Staying Home Sucks, home
Syberg & Hengstey lake at the Ruhr
Ruhr. Photo: Arnoldius, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

Ruhr

Kayak spot · Germany

Flat water: a lake, canal or slow river

Is it worth the trip?

76Good out of 100 for your dates

Home sucks

Best on Mon 2: Wind 3 kn gusting 7, Air 10 °C

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Mon 2 · 84 out of 100

Wind
3 kn
Gusts
7kn
Air
10°C
Rain
0.2 mm

Tue 3 · 36 out of 100

Wind
5 kn
Gusts
12kntoo gusty
Air
8°C
Rain
0 mm

Wed 4 · 61 out of 100

Wind
8 kn
Gusts
20kntoo gusty
Air
10°C
Rain
0 mm

Thu 5 · 70 out of 100

Wind
6 kn
Gusts
15kn
Air
8°C
Rain
0 mm

Fri 6 · 80 out of 100

Wind
4 kn
Gusts
10kn
Air
9°C
Rain
0 mm

Sat 7 · 81 out of 100

Wind
3 kn
Gusts
11kn
Air
9°C
Rain
0 mm

Sun 8 · 79 out of 100

Wind
4 kn
Gusts
13kn
Air
10°C
Rain
0 mm

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

Forecast: next 10 days

Full forecast
  1. Mon 284, good
  2. Tue 336, poor
  3. Wed 461, good
  4. Thu 570, good
  5. Fri 680, good
  6. Sat 781, good
  7. Sun 879, good
  8. Mon 982, good
  9. Tue 100, poor
  10. Wed 1177, good

The spot in two facts

  • Flat waterthe water
  • Best Jun–Aug7 good days in 7

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 Ruhr
DayScoreWindGustsAirRain
Mon 2Nov84, good3 kn7kn10°C0.2 mm
Tue 3Nov36, poor5 kn12kntoo gusty8°C0 mm
Wed 4Nov61, good8 kn20kntoo gusty10°C0 mm
Thu 5Nov70, good6 kn15kn8°C0 mm
Fri 6Nov80, good4 kn10kn9°C0 mm
Sat 7Nov81, good3 kn11kn9°C0 mm
Sun 8Nov79, good4 kn13kn10°C0 mm
Mon 9Nov82, good2 kn11kn9°C0 mm
Tue 10Nov0, poor9 kn25kntoo gusty12°C3.9 mm
Wed 11Nov77, good5 kn13kn14°C3.3 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

best Jun–Aug

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

  1. Jan2of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
  2. Feb3of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
  3. Mar4of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
  4. Apr5of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
  5. May6of 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. Sep6of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
  10. Oct5of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
  11. Nov4of 7: a trip from Tue 3 Nov
  12. Dec3of 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 Ruhr

A launch on the Ruhr. No grade stated: ask locally before you paddle. 17 paddling schools, clubs or hire within 10 km, the nearest 0.9 km away. For new paddlers the best months are usually June, July and August, with about 7 good days in 7; in January, about 2. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Hagen. Within 5 km we also list 1 wind sports spot, 4 kayak spots and 1 climbing area.

  • River Ruhr
  • Grade No grade is stated.
  • Who it suits No grade stated: ask locally before you paddle.
  • Access No source states the access rules: check locally.
  • Schools, hire 17 paddling schools, clubs or hire within 10 km, the nearest 0.9 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$1,390–US$2,610 each

about US$1,390–US$2,610 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 FRA, estimated from distance and season, 3 airlines on the route, with a hold bagabout US$482–US$998
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$1,390–US$2,610

Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.

Where to stay: Hagen

Closest

Hagen

8 min by car · 23 places to stay

about US$114/nightcountry average

See 23 places to stay in Hagen · Booking.com

About Hagen 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 16h 30m

About 16h 30m door to door from Chicago

Fly ORD → FRA, direct, then 3h 15m by road

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

On the water

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.