Staying Home Sucks, home
Newton Falls, OH
Newton Falls, the nearest town. Photo: Jbarta, CC0, Wikimedia Commons

West Branch Mahoning River

Kayak spot · United States

That date has passed, so this trip starts today.

Whitewater: a river with rapids

Is it worth the trip?

73Good out of 100 for your dates

Home sucks

Best on Tue 3: Wind 9 kn gusting 18, Air 23 °C, River levels: no free forecast gives them, so check a gauge before you go

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Tue 3 · 80 out of 100

Wind
9 kn
Gusts
18kn
Air
23°C
Rain
0 mm

Wed 4 · 78 out of 100

Wind
9 kn
Gusts
18kn
Air
23°C
Rain
4.6 mm

Thu 5 · 73 out of 100

Wind
10 kn
Gusts
22kn
Air
17°C
Rain
0 mm

Fri 6 · 73 out of 100

Wind
8 kn
Gusts
16kn
Air
17°C
Rain
0 mm

Sat 7 · 57 out of 100

Wind
12 kn
Gusts
24kn
Air
10°C
Rain
0 mm

Sun 8 · 63 out of 100

Wind
11 kn
Gusts
22kn
Air
12°C
Rain
0 mm

Mon 9 · 69 out of 100

Wind
5 kn
Gusts
13kn
Air
15°C
Rain
0 mm

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

Forecast: next 10 days

Full forecast
  1. Tue 380, good
  2. Wed 478, good
  3. Thu 573, good
  4. Fri 673, good
  5. Sat 757, fair
  6. Sun 863, good
  7. Mon 969, good
  8. Tue 1072, good
  9. Wed 1158, fair
  10. Thu 1255, fair

The spot in four facts

  • Grade IIat its hardest
  • Moving waterthe water
  • 4.7 kmthe section
  • 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 West Branch Mahoning River
DayScoreWindGustsAirRain
Tue 3Nov80, good9 kn18kn23°C0 mm
Wed 4Nov78, good9 kn18kn23°C4.6 mm
Thu 5Nov73, good10 kn22kn17°C0 mm
Fri 6Nov73, good8 kn16kn17°C0 mm
Sat 7Nov57, fair12 kn24kn10°C0 mm
Sun 8Nov63, good11 kn22kn12°C0 mm
Mon 9Nov69, good5 kn13kn15°C0 mm
Tue 10Nov72, good10 kn20kn17°C0 mm
Wed 11Nov58, fair9 kn19kn9°C0 mm
Thu 12Nov55, fair4 kn10kn7°C0 mm

Wind and gusts are in knots, rain in mm. The river's level is under In the water. 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 expert paddlers, from 2016 on (ERA5 history scored the same way).

  1. Jan0of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
  2. Feb1of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
  3. Mar2of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
  4. Apr4of 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. Oct5of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
  11. Nov2of 7: a trip from Wed 4 Nov
  12. Dec1of 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.

More kayaking near here

2 places

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About West Branch Mahoning River

A river section on the West Branch Mahoning River, from a put-in down to a take-out. Grade II, on the international scale. It runs 4.7 km along the river. Suits new paddlers and up, by its grade. No paddling school, club or hire within 50 km on the map. For expert paddlers the best months are usually June, July, August and September, with about 7 good days in 7; in January, about 0. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Newton Falls. Within 5 km we also list 1 kayak spot.

  • River West Branch Mahoning River
  • Grade Grade II, on the international scale.
  • Length 4.7 km along the river.
  • Who it suits Suits new paddlers and up, by its grade.
  • Access No source states the access rules: check locally.
  • Schools, hire No paddling school, club or hire within 50 km on the map.

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$1,170–US$2,110 each

about US$1,170–US$2,110 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 ORD to CAK, estimated from distance and season, 2 airlines on the route, with a hold bagabout US$121–US$255
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$1,170–US$2,110

Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.

Where to stay: Newton Falls

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

Closest

Newton Falls

about 5 min by car · 1 place to stay

about US$134/nightcountry average

See 1 place to stay in Newton Falls · Booking.com

About Newton Falls 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 30m

About 4h 30m door to door from Chicago

Fly ORD → CAK, direct, then 1h 10m by road

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

On the water

River level

Gauge at West Branch Mahoning River at Wayland OH, 15 km upstream: 0.96 m³/s, normal for November (updated 3 h ago). Running.

Bands are this gauge's own record: under its usual low, running, high, and in flood on its few highest days a year. Not a runnable range for the section: check before you go. River levels in the United States: U.S. Geological Survey (public domain). Credits

Paddling schools, clubs and hire nearby

No paddling school, club or hire mapped within 50 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.