Canoeing & Kayaking Georgia

By Suzanne Welander and Bob Sehlinger

Get the authoritative guide to the waterways of Georgia, offering thousands of miles of paddling.

Wet your paddle—and whet your paddling appetite—with Canoeing & Kayaking Georgia, the definitive guide to whitewater, smoothwater, and everything in between. From the Chattahoochee River Watershed in the west to the Savannah River Basin along the eastern border, this is your complete resource for paddling the creeks and rivers of the Peach State. Canoeing & Kayaking Georgia covers 3,700 miles of paddling in more than 80 profiles of rivers and creeks. They range in difficulty from pleasant and uncomplicated runs for beginners, such as the Chattooga River Section II, to whitewater runs in the Tallulah Gorge.

Expert paddlers Suzanne Welander and Bob Sehlinger utilize the latest technology, along with good old-fashioned experience, to make your canoe and kayak adventures easy to enjoy. The book has been revised and updated, with maps and important details like access points, river gauges, mileages, contact information, and GPS coordinates for every put-in and takeout. Canoeing & Kayaking Georgia is useful for paddlers of all skill levels. It is the resource you need to find where to float, no matter what type of boat you paddle.

Inside you’ll find

• New maps plus GPS coordinates
• More than 80 river and creek profiles, divided into 8 sections
• Waterway recommendations for beginners, families, campers, and more
• Easy-to-reference descriptions of Georgia’s developed Water Trails

• Language: English
• Publisher: Menasha Ridge Press
• Release date: Jun 14, 2022
• ISBN: 9781634043373

Book preview

INTRODUCTION

HOW TO USE THIS GUIDE

This guidebook is packed with the details paddlers need to plan a trip on Georgia’s rivers, as well as a noteworthy few in neighboring states. River profiles are grouped into chapters by their watershed: Savannah, Tennessee, Coosa, Chattahoochee, Flint, Altamaha, and other streams to the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico. Each chapter begins with the rivers in the upper reaches of the watershed and moves downstream.

Each river’s description is broken into segments (also called sections) according to difficulty level. These river sections can be very long, encompassing many potential river trips. An at-a-glance table accompanies each river section. The table includes the river’s difficulty class; the length of the section in miles; the amount of time needed to paddle the entire section; river gauge(s); the minimum water level required for paddling; and the gradient—the drop in elevation from the top to the bottom of the section.

This book uses the International Scale of River Difficulty to assess the waterway’s typical difficulty under normal conditions. (See Rating the River,, for an explanation of these classifications.) Ratings in parentheses indicate the presence of more-difficult features uncharacteristic of the rest of the run. In a few cases, the letter T is used instead of the typical numerical classification; this indicates that the river’s dominant current is dictated by ocean tides.

The river descriptions convey what paddlers will encounter moving sequentially from the highest to the lowest access point. The locations of rapids, scenery, hazards, and other specific features of note are described. In some cases, a description of the common line through notable rapids is provided. Use your river-reading skills to determine the best route based on the conditions you encounter on your trip.

THE MIDDLE SECTION OF THE OGEECHEE RIVER

(see Part Seven) Photo: Tom Welander

Use the river maps to find out how many river miles lie between the access points used as starting (put-in) and ending (take-out) points for trips. Access points are labeled alphabetically—A, B, C, and so on—starting with the highest access and moving downstream; access points are also listed in boldface and parentheses in the corresponding trip descriptions. (When evaluating trip options, keep in mind that an average paddler traverses between 6–12 miles in a day.) Gradients between access points are shown on the maps when that data varies significantly within the river section. Finally, below is a legend that explains the symbols found on the maps.

GPS coordinates are also provided for all access points, both in the print book and on its companion website (gariverguidebook.com); the coordinates and maps can be loaded into a navigation app. For some river descriptions, shuttle notes, including driving directions and/or helpful details about specific access points, are provided to supplement the GPS coordinates.

It’s vital to know whether the amount of water in a river is within an appropriate range for your trip: not too high and not too low. Therefore, each river section concludes with gauge information that describes where to get streamflow data and lists recommended flow levels. See River-Level Information for websites that report levels.

Finally, selected outfitters and the rivers they serve are listed in Appendix B.

RATING THE RIVER

As noted in the previous section, the International Scale of River Difficulty describes the difficulty level of a river’s rapids under normal paddling conditions. This globally accepted system facilitates a quick comparison between rivers by grouping them into six classes, as outlined following.

Difficulty levels increase with higher water flows and/or low air or water temperatures. On the day of your paddle, you may need to reevaluate the river’s difficulty level based on the conditions you encounter to determine whether it remains within your skill level. Use the map on page x to locate the relevant river sections that fit your skill level, and read the river’s description to tailor your trip to your group’s abilities.

