The Rur between Heimbach and Obermaubach is one of the finest beginner rivers in North Rhine-Westphalia. It is not, however, a river where you simply put a boat in the water. There are fixed hours, a closed season of several months, a duty to register, a card that must stay visible on your boat, a daily quota of boats and a rule about who is allowed to paddle at all. We have been running this stretch since 1990, and here is what applies.

Last updated: August 2026. Rules and fees can change. The binding source is always the Canoe Federation of North Rhine-Westphalia.

The short answer

The Rur from Heimbach to Obermaubach may be paddled from 15 July to 28 February, during daylight hours and only when the water level is high enough. From 1 March to 14 July the river is closed. Every trip has to be registered with the Kanu-Verband NRW beforehand, and you need an identification card that stays visible on the boat for the whole trip. A boat with one or two people costs 7 euros. Rafts, inflatable boats and stand-up paddleboards are banned, while inflatable kayaks are allowed. And: inexperienced paddlers may only go out in a group led by a qualified guide.

When you are allowed to paddle

15 July to 30 September: 9 am to 7 pm
1 October to 28 February: 9 am to 6 pm
1 March to 14 July: closed, no paddling

The spring closure protects nesting birds in the Ruraue nature reserve. It is not a recommendation but a regulation, and it is the reason why the Rur season starts so much later here than on other rivers.

One practical note that appears in no regulation: even though the Rur is legally open until the end of February, our guided tours normally only run until mid-October. After that there are simply too few enquiries. If you want to be on the water in winter, the Heimbach reservoir is the better choice.

The water level matters too

You may only paddle when there is enough water in the river. In concrete terms: at least 7 cubic metres per second must be released from the Heimbach reservoir, or the level at the stone bridge in Heimbach must reach the green gauge mark.

You can check this through the gauge service of the Kanu-Verband NRW. It is worth doing before every self-organised trip, especially in dry summers. If there is too little water, the trip is not permitted, whether you registered or not.

Registration and identification card

Every trip must be registered with the Kanu-Verband NRW in advance, stating the date, the number of boats and people, and the name of the organiser or club. Registration runs online via kanu-nrw.de, by phone in exceptional cases.

Before you set off you collect your identification card. It has to be clearly visible for the entire trip. Where to get it:

July to September: Thursday to Sunday at the caravan office by the wooden bridge in Heimbach
October: Saturdays, Sundays and on 3 October only
All other days: at the Rureifel Tourismus office in Heimbach, An der Laag 4

What it costs

The fee depends on the size of the boat, not on the distance. Under-16s and members of the German Canoe Federation pay half.

Boat with 1 to 2 people: 7.00 euros
Boat with 3 to 4 people: 14.00 euros
Boat with 5 to 6 people: 21.00 euros
Boat with 7 to 8 people: 28.00 euros
Boat with 9 to 10 people: 35.00 euros

From 1 November to the end of February there is no fee. The trip still has to be registered, by phone. If you cancel a registered trip, cancellation fees may apply.

Do not mix this up: the fee above is for the river. For the reservoirs you additionally need a boat sticker from the Eifel-Rur water board, and there are two different ones:

The Rursee and the Heimbach reservoir share a single sticker, so one covers both. Prices, validity and where to buy it are in our article on canoeing on the Rursee.
The Obermaubach reservoir has its own sticker. You get it at the kiosk by the dam in Obermaubach, it is valid from 1 April to 31 October and costs 15 euros per month or 30 euros for the season. Day stickers no longer exist there.

For simply passing through on a Rur trip starting in Heimbach you do not need the Obermaubach sticker, see the rule further down. If you want to paddle there rather than pass through, you do.

Who may paddle, and who not alone

This is the rule most often overlooked, and it is the most important one in this whole text: inexperienced paddlers may only travel the Rur in a group led by someone with proven expertise. The group leader has to be named along with their canoeing qualification.

In plain terms: if you have never or hardly ever paddled and do not know the stretch, you may not set off on your own here. The Rur is a beginner river, but it has small rapids, eddies and standing waves, and it runs through a nature reserve with zones you need to know. That is why the Kanu-Verband NRW requires local knowledge and paddling experience, or a guided group.

