Staying Home Sucks, home
North Carolina Highway 28 Bridge in Fontana Dam, NC, was built in 1945 and spans the Little Tennessee River 01
Panel Branch Lake Access. Photo: Harrison Keely, CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

Panel Branch Lake Access

Kayak spot · United States

Flat water: a lake, canal or slow river

Is it worth the trip?

78Good out of 100 for your dates

Home sucks

Best on Thu 5: Wind 2 kn gusting 9, Air 22 °C

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Tue 3 · 36 out of 100

Wind
7 kn
Gusts
20kntoo gusty
Air
21°C
Rain
0 mm

Wed 4 · 0 out of 100

Wind
9 kn
Gusts
27kntoo gusty
Air
16°C
Rain
5.7 mm

Thu 5 · 98 out of 100

Wind
2 kn
Gusts
9kn
Air
22°C
Rain
2.1 mm

Fri 6 · 90 out of 100

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

Sat 7 · 88 out of 100

Wind
1 kn
Gusts
7kn
Air
17°C
Rain
0 mm

Sun 8 · 81 out of 100

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

Mon 9 · 70 out of 100

Wind
3 kn
Gusts
12kntoo gusty
Air
6°C
Rain
0.9 mm

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

Forecast: next 10 days

Full forecast
  1. Mon 20, poor
  2. Tue 336, poor
  3. Wed 40, poor
  4. Thu 598, good
  5. Fri 690, good
  6. Sat 788, good
  7. Sun 881, good
  8. Mon 970, good
  9. Tue 1077, good
  10. Wed 1191, good

The spot in two facts

  • Flat waterthe water
  • 0.6 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 Panel Branch Lake Access
DayScoreWindGustsAirRain
Mon 2Nov0, poor7 kn21kntoo gusty20°C0 mm
Tue 3Nov36, poor7 kn20kntoo gusty21°C0 mm
Wed 4Nov0, poor9 kn27kntoo gusty16°C5.7 mm
Thu 5Nov98, good2 kn9kn22°C2.1 mm
Fri 6Nov90, good4 kn12kn19°C0 mm
Sat 7Nov88, good1 kn7kn17°C0 mm
Sun 8Nov81, good3 kn11kntoo gusty13°C0 mm
Mon 9Nov70, good3 kn12kntoo gusty6°C0.9 mm
Tue 10Nov77, good5 kn19kn11°C0 mm
Wed 11Nov91, good3 kn15kn17°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 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

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 Panel Branch Lake Access

Little Tennessee River, Fontana Dam, NC - 51418935934
Photo: w_lemay, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Cliffs, Little Tennessee River Gorge, Fontana Dam, NC - 51418436273
Photo: w_lemay, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Fontana Dam in North Carolina is the tallest dam in the Eastern United States 03
Near Panel Branch Lake Access. Photo: Harrison Keely, CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

More kayaking near here

5 places

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About Panel Branch Lake Access

A river section on the Little Tennessee River, from a put-in down to a take-out. It runs 0.6 km along the river. No grade stated: ask locally before you paddle. None within 10 km, the nearest 22 km away. The town to stay in is Robbinsville. Within 5 km we also list 1 kayak spot.

  • River Little Tennessee River
  • Grade No grade is stated.
  • Length 0.6 km along the river.
  • Who it suits No grade stated: ask locally before you paddle.
  • Access No source states the access rules: check locally.
  • Schools, hire None within 10 km, the nearest 22 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$1,180–US$2,130 each

about US$1,180–US$2,130 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 2 November 2026.

How we worked it out 
Rough cost per person for this trip
WhatHow we worked it outEach
Flightsreturn MDW to TYS, estimated from distance and season, 1 airline on the route, with a hold bagabout US$134–US$282
Hire car6 days, sharedabout US$154–US$255
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$1,180–US$2,130

Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.

Where to stay: Robbinsville

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

Closest

Robbinsville

about 25 min by car · 8 places to stay

about US$134/nightcountry average

See 8 places to stay in Robbinsville · Booking.com

About Robbinsville 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 4h 35m

About 4h 35m door to door from Chicago

Fly MDW → TYS, direct, then 1h 10m by road

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

On the water

Paddling schools, clubs and hire nearby

  • Adventurous Fast Rivers 22 km

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.