CLASS I RAPIDS

Fast-moving water with riffles and small waves. Few obstructions, all obvious and easily missed with little training. Risk to swimmers is slight; self-rescue is easy.

CLASS II RAPIDS: NOVICE

Straightforward rapids with wide, clear channels that are evident without scouting. Occasional maneuvering may be required, but rocks and medium-size waves are easily missed by trained paddlers. Swimmers are seldom injured and group assistance, while helpful, is seldom needed. Rapids that are at the upper end of this difficulty range are designated as Class II+.

CLASS III: INTERMEDIATE

Rapids with moderate, irregular waves that may be difficult to avoid and that can swamp an open canoe. Complex maneuvers in fast current and good boat control in tight passages or around ledges are often required; large waves or strainers may be present but are easily avoided. Strong eddies and powerful current effects can be found, particularly on large-volume rivers. scouting is advisable for inexperienced parties. Injuries while swimming are rare; self-rescue is usually easy, but group assistance may be required to avoid long swims.

CLASS IV: ADVANCED

Intense, powerful, but predictable rapids requiring precise boat handling in turbulent water. Depending on the character of the river, it may feature large, unavoidable waves and holes or constricted passages demanding fast maneuvers under pressure. Rapids may require must moves above dangerous hazards. Scouting may be necessary the first time down. Risk of injury to swimmers is moderate to high, and water conditions may make self-rescue difficult. Group assistance for rescue is often essential but requires practiced skills. A strong Eskimo roll is highly recommended.

CLASS V: EXPERT

Extremely long, obstructed, or very violent rapids that expose a paddler to added risk. Drops may contain large, unavoidable waves and holes or steep, congested chutes with complex, demanding routes. Rapids may continue for long distances between pools, demanding a high level of fitness. What eddies exist may be small, turbulent, or difficult to reach. At the high end of the scale, several of these factors may be combined. Swims are dangerous, and rescue is often difficult even for experts. A very reliable Eskimo roll, proper equipment, extensive experience, and practiced rescue skills are essential. Because of the large range of difficulty that exists beyond Class IV, Class V is an open-ended, multiple-level scale designated by Class 5.0, 5.1, 5.2, and so on. Each of these levels is an order of magnitude more difficult than the last. Example: increasing difficulty from Class 5.0 to Class 5.1 is a similar order of magnitude as increasing from Class IV to Class 5.0.

CLASS VI: EXTREME AND EXPLORATORY RAPIDS

Rivers that are too difficult and dangerous for the best boaters.

Source Safety Code of American Whitewater, revised 2005. For in-depth descriptions of these categories and the full text of the safety code, see Appendix C.

PREPARING FOR YOUR TRIP

In addition to evaluating your own skills and equipment, you must reckon with two related external factors when planning a paddling trip: water level and weather forecasts.

RIVER-LEVEL INFORMATION

Throughout this guidebook, the water levels adequate for paddling are provided for each river section. This includes both how the water level is measured and where that information can be found: online, by phone, or using a visual gauge.

WEBSITES

The first step for most paddlers planning a trip is to check river levels online. The USGS and American Whitewater websites can send you email and text push alerts when a stream hits a water level you specify.

US GEOLOGICAL SURVEY By far the largest single source for Georgia streamflow data is the USGS; see waterdata.usgs.gov/ga/nwis. Gauge readings can be displayed on a map or in table form. The map is color-coded, making it easy to spot higher- or lower-than-average flows. Click on a location to see a week’s worth of data for that gauge so that you can tell if the river is coming up or going down. In addition, users can review data over longer time periods; this is helpful for seeing how quickly levels typically fall after peaking. USGS gauge information can also be used to estimate water levels for neighboring rivers that lack online gauging stations.

TENNESSEE VALLEY AUTHORITY Water levels for the unregulated (undammed) streams that flow north into the TVA’s jurisdiction are listed at tva.com/environment/lake-levels/valley-stream-flows. Release schedules for rivers downstream of TVA dams are found at tva.com/environment/lake-levels (click Recreation Release Schedules).

AMERICAN WHITEWATER American White-water aggregates gauge data reported by the USGS and TVA into a table that lists most of the whitewater runs in the state; see americanwhitewater.org/content/River/view/river-index. Entries are color-coded when they are running (or not) according to paddler-specified minimum and maximum flows. In some cases, flows in streams without online gauges are estimated using data from nearby streams that do. Each run has a page where users can find detailed descriptions, photos, and paddler discussions.

SCHEDULED DAM RELEASES The annual recreational-release schedule for the Tallulah River and Tallulah Gorge is available at gastateparks.org/tallulahgorge. Release schedules for the Ocoee River in Tennessee, along with other TVA rivers, are posted at tva.com/environment/recreation/recreation-

release-schedules.