We follow our own rule for the same reason: we only hand out boats for the Rur to regular customers who have already done the guided tour with us and know the stretch. Anyone paddling the Rur for the first time goes with a guide. That is not a sales tactic, it is how this regulation works in practice.

Which boats are allowed

Kayaks and canoes are allowed, and that explicitly includes inflatable kayaks. Rafts, inflatable boats and stand-up paddleboards are banned on the Rur.

A question we get a lot: what about a packraft? It is not banned, but we would advise against it. The Rur becomes very shallow in places, and that is exactly where a packraft struggles: it sits high on the water, has almost no keel and is hard to hold on course in shallow, fast sections. A kayak, hard shell or inflatable, gets through far better. If you still want to take a packraft, know the stretch and keep an eye on the gauge.

Beyond that, the ordinance on the Ruraue nature reserve of 29 November 2000 applies.

Quotas: why a Saturday can be full

15 July to 31 October: a maximum of 100 boats per weekday, 120 boats per Saturday, Sunday or public holiday
1 November to 28 February: up to 20 boats per day

On fine summer weekends that quota really does fill up. If you want to paddle on a Saturday, register early rather than assuming something will still be free that morning.

On the water: breaks and protected zones

Apart from short stops, the trip has to be completed without major interruptions. You may only rest at the landing points in Blens, Abenden and Zerkall. Blens has no winter service. Blens is also where we take our break on the guided tour.

The Obermaubach reservoir may be crossed once as part of a Rur trip starting in Heimbach. While doing so, the protected zones for waterfowl must be avoided. They are marked with green buoys along the left bank and red buoys along the right, with further zones marked by buoys. These areas must not be entered.

Parking and getting there

Normal road traffic rules apply when parking vehicles and trailers. The car park at the national park information point in Zerkall may only be used within the marked areas. A further car park is about 200 metres from the landing point, on the left-hand side of the road towards Zerkall.

The most practical option is the train anyway: park in Zerkall, take the Rurtalbahn up to Heimbach and paddle back to your car. Timetables are at Rurtalbahn.

What the guided tour takes off your hands

If you come with us, none of this is your problem. Registration with the federation, the identification card, the quota, the gauge check and the judgement call on whether conditions are right that day are ours. So are the boat, paddle, buoyancy aid and the briefing.

Our guided Rur tour starts at 11:15, covers 14 kilometres from Heimbach to Zerkall and takes around four and a half hours in total, of which two and a half to three hours are actual paddling. There is no weir to carry around. Minimum age is 9. You will find dates on our booking page.

Frequently asked questions

Can you just paddle the Rur?

No. You need prior registration with the Kanu-Verband NRW, a visible identification card, sufficient water level and a date outside the closed season from 1 March to 14 July. Inexperienced paddlers additionally may only go in a group led by a qualified guide.

What does paddling the Rur cost?

7 euros for a boat with one or two people, rising by boat size to 35 euros for nine to ten people. Half price for under-16s and members of the German Canoe Federation. From November to the end of February it is free of charge but still subject to registration.

When is the Rur closed?

From 1 March to 14 July, for nature conservation reasons.

Can I use an inflatable boat or a SUP on the Rur?

No. Rafts, inflatable boats and stand-up paddleboards are banned. Inflatable kayaks, on the other hand, are allowed.

Can you paddle the Rur in a packraft?

It is not banned, but it is not a good idea either. The Rur gets very shallow in places, and a packraft sits too high and holds course too poorly for that. A kayak, including an inflatable one, makes the stretch far more enjoyable.

How many boats are allowed per day?

From mid-July to the end of October, 100 boats on weekdays and 120 at weekends and on public holidays. From November to February, 20 boats a day.

Where can I stop for a break?

Only at the landing points in Blens, Abenden and Zerkall. Otherwise the trip has to be completed without major interruptions.

In short

The Rur is not a river you put a boat on spontaneously. If you know the rules and have paddled the stretch before, you can register yourself and set off. For everyone else the guided tour is not just the easier route but the prescribed one. If you are unsure whether your experience is enough, just ask us and we will tell you honestly what suits you.

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