Welander Suzanne - A Canoeing and Kayaking Guide to Georgia

Once there was a legend that told of a river that went to hear a fountain sing. The song was so beautiful that the river decided to sing it to the ocean. All the way to the shores of the ocean the river sang. Soon, the mountains heard of the song that the river was singing and came from all over the land to listen. And because the song was so beautiful the mountains settled down and stayed to listen forever.

Algonquin Indian Legend

Canoeing & Kayaking Georgia

Copyright 2004 by Suzanne Welander, Bob Sehlinger, and Don Otey

All rights reserved

Portions of this book originally appeared in A Paddlers Guide to Northern Georgia and A Paddlers Guide to Southern Georgia

Published by Menasha Ridge Press

Distributed by Publishers Group West

Printed in the United States of America

First edition, third printing, 2010

Library of Congress cataloging-in-publication data

Welander, Suzanne

A Canoeing and Kayaking Guide to Georgia/by Suzanne

Welander, Bob Sehlinger, and Don Otey

p.cm.

ISBN 978-0-89732-558-5

1. Canoes and canoeingGeorgiaGuidebooks. 2. KayakingGeorgiaGuidebooks. 3. GeorgiaGuidebooks. I. Sehlinger, Bob, 1945II. Otey, Don. III. Title.

GV776.G4W45 2004

797.12209758dc22

2003071016

Cover photo 2003 by Suzanne Welander

Interior photos as noted

Cover design by Alian Design

Text design by Ann Marie Healy

Menasha Ridge Press

P.O. Box 43673

Birmingham, Alabama 35243

www.menasharidge.com

DISCLAIMER

While every effort has been made to insure the accuracy of this guidebook, river and road conditions can change greatly from year to year. This book is intended as a general guide. Whitewater paddling is an assumed-risk sport. The decision to run a river can only be made after an on-the-spot inspection, and a run should not be attempted without proper equipment and safety precautions. The author and publisher of Canoeing Kayaking Georgia are not responsible for any personal or property damage that may result from your activities. By using any part of this guide, you recognize and assume all risks and acknowledge that you are responsible for your own actions.

River-Locator Map Key

Tidal and Smoothwater

Class I

Mild (or Portagable) Whitewater

64 Withlacochee River

Moderate Whitewater

Class III+ Creeks and Class IVIV+ Rivers

Class V Rivers and Creeks

Using the River-Locator Map

Use the preceding locator map to find rivers within your paddling expertise located near your geographic region. Following the map is a key that groups Georgias rivers in six difficulty categories:

• Tidal and Smoothwater rivers that present no significant obstacles.

• Class I rivers, some with fast current and/or a rare Class I shoal. May contain dams that require portaging.

• Mild (or Portagable) Whitewater of Class I and II with a general demeanor of smoothwater or Class I rapids but with more difficult Class IIIV rapids interspersed at wide intervals. The more difficult drops can either be portaged by novice paddlers or, depending on road access, can present park-and-play opportunities for those wishing to avoid the intervening flatwater.

• Moderate Whitewater that presents a more consistent whitewater experience with a difficulty level of Class II or Class III. May contain a more significant rapid with a higher difficulty rating that can usually be portaged.

• Class III+ Creeks and Class IVIV+ Rivers, includng some with continuous whitewater and some with a drop-and-pool character. Portaging the larger drops is generally possible, though it can be difficult. On steep creeks portaging the more difficult rapids is challenging to impossible.

• Class V Rivers and Creeks, many in extremely remote settings where rescue would be difficult.

Rivers are listed alphabetically within each category. The numbers on the map correspond to the category lists. Note that some rivers are listed in more than one category. In such cases, river divisions are delineated in detail within the text. Some waterways, particularly longer river sections, display a greater variety of difficulty than can be represented here; read the full description of the river section to tailor your trip to your skill level. The page number for each description is shown alongside each rivers name. Remember that rivers are grouped based on their characteristic under ideal conditions, and high water levels may greatly increase risk. See to gain a deeper understanding the difficulty classes and the skills required to paddle each.