TW’S RIVER RESOURCES This website (twrr.org) consolidates links to many paddling resources, including the ones listed above, on a single page.

MOBILE APPS

The following apps are available for iOS and Android users.

AMERICAN WHITEWATER This app provides paddlers with free and easy access to American Whitewater’s database of whitewater runs in Georgia. Use filters to narrow your search by river difficulty, distance, and runnability conditions.

GEORGIA WATER TRAILS RIVER GUIDE Developed by the Georgia River Network, this resource helps you plan trips on Georgia’s established and developing water trails. The interactive app includes public access locations, amenities, safety information, and cultural- and natural-history points of interest on and near the river.

SWIM GUIDE This app provides free, up-to-date water quality information for rivers, beaches, and lakes throughout Georgia. Ratings are derived from regular streamkeeper testing.

TVA LAKE INFO This app is the easiest way to access dam-release schedules for river sections downstream of TVA dams.

CHECKING BY PHONE

In the Gauge sections following the main river descriptions, phone numbers are sometimes provided in addition to or instead of online sources. In cases where no USGS data is available or a managing agency does not make release schedules available to the public, making a call may be your only means of checking water levels. In some river profiles, we recommend verifying levels with a paddling outfitter; see Appendix B for more information.

VISUAL GAUGES

The river profiles occasionally reference on-site gauges that you can check yourself. Staff gauges, which look like yardsticks, are planted in the streambed; other gauges are attached to or painted on bridge supports. Much of the information in this book regarding typical minimum and maximum runnability levels was calibrated using long-standing visual gauges, many of which were installed by the USGS or local water utilities decades ago. A number of these gauges have since been upgraded with telemetry equipment that transmits flow readings to the internet.

WEATHER INFORMATION

Wind speed, air temperatures, and precipitation create conditions that are favorable or adverse to paddling. The websites listed below provide detailed forecasts throughout the day. Be mindful not only of thunderstorms and strong headwinds but also of intense sunshine and high temperatures, which necessitate bringing extra drinking water and sunscreen. Plan for the best and worst weather possible; also see the section on hypothermia prevention on page 7.

COCORAHS (Community Collaborative Rain, Hail & Snow Network) An interactive map displays actual precipitation measured by a community-based network of volunteers. Visit cocorahs.org.

GEORGIA AUTOMATED ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING NETWORK The website georgiaweather.net provides forecasts, current conditions, and historical climate data.

NOAA For National Weather Service forecasts, visit weather.gov. For rainfall monitoring and predictions, check tinyurl.com/NOAAPrecipitationForecasts and water.weather.gov/precip.

USGS Current precipitation data for Georgia, along with a 180-day rainfall record, is available at tinyurl.com/USGSGeorgiaRainfallData.

OTHER OUTDOOR-RECREATION RESOURCES

GEORGIA DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES (DNR) The website georgiawildlife.com provides information about hunting seasons, boat ramps, and Wildlife Management Areas (WMAs), all managed by the DNR. Check this site for hunting-season dates when your trip involves a visit to one of these public lands. Primitive campsites are allowed in many (but not all) WMAs.

GEORGIA’S NATIONAL LANDS Georgia’s federally managed lands include Chattahoochee–Oconee National Forests, Cohutta Wilderness, Chattooga Wild and Scenic River, Cumberland Island National Seashore, and Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge. Detailed maps of Georgia’s national forests are helpful for distinguishing between public and private lands; get standard and topographic maps at outdoor recreation retailers or online at fs.usda.gov/visit/maps. The US Forest Service also offers a National Forest Explorer app; the Recreation.gov app lets you access campsite information on the go. Both apps are available for iOS and Android devices.

GEORGIA STATE PARKS Check gastateparks.org for details about camping and other amenities provided by the parks.

GOOGLE EARTH A virtual trip down the river can help determine the degree of tree-canopy shading; hurricane damage; and the locations of shoals, swamps, and sandbars, depending on the water level and date of the satellite images. Earthviews (earthviews.com) uses water-level imagery to display features that Google Earth’s aerial photos don’t show.

SUPPLEMENTAL MAPS Georgia county-road maps (dot.ga.gov/ds/maps), USGS topographic maps (store.usgs.gov), individual water-trail maps, and Google Maps were used as source material for the maps contained in this book. County tax assessors’ websites are also useful for identifying who owns the land along a river.

CONSIDERATIONS FOR SWAMP PADDLING

Georgia is graced with many swamps that offer sanctuary for birds, snakes, alligators, mammals, and insects; they also afford exquisite wilderness experiences for skilled paddlers. Swamps tend to remain remote and wild because the terrain makes it costly to build and maintain roads and bridges, or anything else for that matter. Read the river descriptions in this book to identify swampy river sections.

