Staying Home Sucks, home
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Copperopolis, the nearest town, 14 km away. Photo: Bobak Ha'Eri, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

Stanislaus River

Kayak spot · United States

Whitewater: a river with rapids

Is it worth the trip?

Not for new paddlers. Suits grade III paddlers and up: a river with no grade stated, which we never offer a new paddler.

The spot in two facts

  • Moving waterthe water
  • 5.3 kmthe section

Full forecast

every day, every number

Not for new paddlers. Suits grade III paddlers and up: a river with no grade stated, which we never offer a new paddler. See it for grade III 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 Stanislaus River

A river section on the Stanislaus River, from a put-in down to a take-out. It runs 5.3 km along the river. Suits grade III paddlers and up: a river with no grade stated, which we never offer a new paddler. None within 10 km, the nearest 25 km away. The town to stay in is Copperopolis. Within 5 km we also list 2 kayak spots.

  • River Stanislaus River
  • Grade No source states its grade: check a guidebook before you paddle it.
  • Length 5.3 km along the river.
  • Who it suits Suits grade III paddlers and up: a river with no grade stated, which we never offer a new paddler.
  • Access No source states the access rules: check locally.
  • Schools, hire None within 10 km, the nearest 25 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$1,300–US$2,380 each

about US$1,300–US$2,380 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 SMF, estimated from distance and season, 1 airline on the route, with a hold bagabout US$255–US$523
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$1,300–US$2,380

Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.

Where to stay: Copperopolis

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

Closest

Copperopolis

about 25 min by car · 1 place to stay

about US$134/nightcountry average

See 1 place to stay in Copperopolis · Booking.com

About Copperopolis its beds, food and every spot near it

Nearest town: Copperopolis, 14 km. We have not checked places to stay in Copperopolis yet. The nearest beds we have counted are in Oakdale, 21 km away (about 40 min by car). Search before you plan on staying there.

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 8h 40m

About 8h 40m door to door from Chicago

Fly MDW → SMF, direct, then 2h 30m 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

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.