Staying Home Sucks, home
Nordic aktiv Hinterzarten 01
Hinterzarten, the nearest town. Photo: Chondriammos, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

Rotbach, Hinterzarten - Höllsteig

Kayak spot · Germany

Whitewater: a river with rapids

Is it worth the trip?

Not for grade III paddlers. Suits expert paddlers only, by its grade.

The spot in two facts

  • Grade Vat its hardest
  • Moving waterthe water

Full forecast

every day, every number

Not for grade III paddlers. Suits expert paddlers only, by its grade. See it for expert paddlers.

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.

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.

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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

1 place

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About Rotbach, Hinterzarten - Höllsteig

A river section on the Rotbach, from a put-in down to a take-out. Grade V, on the international scale. Suits expert paddlers only, by its grade. 1 paddling school, club or hire within 10 km, the nearest 6.4 km away. The town to stay in is Hinterzarten. Within 5 km we also list 1 ski resort and 1 kayak spot.

  • River Rotbach
  • 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 1 paddling school, club or hire within 10 km, the nearest 6.4 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$1,400–US$2,630 each

about US$1,400–US$2,630 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 ZRH, estimated from distance and season, 2 airlines on the route, with a hold bagabout US$489–US$1,020
Hire car6 days, sharedabout US$147–US$248
Stay6 nights, a mid-range double, sharedabout US$308–US$509
Food7 days eating outabout US$295–US$549
Kayak hire5 days, or about US$114 to fly your ownabout US$161–US$308
Totalabout US$1,400–US$2,630

Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.

Where to stay: Hinterzarten

Closest

Hinterzarten

1 min by car · 98 places to stay

about US$114/nightcountry average

See 98 places to stay in Hinterzarten · Booking.com

About Hinterzarten its beds, food and every spot near it

About US$114 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 14h 50m

About 14h 50m door to door from Chicago

Fly ORD → ZRH, direct, then 1h 20m 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.