Staying Home Sucks, home
425 A State Street Dam looking downriver to the State Street Bridge and G.A.R. Island
Eaton Rapids, the nearest town, 11 km away. Photo: Catherine Ottarson, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

Grand River

Kayak spot · United States

That date has passed, so this trip starts today.

Flat water: a lake, canal or slow river

Is it worth the trip?

83Good out of 100 for your dates

Home sucks

Best on Fri 6: Wind 2 kn gusting 8, Air 13 °C

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Tue 3 · 84 out of 100

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

Wed 4 · 83 out of 100

Wind
10 kn
Gusts
24kntoo gusty
Air
20°C
Rain
2.2 mm

Thu 5 · 83 out of 100

Wind
6 kn
Gusts
11kn
Air
16°C
Rain
0.1 mm

Fri 6 · 89 out of 100

Wind
2 kn
Gusts
8kn
Air
13°C
Rain
0.3 mm

Sat 7 · 85 out of 100

Wind
6 kn
Gusts
14kn
Air
10°C
Rain
0.3 mm

Sun 8 · 77 out of 100

Wind
6 kn
Gusts
14kn
Air
9°C
Rain
3 mm

Mon 9 · 69 out of 100

Wind
10 kn
Gusts
26kn
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 384, good
  2. Wed 483, good
  3. Thu 583, good
  4. Fri 689, good
  5. Sat 785, good
  6. Sun 877, good
  7. Mon 969, good
  8. Tue 1062, good
  9. Wed 1181, good
  10. Thu 1286, good

The spot in two facts

  • Flat waterthe water
  • 11.9 kmthe section

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 Grand River
DayScoreWindGustsAirRain
Tue 3Nov84, good10 kn23kn22°C0 mm
Wed 4Nov83, good10 kn24kntoo gusty20°C2.2 mm
Thu 5Nov83, good6 kn11kn16°C0.1 mm
Fri 6Nov89, good2 kn8kn13°C0.3 mm
Sat 7Nov85, good6 kn14kn10°C0.3 mm
Sun 8Nov77, good6 kn14kn9°C3 mm
Mon 9Nov69, good10 kn26kn10°C0 mm
Tue 10Nov62, good12 kn25kntoo gusty12°C0 mm
Wed 11Nov81, good5 kn18kn10°C0 mm
Thu 12Nov86, good7 kn19kn14°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. Jan4of 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 Wed 4 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

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.

More kayaking near here

2 places

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About Grand River

A river section on the Grand River, from a put-in down to a take-out. It runs 12 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 12 km away. The town to stay in is Eaton Rapids.

  • River Grand River
  • Grade No grade is stated.
  • Length 12 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 12 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$933–US$1,660 each

about US$933–US$1,660 each · 6 nights, 2 sharing: fuel, 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
Fuelabout 630 km there and back, sharedabout US$40–US$60
Stay6 nights, a mid-range double, sharedabout US$349–US$584
Food7 days eating outabout US$342–US$637
Kayak hire5 days, or bring your ownabout US$201–US$376
Totalabout US$933–US$1,660

Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.

Where to stay: Eaton Rapids

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

Closest

Eaton Rapids

about 20 min by car · 3 places to stay

about US$134/nightcountry average

See 3 places to stay in Eaton Rapids · Booking.com

About Eaton Rapids 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 50m

About 3h 50m door to door from Chicago

Drive: Drive, about 3h 50m

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

On the water

River level

River level at GRAND RIVER NEAR EATON RAPIDS, MI: its gauge has sent no reading in the last day, so check it before you go.

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

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.