Preparation is key for a pleasant trip. Follow these guidelines for a successful swamp excursion:

HIGH WATER IS ESSENTIAL Paddling in swamps is feasible when the water is sufficiently high. Favorable paddling conditions can be rare, however, and usually occur with peak rainfalls in the spring. A good rule of thumb is that if the top of the riverbank is visible, there isn’t enough water in the stream for trouble-free paddling. (Also keep in mind that bridges are usually built where there is a deeper water channel.) If the riverbank is submerged and the stream is level with vehicle tire tracks at the put-in, that’s a good sign. Cypress knees should be well underwater—if you can see exposed knees from the put-in or take-out, that’s bad news. You don’t want to get stuck in a pinball machine.

KNOW HOW TO PADDLE IN MOVING WATER When water levels are high enough to permit paddling in a swamp, there will be current, and it will be moving through vegetation in spots. You need to know how to control your boat deftly in swift current to avoid getting clotheslined by vines or pushed hazardously into briars, bushes, or heaps of deadfall. Vegetation can also provide high-water cover for wildlife that you’d do well to avoid. All of these risks are easy to avoid if you have the requisite maneuvering skills.

BRING MAPS, A COMPASS, AND/OR A GPS UNIT USGS topo maps, paper or electronic, don’t reliably indicate the locations of water or land in swamps. These maps are generally good for showing the beginning and end of a defined channel, so if you get lost, head for one of those two points.

STAY MINDFUL OF THE CHANNEL Moving waterways have a bubble street, or a collection of bubbles snaking along the surface of the water; this usually indicates the deepest channel where the water is moving fastest. When in doubt, the bubble street tells you which way is downstream and what’s generally the easiest path to get there. Trees leaning toward the normal channel and gaps in the tree canopy also indicate where to find the most unfettered passage.

BRING PLANT CLIPPERS Pruning shears that you can use with one hand will get you out of a jam if the only way forward is through vines and briars.

CONSIDER TRIP LENGTH One mile per hour is a reasonable speed to anticipate for an uneventful, relatively unobstructed trip.

PADDLER SAFETY AND RIGHTS

Skilled paddlers don’t just know how to move their boat around. They also take initiative for minimizing and eliminating risks, and for knowing their rights.

SAFETY

In addition to paddler inexperience, the most common factors that contribute to accidents and deaths on the river are cold water; flood conditions; poor or inappropriate equipment; unfamiliarity with the river; not wearing a personal flotation device (PFD); alcohol intoxication; foot entrapments; and persistent river hazards such as low-head dams, strainers, and hydraulics.

While the consequences of accidents can be deadly, the risks are highly manageable with the right knowledge, attitude, and appropriate gear. Most accidents can be avoided and harm minimized by eliminating key risk factors.

The single best learning tool for mitigating these risks is to read accounts of real accidents that have occurred on real rivers. Two such collections include the American Canoe Association’s (ACA’s) River Safety Anthology (available at Amazon) and American Whitewater’s online accident database (see americanwhitewater.org/content/Accident/view). The stories are compelling—and often grim—but they’re accompanied by pertinent details and analysis that can help you recognize risk factors that you might not otherwise be aware of.

Know the limits of your abilities. Paddlers take a dim view of inexperienced boaters who exceed their competence zone, potentially obligating friends or strangers to put themselves in harm’s way should a mishap occur. Attempting to rescue someone in moving water is risky for everyone involved.

Many paddling clubs offer swiftwater rescue training, which can teach you to spot hazards and avoid accidents before they happen. Appendix A contains a list of local and national paddling clubs in Georgia, many of which conduct safety and rescue training under the auspices of the ACA. Training in basic and wilderness first aid is also a good idea—injuries, when they do occur, tend to happen far from outside help.

Finally, familiarize yourself with the Safety Code of American Whitewater. See tinyurl.com/AmericanWhitewaterSafetyCode and page 418 in the back of this book.

HYPOTHERMIA IS EASY TO EXPERIENCE—AND AVOID

Hypothermia is one of the most common paddling risks; it’s also one of the most easily mitigated. Hypothermia becomes a danger when the sum of air and water temperatures is below 120ºF; when the sum is below 100ºF, your risk of lethal hypothermia is substantially greater. At this point, cold becomes a life-threatening situation requiring continuous attention and management.

In these conditions, experienced paddlers will take a midtrip break on shore to warm up and refuel with food. Failing to do this is highly imprudent—the mental abilities and muscle coordination necessary for paddling are early casualties of hypothermia. Take special note of your companions: hypothermia is difficult to recognize in yourself because it impairs your judgment, so check with your paddling partners about how they’re feeling. If you’re so cold that you can’t warm up, get out of the river and walk around.

