Staying Home Sucks, home
Skowhegan Fire Department
Skowhegan, the nearest town, 11 km away. Photo: Tim Pierce, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

Kennebec River

Kayak spot · United States

Flat water: a lake, canal or slow river

Is it worth the trip?

94Good out of 100 for your dates

Home sucks

Best on Wed 4: Wind 5 kn gusting 12, Air 19 °C

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Mon 2 · 93 out of 100

Wind
5 kn
Gusts
14kn
Air
17°C
Rain
0 mm

Tue 3 · 89 out of 100

Wind
1 kn
Gusts
6kn
Air
14°C
Rain
1 mm

Wed 4 · 97 out of 100

Wind
5 kn
Gusts
12kn
Air
19°C
Rain
0 mm

Thu 5 · 96 out of 100

Wind
5 kn
Gusts
11kn
Air
19°C
Rain
0 mm

Fri 6 · 96 out of 100

Wind
4 kn
Gusts
10kn
Air
19°C
Rain
3.9 mm

Sat 7 · 84 out of 100

Wind
4 kn
Gusts
9kn
Air
15°C
Rain
24.3 mm

Sun 8 · 90 out of 100

Wind
7 kn
Gusts
19kn
Air
16°C
Rain
0.6 mm

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

Forecast: next 10 days

Full forecast
  1. Mon 293, good
  2. Tue 389, good
  3. Wed 497, good
  4. Thu 596, good
  5. Fri 696, good
  6. Sat 784, good
  7. Sun 890, good
  8. Mon 986, good
  9. Tue 1077, good
  10. Wed 1174, 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 Kennebec River
DayScoreWindGustsAirRain
Mon 2Nov93, good5 kn14kn17°C0 mm
Tue 3Nov89, good1 kn6kn14°C1 mm
Wed 4Nov97, good5 kn12kn19°C0 mm
Thu 5Nov96, good5 kn11kn19°C0 mm
Fri 6Nov96, good4 kn10kn19°C3.9 mm
Sat 7Nov84, good4 kn9kn15°C24.3 mm
Sun 8Nov90, good7 kn19kn16°C0.6 mm
Mon 9Nov86, good6 kn16kn12°C0 mm
Tue 10Nov77, good7 kn14kn10°C0 mm
Wed 11Nov74, good8 kn18kn9°C0 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 grade III 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. 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. 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

3 places

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About Kennebec River

A launch on the Kennebec River. No grade stated: ask locally before you paddle. OpenStreetMap marks the water open to canoes and kayaks. None within 10 km, the nearest 45 km away. The town to stay in is Skowhegan.

  • River Kennebec 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 45 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$1,230–US$2,220 each

about US$1,230–US$2,220 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 30 October 2026.

How we worked it out 
Rough cost per person for this trip
WhatHow we worked it outEach
Flightsreturn ORD to BGR, estimated from distance and season, 2 airlines on the route, with a hold bagabout US$181–US$375
Hire car6 days, sharedabout US$154–US$255
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$1,230–US$2,220

Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.

Where to stay: Skowhegan

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

Closest

Skowhegan

about 20 min by car · 7 places to stay

about US$134/nightcountry average

See 7 places to stay in Skowhegan · Booking.com

About Skowhegan 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 6h 05m

About 6h 05m door to door from Chicago

Fly ORD → BGR, direct, then 1h 25m 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.