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La Raillère
Gave de Cauterets, Classique (La Raillère - Cauterets). Photo: Gerard from Tarbes, France, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

Gave de Cauterets, Classique (La Raillère - Cauterets)

Kayak spot · France

Whitewater: a river with rapids

Is it worth the trip?

52Fair out of 100 for your dates

Stay home

Best on Tue 10: Wind 7 kn gusting 29, Air 10 °C, River levels: no free forecast gives them, so check a gauge before you go

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Wed 4 · 44 out of 100

Wind
3 kn
Gusts
12kn
Air
3°C
Rain
0.3 mm

Thu 5 · 46 out of 100

Wind
2 kn
Gusts
10kn
Air
3°C
Rain
1 mm

Fri 6 · 48 out of 100

Wind
4 kn
Gusts
13kn
Air
4°C
Rain
0 mm

Sat 7 · 45 out of 100

Wind
3 kn
Gusts
14kn
Air
3°C
Rain
1.2 mm

Sun 8 · 51 out of 100

Wind
9 kn
Gusts
26kn
Air
6°C
Rain
0.3 mm

Mon 9 · 58 out of 100

Wind
8 kn
Gusts
29kn
Air
10°C
Rain
1.5 mm

Tue 10 · 59 out of 100

Wind
7 kn
Gusts
29kn
Air
10°C
Rain
0 mm

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

Forecast: next 10 days

Full forecast
  1. Tue 345, fair
  2. Wed 444, poor
  3. Thu 546, fair
  4. Fri 648, fair
  5. Sat 745, fair
  6. Sun 851, fair
  7. Mon 958, fair
  8. Tue 1059, fair
  9. Wed 1159, fair
  10. Thu 1247, fair

The spot in three facts

  • Grade Vat its hardest
  • Moving waterthe water
  • Best Jul–Aug7 good days in 7

Full forecast

every day, every number
Wind and weather forecast and score for each day at Gave de Cauterets, Classique (La Raillère - Cauterets)
DayScoreWindGustsAirRain
Tue 3Nov45, fair3 kn13kn3°C2.1 mm
Wed 4Nov44, poor3 kn12kn3°C0.3 mm
Thu 5Nov46, fair2 kn10kn3°C1 mm
Fri 6Nov48, fair4 kn13kn4°C0 mm
Sat 7Nov45, fair3 kn14kn3°C1.2 mm
Sun 8Nov51, fair9 kn26kn6°C0.3 mm
Mon 9Nov58, fair8 kn29kn10°C1.5 mm
Tue 10Nov59, fair7 kn29kn10°C0 mm
Wed 11Nov59, fair4 kn21kn11°C0 mm
Thu 12Nov47, fair3 kn17kn6°C6.3 mm

Wind and gusts are in knots, rain in mm. River levels: no free forecast gives them, so check a gauge before you go. 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 Jul–Aug

Good kayaking days in a typical week, each month, for expert paddlers, from 2016 on (ERA5 history scored the same way).

  1. Jan0of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
  2. Feb0of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
  3. Mar1of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
  4. Apr2of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
  5. May4of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
  6. Jun6of 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. Sep6of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
  10. Oct4of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
  11. Nov0of 7: a trip from Wed 4 Nov
  12. Dec0of 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.

Photos of Gave de Cauterets, Classique (La Raillère - Cauterets)

Gentianne
Near Gave de Cauterets, Classique (La Raillère - Cauterets). Photo: Gerard from Tarbes, France, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Cauterets cascade du Cerisey (2)
Cerisey waterfall, 1 km away. Photo: Père Igor, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About Gave de Cauterets, Classique (La Raillère - Cauterets)

A river section on the Gave de Cauterets, from a put-in down to a take-out. Grade V, on the international scale. Suits expert paddlers only, by its grade. None within 10 km, the nearest 19 km away. For expert paddlers the best months are usually July and August, with about 7 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Cauterets. Within 5 km we also list 2 ski resorts.

  • River Gave de Cauterets
  • Grade Grade 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 19 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$1,350–US$2,530 each

about US$1,350–US$2,530 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 3 November 2026.

How we worked it out 
Rough cost per person for this trip
WhatHow we worked it outEach
Flightsreturn ORD to LDE, estimated from distance and season, changing at DUB, full-service airlines, with a hold bagabout US$476–US$986
Taxiairport and back, sharedabout US$80–US$134
Stay6 nights, a mid-range double, sharedabout US$329–US$543
Food7 days eating outabout US$315–US$583
Kayak hire5 days, or about US$114 to fly your ownabout US$154–US$288
Totalabout US$1,350–US$2,530

Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.

Where to stay: Cauterets

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

Closest

Cauterets

about 5 min by car · 32 places to stay

about US$121/nightcountry average

See 32 places to stay in Cauterets · Booking.com

About Cauterets its beds, food and every spot near it

About US$121 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 3 November 2026.

Getting there: about 17h 40m

About 17h 40m door to door from Chicago

Fly ORD → LDE, changing at Dublin Airport (DUB), then 55 min 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

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

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.