Even dry paddlers are at risk of hypothermia on a cold day. Being wet in cold weather, however, drains the body of precious heat at an alarming rate—water conducts heat away from the body 20 times faster than air. You don’t have to be immersed to be wet; a paddler wetted by spray or from waves splashing into an open boat has almost as much risk of hypothermia as a paddler completely immersed after a spill.

Specialized paddling apparel is the best tool for preventing hypothermia. Cold-weather paddlers should bring along an extra set of clothes as well as fire-starting material, food, and warm liquids. Snug-fitting PFDs help insulate you against the cold in addition to keeping you afloat in the water.

The best safeguards against hypothermia are as follows:

wearing proper clothing (fleece, wool, and waterproof outerwear, wet suits, or dry suits)

eating sufficient food to fuel the body’s higher metabolic rate in the cold

drinking water to prevent dehydration

understanding how the body gains, loses, and conserves body heat

immediately addressing the early symptoms of hypothermia

knowing how to treat advanced hypothermia

actively collaborating with companions to be attentive to each other’s condition

If you find yourself having to swim in frigid conditions, try to get out of the water as quickly as possible. If you can’t, conserve your body heat by not moving about unnecessarily, relying upon your PFD to float instead. Muscular activity accelerates heat loss by forcing blood to the extremities where that heat is lost. Swim aggressively, however, when you’re trying to avoid obstacles and when the shore is within easy reach.

The symptoms of hypothermia progress quickly when a paddler gets wet. In an attempt to conserve heat, the body reacts to immersion by reducing blood flow to the arms and legs, making heavy work and coordination difficult. When the body’s temperature drops appreciably below the normal 98.6ºF, sluggishness and shivering set in, breathing becomes difficult, coordination falters (even in the most athletic person), pupils dilate, speech grows slurred, and thinking becomes irrational. Cold water robs victims of their judgment—and eventually the ability and desire to save themselves. Body temperatures below 90ºF lead to unconsciousness, and a further drop to about 87ºF usually results in death.

The key to successfully bringing someone out of hypothermia is understanding that their body must receive heat from an external heat source. Put the victim into dry clothes. Feed him or her warm liquids—but not alcohol, which is a depressant. Build a campfire if possible. Be prepared to persuade the impaired paddler that such actions are necessary.

In more-extreme situations, skin-to-skin transfer of body heat may be the best available method of getting the body’s temperature up. Strip off all clothes and get the victim into a sleeping bag with another unclothed person; don’t let the victim go to sleep. Use mouth-to-mouth resuscitation or external cardiac massage if breathing has stopped, but remember that a person in the grips of hypothermia has a significantly reduced metabolic rate, so the timing of artificial respiration should correspond to the victim’s slowed breathing.

SAFETY AROUND ALLIGATORS

The rivers and streams of Georgia’s Coastal Plain and the southern Piedmont are home to alligators. Their numbers increase the farther south you travel, with particular concentrations southwest of Albany and in the Okefenokee Swamp area, including the Satilla, Suwannee, Canoochee, and St. Marys Rivers.

Generally nonaggressive and retiring in encounters with humans, alligators can nonetheless be unpredictable. Though attacks are exceedingly rare, wildlife experts speculate that they arise from some confusion on the part of the gator about what it is attacking. (That is of little consolation, of course, since confused alligators neither wreak less damage nor appear any more apologetic than unconfused alligators.) The obvious lesson is to preclude confusion. With this in mind, a few simple guidelines should suffice in keeping paddlers safe from encounters with less-than-lucid crocodilians.

Never feed alligators; they have difficulty discerning where the food ends and your hand begins.

Never disturb an alligator’s nest, even if the mother is momentarily absent. Females with nests are fearless in protecting their eggs and often display remarkably aggressive behavior. Alligators are surprisingly fast on land as well as in the water.

Do not swim after dark. Alligators are nocturnal feeders.

Do not clean fish in camp. Alligators are attracted to fish heads and other remains.

Do not leave children unattended.

Leave pets at home.

Avoid startling alligators. If you’re too quiet, you may surprise a napping animal; conversely, being too loud may cause the alligator to see you as a threat.

PADDLERS’ RIGHTS

At the time of this writing, the State of Georgia does not guarantee recreational boaters the right to float. As a result, access to our waterways is always in jeopardy to some degree. How paddlers conduct themselves on or near the river can directly impact future access. It pays to know your rights, be courteous, and set an example of responsible stewardship so that boaters can continue to enjoy the waterways of the state.

