Staying Home Sucks, home
South River, NJ Municipal Building, May 2025
South River. Photo: Mr. Matté (if there is an issue with this image, contact me using this image's…, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

South River

Kayak spot · United States

Flat water: a lake, canal or slow river

Is it worth the trip?

90Good out of 100 for your dates

Home sucks

Best on Sat 7: Wind 1 kn gusting 13, Air 20 °C

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Tue 3 · 93 out of 100

Wind
4 kn
Gusts
13kn
Air
19°C
Rain
0 mm

Wed 4 · 96 out of 100

Wind
4 kn
Gusts
12kn
Air
21°C
Rain
0 mm

Thu 5 · 92 out of 100

Wind
4 kn
Gusts
10kn
Air
22°C
Rain
0 mm

Fri 6 · 64 out of 100

Wind
6 kn
Gusts
13kn
Air
19°C
Rain
52.2 mm

Sat 7 · 97 out of 100

Wind
1 kn
Gusts
13kn
Air
20°C
Rain
0 mm

Sun 8 · 81 out of 100

Wind
5 kn
Gusts
14kn
Air
13°C
Rain
0 mm

Mon 9 · 78 out of 100

Wind
0 kn
Gusts
5kn
Air
8°C
Rain
4.8 mm

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

Forecast: next 10 days

Full forecast
  1. Mon 288, good
  2. Tue 393, good
  3. Wed 496, good
  4. Thu 592, good
  5. Fri 664, good
  6. Sat 797, good
  7. Sun 881, good
  8. Mon 978, good
  9. Tue 1031, poor
  10. Wed 110, poor

The spot in two facts

  • Flat waterthe water
  • Best Jun–Sep7 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 South River
DayScoreWindGustsAirRain
Mon 2Nov88, good5 kn14kn17°C0 mm
Tue 3Nov93, good4 kn13kn19°C0 mm
Wed 4Nov96, good4 kn12kn21°C0 mm
Thu 5Nov92, good4 kn10kn22°C0 mm
Fri 6Nov64, good6 kn13kn19°C52.2 mm
Sat 7Nov97, good1 kn13kn20°C0 mm
Sun 8Nov81, good5 kn14kn13°C0 mm
Mon 9Nov78, good0 kn5kn8°C4.8 mm
Tue 10Nov31, poor7 kn16kntoo gusty12°C0 mm
Wed 11Nov0, poor9 kn20kntoo gusty12°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

best Jun–Sep

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

  1. Jan3of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
  2. Feb4of 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. Sep7of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
  10. Oct6of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
  11. Nov5of 7: a trip from Tue 3 Nov
  12. Dec4of 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.

Photos of South River

More kayaking near here

1 place

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About South River

A launch on the South River. No grade stated: ask locally before you paddle. OpenStreetMap marks the water open to canoes and kayaks. None within 10 km, the nearest 23 km away. For new paddlers the best months are usually June, July, August and September, with about 7 good days in 7; in January, about 3. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Elizabeth.

  • River South 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 23 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$1,120–US$2,050 each

about US$1,120–US$2,050 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 2 November 2026.

How we worked it out 
Rough cost per person for this trip
WhatHow we worked it outEach
Flightsreturn MDW to EWR, estimated from distance and season, 1 airline on the route, with a hold bagabout US$154–US$329
Taxiairport and back, sharedabout US$74–US$121
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$1,120–US$2,050

Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.

Where to stay: Elizabeth

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

Closest

Elizabeth

about 50 min by car · 19 places to stay

about US$134/nightcountry average

See 19 places to stay in Elizabeth · Booking.com

About Elizabeth 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 45m

About 4h 45m door to door from Chicago

Fly MDW → EWR, 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

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.