Staying Home Sucks, home
Aerial of downtown Brevard, North Carolina, in Transylvania County 17
Brevard, the nearest town, 2 km away. Photo: Harrison Keely, CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

Hap Simpson River Access

Kayak spot · United States

Flat water: a lake, canal or slow river

Is it worth the trip?

86Good out of 100 for your dates

Home sucks

Best on Fri 6: Wind 4 kn gusting 17, Air 21 °C

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Tue 3 · 88 out of 100

Wind
2 kn
Gusts
8kn
Air
17°C
Rain
0 mm

Wed 4 · 88 out of 100

Wind
3 kn
Gusts
9kn
Air
16°C
Rain
4.6 mm

Thu 5 · 87 out of 100

Wind
4 kn
Gusts
11kn
Air
18°C
Rain
2 mm

Fri 6 · 97 out of 100

Wind
4 kn
Gusts
17kn
Air
21°C
Rain
0 mm

Sat 7 · 91 out of 100

Wind
2 kn
Gusts
8kn
Air
18°C
Rain
0 mm

Sun 8 · 82 out of 100

Wind
4 kn
Gusts
11kn
Air
15°C
Rain
0 mm

Mon 9 · 39 out of 100

Wind
4 kn
Gusts
13kntoo gusty
Air
11°C
Rain
3 mm

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

Forecast: next 10 days

Full forecast
  1. Mon 287, good
  2. Tue 388, good
  3. Wed 488, good
  4. Thu 587, good
  5. Fri 697, good
  6. Sat 791, good
  7. Sun 882, good
  8. Mon 939, poor
  9. Tue 1070, good
  10. Wed 1136, poor

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 Hap Simpson River Access
DayScoreWindGustsAirRain
Mon 2Nov87, good3 kn10kn15°C0.1 mm
Tue 3Nov88, good2 kn8kn17°C0 mm
Wed 4Nov88, good3 kn9kn16°C4.6 mm
Thu 5Nov87, good4 kn11kn18°C2 mm
Fri 6Nov97, good4 kn17kn21°C0 mm
Sat 7Nov91, good2 kn8kn18°C0 mm
Sun 8Nov82, good4 kn11kn15°C0 mm
Mon 9Nov39, poor4 kn13kntoo gusty11°C3 mm
Tue 10Nov70, good3 kn7kn9°C0 mm
Wed 11Nov36, poor4 kn18kntoo gusty7°C0.6 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

No month stands out

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

  1. Jan6of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
  2. Feb6of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
  3. Mar6of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
  4. Apr7of 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. Nov7of 7: a trip from Tue 3 Nov
  12. Dec6of 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.

More kayaking near here

2 places

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About Hap Simpson River Access

A launch on the French Broad River. No grade stated: ask locally before you paddle. OpenStreetMap marks the water open to canoes and kayaks. None within 10 km, the nearest 36 km away. The town to stay in is Brevard. Within 5 km we also list 1 kayak spot.

  • River French Broad 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 36 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$1,100–US$2,000 each

about US$1,100–US$2,000 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 30 October 2026.

How we worked it out 
Rough cost per person for this trip
WhatHow we worked it outEach
Flightsreturn MDW to AVL, estimated from distance and season, 1 airline on the route, with a hold bagabout US$141–US$288
Taxiairport and back, sharedabout US$67–US$114
Stay6 nights, a mid-range double, sharedabout US$348–US$583
Food7 days eating outabout US$342–US$636
Kayak hire5 days, or about US$114 to fly your ownabout US$201–US$375
Totalabout US$1,100–US$2,000

Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.

Where to stay: Brevard

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

Closest

Brevard

about 5 min by car · 23 places to stay

about US$134/nightcountry average

See 23 places to stay in Brevard · Booking.com

About Brevard 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 30 October 2026.

Getting there: about 4h 20m

About 4h 20m door to door from Chicago

Fly MDW → AVL, direct, then 50 min by road

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

On the water

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.