YOUR RIGHTS ON THE WATER

Dan MacIntyre, an attorney and paddler who has toiled in service of Georgia canoeists and kayakers for years, summarizes the state’s complicated legal situation regarding river access:

Your legal right of passage down a stream in Georgia [as distinguished from the right of accessing the stream via land, discussed below] is governed by both Georgia and federal law. The most recent interpretations of those two bodies of law in 1997 apply inconsistent rules.

The Georgia law is based upon the 1863 Georgia Code, which defines a navigable stream as one which is capable of transporting boats loaded with freight in the regular course of trade either for the whole of part of the year. In 1997 the Georgia Supreme Court found Ichawaynochaway Creek in Baker County not to be navigable because there was no proof of historical commercial navigation and the stream would not support contemporary commercial barge traffic. Thus, an owner of both streambanks was allowed to deny passage. The Court specifically noted that its ruling was based only on Georgia law, not federal law.

Since 1979 there have been significant developments in the real (as opposed to legal) world. With the leadership of the Georgia River Network, numerous paddle trails have been established. This is legally significant because the Georgia Supreme Court in the Ichawaynochaway case acknowledged that a public easement of passage on a river can be established after 20 years of paddling or other navigation on a river. The reason that easement was not recognized on the Ichawaynochaway was because no governmental body had accepted the easement on behalf of the public. An integral part of the establishment of a paddle trail is for the county or other governmental authority with jurisdiction over the river to accept the public easement. It is this lawyer’s opinion that such acceptance gives the public the right to paddle that river.

In contrast to the Georgia law, the United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia in 1997 held that under federal law the Dog River in Douglas County is navigable and enjoined an owner of both banks from interfering with passage. The Dog River is a much smaller stream than the Ichawaynochaway. Under the Commerce Clause of the US Constitution, the federal law should prevail in case of conflict between state and federal law.

In a nutshell, Georgia’s paddlers aren’t safe from legal problems unless they are in waters capable of supporting contemporary barge traffic. In practical application, however, conflicts are rare and precipitated by personal issues rather than navigability. The best policy, until the law is clarified, is to avoid areas of known conflict. The descriptions in this guidebook include mention of these conflicts.

Other states, Tennessee included, have taken recreational boaters into consideration when modernizing their legal definitions of navigability, explicitly providing paddlers with the right of passage on any stream that can be floated.

YOUR RIGHTS ON LAND

In Georgia, putting in and taking out are allowed at highway rights-of-way, on other publicly owned lands, and on private land with the owner’s OK. When you enter private property without permission, you are trespassing—whether you’re accessing the river, portaging, camping, or just stopping for a lunch break—and the owner has every right to turn you away. If you are approached by a landowner, be respectful, explain why you’re there, and comply if you’re asked to leave.

Such confrontations can generally be avoided if you approach the landowner first and ask for permission to access his or her property. Owners appreciate (and sometimes insist on) the courtesy, so it pays to be proactive. Paddlers often find themselves denied access because they didn’t bother to check, assuming the owners either wouldn’t mind or wouldn’t notice. If they had simply asked, they likely would have gotten permission.

In granting you river access, property owners are extending the same privilege to you that they extend to hunters who stop by their doors and seek permission to shoot doves in their cornfields. Don’t betray this trust; your conduct and courtesy (or lack thereof) can shape a landowner’s opinion of paddlers in general.

Whether on the water or land, practice good stewardship. Always pick up your litter, close any gates you open, and respect planted fields. Be mindful of surrounding homes and businesses when getting in or out of the river or when placing a shuttle vehicle. Be sensitive to activities that may draw notice from others, such as changing clothes, relieving yourself, listening to loud music, or imbibing alcoholic beverages. Often, noisy groups and vehicle traffic at access points do more to give paddlers a bad reputation than their conduct on the water. Take up the slack when you encounter evidence that others have been careless or irresponsible.

Likewise, be considerate of other land users. Don’t run around in the woods during hunting season; no one expects you to be there. If you’re canoe-camping, follow Leave No Trace practices to erase visual reminders of your campsite (including your fire ring) for the next visitor.

PADDLING IN GEORGIA

Georgia is home to a wide variety of paddling experiences: crystalline mountain streams; blackwater rivers meandering over white sands; expansive swamp wildernesses; and 100 miles of coastal marshes. Climate also plays into paddlers’ favor. Georgia receives an average of about 50 inches of rain per year, making it the sixth wettest state in the United States.

SEASONALITY

Georgia’s rivers typically run higher during the winter and lower during the summer. The variation is due primarily to two factors: precipitation and plants. A combination of greater rainfall and winter dormancy typically provides reliable paddling conditions from December through April. Months with less rainfall and thirsty forests—June through October—limit paddling opportunities to larger or dam-fed rivers, although it’s not uncommon for summer and fall storms to create high-flow events. On average, less than half of the water that falls on Georgia finds its way into stream channels.

