 each

about US$1,030–US$1,870 each · 6 nights, 2 sharing: flights, taxi, 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 ORD to FNT, estimated from distance and season, 2 airlines on the route, with a hold bagabout US$114–US$235
Taxiairport and back, sharedabout US$20–US$34
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$1,030–US$1,870

Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.

Where to stay: Flint

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

Closest

Flint

about 10 min by car · 7 places to stay

about US$134/nightcountry average

See 7 places to stay in Flint · Booking.com

About Flint 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 3h 30m

About 3h 30m door to door from Chicago

Fly ORD → FNT, direct, then 25 min by road

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

On the water

River level

Gauge at FLINT RIVER NEAR FLINT, MI, 5 km downstream: 12.2 m³/s, normal for November (updated 1 h ago). Running.

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 25 km.

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

Saved: this link opens the same trip

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The link holds the trip itself: nothing about you is kept. Check the forecast again before you book.