GEORGIA’S GEOLOGIC REGIONS

Georgia encompasses three distinct geologic regions: the Mountains (including the Cumberland Plateau, Valley and Ridge Region, and Blue Ridge Mountains); the Piedmont; and the Coastal Plain. Geology, topography, and stream-channel development vary significantly from region to region, creating distinctly diverse river ecologies and paddling experiences. A summary of each region’s geologic formation as it relates to the rivers found there follows.

Two tables accompany the discussion of each region:

Source: Author’s analysis of USGS streamflow and NOAA precipitation observations

AIR AND WATER TEMPERATURES The high and low air temperatures are the author’s averages of NOAA climate data recorded by weather stations across the region, based on 30 years of daily temperature observations. Water temperatures are the daily mean values gathered from USGS stream-monitoring stations located within that region, where available.

RAINFALL AND STREAMFLOW The amount of rainfall that translates into streamflow varies by region due to the elevation of the land, ability of the soil to retain water, and the type and density of vegetation. The second graphic illustrates average rainfalls and streamflow by time of year, with streamflows expressed as a percentage of the annual average (which equals 100%).

MOUNTAINS REGION

This region contains two distinct subregions. The Cumberland Plateau, including the Valley and Ridge Region, is found in the northwest corner of the state; the Blue Ridge Mountains span the north-central-to-northeast corner.

Source: Author’s analysis of air temperatures from NOAA and water temperatures from USGS

The Cumberland Plateau and the Valley and Ridge Region

The Cumberland Plateau and the Valley and Ridge Region converge in the northwest corner of the state. The Paleozoic sedimentary rocks of the Cumberland lie almost flat, whereas those of the Valley and Ridge are folded. The latter province, which extends into Tennessee and Alabama, gets its name from the long, parallel valleys separated by ridges that resulted from the erosion of folded rocks.

Erosion works fastest on the limestone that underlies most of the valleys. Not only is the limestone broken up by other rocks carried by moving water, but it is also dissolved by the water itself. This erosive action has carved an extensive network of interconnected subterranean channels and caverns. Through these large openings, the water moves as freely as it would through a city water main. Because the underground channels cover large areas, water that falls as rain in Tennessee may flow underground and emerge in Georgia, or water that falls in Georgia may surface in Alabama. In the Valley and Ridge Region, many streams are sustained during dry weather by the numerous springs that are characteristic of the region.

Both subregions are drained by a network of streams that carry substantial river flow. Those in the northwestern corner of the state drain north into the Tennessee Basin; the remainder drain southwest into the Mobile Basin. The streams generally flow in deep channels that meander through wide floodplains. Where they cut through the ridges in water gaps, they are shallow and swift and have numerous rapids undergirded by jagged limestone rocks. Steep slopes give rise to rapid runoff, and flash flooding is common.

The Blue Ridge Mountains

The Appalachian Mountains of the eastern United States extend southwestward from Maine to the Blue Ridge Mountains of Georgia. The Blue Ridge region contains thousands of acres of forest, mountains, and rivers. The area is neither farmed extensively nor densely populated. The steepness of the topography makes the land more suitable for forest than for farms.

The region is drained by the headwaters of four basins: the Tennessee, Savannah, Chattahoochee, and Coosa. The rivers within the region are small, as are their drainages, but they have the highest flow for their size in the state. Their channels are steep and rocky, and water flows swiftly over an abundance of rapids and falls.

The Blue Ridge region is underlain by rocks that geologists refer to as crystalline, a designation that includes granite, slate, gneiss, and other dense, hard rocks. The mountains are high and steep, their nearly V-shaped valleys covered with luxurious forests and thick soil, which slow down runoff.

The Blue Ridge Mountains are the coolest and wettest part of the state. Average annual rainfall in the region ranges from 55 to more than 80 inches per year, with the greatest amount falling in higher altitudes. The average annual temperature is about 58°F, 10 degrees cooler than in southern Georgia.

PIEDMONT REGION

The Piedmont Region, found directly south of the Mountains Region, is underlain by the same crystalline rocks as the Blue Ridge Mountains but lacks the mountains’ heights. Instead, it is an area of rolling plains broken occasionally by narrow stream valleys and prominent hills. The soil cover in the Piedmont is not as thick or as capable of slowing runoff as that of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Source: Author’s analysis of USGS streamflow and NOAA precipitation observations

The region includes parts of several drainages. The Savannah, Ogeechee, Oconee, and Ocmulgee systems drain into the Atlantic Ocean, while the Flint and Chattahoochee systems drain into the Gulf of Mexico. Throughout most of the region, the main streams flow southeastward, with the general slope of the upland, and cross the underlying rock structure at right angles. This creates shelflike rapids that stretch from bank to bank. In contrast, the Chattahoochee and some streams in the Mobile Basin, in the northwestern part of the Piedmont, tend to parallel the direction of the rock strata. These rivers generally have moderate slopes interrupted by occasional rapids and falls, and, unlike most rivers elsewhere in the Piedmont, they flow in well-defined channels within comparatively narrow valleys.

Ridges between the major drainage systems of the Piedmont are broad and rather sinuous, with the region’s primary cities, highways, industries, railroads, and farmlands concentrated atop them. Towns were first established on the ridges along the old wagon trails and railroads because the ridges were well-drained routes that required few bridges and were free from the danger of floods.

Source: Author’s analysis of air temperatures from NOAA and water temperatures from USGS

Rainfall along the northern Piedmont, the area of highest elevation, averages more than 50 inches annually. To the south and east, the rainfall is less. The Augusta area receives less rain than any other part of the state, a little more than 42 inches annually.

COASTAL PLAIN REGION

The Coastal Plain begins immediately south of the Piedmont at the Fall Line—a discernible geologic break between the hard rock strata of the Piedmont and the more easily eroded rock of the Coastal Plain. This line, which roughly parallels the eastern seaboard, is marked by steep cliffs, rapids, and waterfalls.

Cretaceous sand aquifers, comprising a blanket of sand and gravel, begin at the Fall Line and thicken to the south. Rainfall filters into this sand blanket and recharges the sand aquifer with water. When stream levels are high, water moves from the streams into the sands. When stream levels are low, water feeds back from the sands into the streams.

Streams that cross the Coastal Plain but originate in the Piedmont or in the Blue Ridge transport heavy loads of sediment. The Savannah, Altamaha, Ogeechee, Alabama, and Apalachicola (including the Flint and Chattahoochee) systems carry large sediment loads; such waterways are called alluvial rivers.

The streams that originate in the Coastal Plain generally carry very little sediment. Running over sand and sandy clay, their waters flow clear and sparkling, colored a reddish, tealike hue by tannic acid derived from tree roots and decaying vegetation. Because the reddish water appears glossy and black in direct sunlight, these streams are known as blackwater rivers.

In the southwestern area of the upper Coastal Plain near Albany, limestone-sand aquifers give rise to lime sinks, caves, underground rivers, and artesian wells. These features are formed by the solvent action of water on limestone. When the limestone is dissolved, caverns and interconnected channels are left below the surface. If the cavern roof collapses, sinkholes are created. In low-water periods, sinkholes can consume the entire flow of these southern rivers, creating a dead end for paddlers.

Source: Author’s analysis of USGS streamflow and NOAA precipitation observations

Source: Author’s analysis of air temperatures from NOAA and water temperatures from USGS

The annual rainfall in the Coastal Plain averages 45–52 inches, draining slowly over the flat terrain,. The part that does not sink into the ground quickly evaporates or is consumed by vegetation.

Hydrologists differentiate between streams in the upper Coastal Plain and the lower Coastal Plain. Streams in the upper Coastal Plain have relatively uniform flows and high volume because of minimal storm runoff and large groundwater inflow. The average annual runoff of the larger streams ranges from 12 to 28 inches. These streams are generally sluggish and flow in deep, meandering, low-banked, tree-choked channels bordered by wide, swampy, densely wooded valleys. The smaller streams commonly have very little runoff because the permeable soil absorbs rainwater rapidly and the channels are not entrenched deeply enough to intercept much groundwater flow.

The lower Coastal Plain generally has the least runoff of any part of Georgia, averaging 9–14 inches annually. Streams here wander in wide, swampy, heavily wooded valleys separated by very wide and very low flat ridges. Swamp vegetation consumes large quantities of water and evaporation loss is high.

The Coastal Plain is the warmest region of the state; seasonal temperature averages are shown in the accompanying table.

GEORGIA’S WATER QUALITY

How clean are the state’s waters? As population rises—and with it water usage resulting from development, industry, and demands for drinking water, power generation, and recreation—pollution likewise increases. The ecological health of a waterway affects the quality of a paddler’s experience in several ways, from increased health risks for boaters who take an inadvertent swim to depleted wildlife and vegetation en route.

Because paddlers are an important constituency when it comes to understanding environmental impacts and what’s being done about them, we’ve included a brief primer on pollution, the regulations that protect water quality in Georgia, resources, and where boaters can turn to find out how compromised a particular waterway is.

THREATS TO GEORGIA WATERWAYS

These can be categorized as follows:

population increases that drive commercial and residential development near rivers, thereby reducing the land’s natural ability to filter pollution out of water