Paddling on the Chattahoochee River

Paddling the River Overview | How Many Miles Can I Cover?

People looking to spend a day rafting, canoeing, or kayaking fall into three categories:

• Those looking for exercise
• Those looking to leisurely spend a day with family and friends
• Those looking for adventure

Flat, calm water on an uneventful river is for exercise and leisure filled days spent with family and friends; adventure comes from white water rapids. The Chattahoochee River offers plenty of the first two, but not much in the way of adventure. You won’t find people from around the country traveling to Georgia just to “Shoot the Hooch.”

The section of the Chattahoochee River within the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area is “family friendly,” and it is also a good place for those new to kayaking and canoeing to practice their skills, including children. And of course, anyone in the area not wanting to travel, but still wanting to get outdoors and get some exercise will find the Chattahoochee River convenient, which means a lot.

The following are descriptions of river travel from one National Recreation Area watercraft launch site to the next:

Bowmans Island to Settles Bridge (4.5 miles)

• Second best trip on the river
• Great for families with young children
• One Class 2 rapid, the rest small rapids and flat water

Settles Bridge to Abbotts Bridge (8.5 miles)

• Spots of small rapids at the start
• Lots of calm water requiring constant paddling

Abbotts Bridge to Medlock Bridge (4 miles)

• Calm, slow water requires constant paddling
• Popular starting point for raft float trips
• Mansions along the river
• Abundant wildlife

Medlock Bridge to Jones Bridge (3 miles)

• Calm water requires constant paddling
• Jones Bridge ruins
• Abundant wildlife

Jones Bridge to Holcomb Bridge / Garrard Landing (3 miles)

• Section of small rapids to start the trip
• Slow water after the rapids

Holcomb Bridge / Garrard Landing to Island Ford (5 miles)

• Plenty of mansions along the river
• Decent amount of wildlife
• Calm water moves faster than upriver
• Small patch of rapids

Island Ford to Morgan Falls Dam (7 miles)

• Small patch of rapids to start, then calm water
• Travel across Bull Sluice Lake requires constant paddling
• Plenty of inlets and coves with abundant wildlife
• Must portage around the dam to continue further down the river

Morgan Falls Dam to Johnson Ferry (2 miles)

• Short and unexciting
• Plenty of wildlife

Johnson Ferry to Powers Island (4 miles)

• Passes many residential areas
• Small patch of rapids near Powers Island, otherwise calm

Powers Island to Palisades/Paces Mill (2.5 miles)

• Best trip in the Recreation Area
• Plenty of small, Class 1 rapids to spice things up
• Short, so put in a Johnson Ferry or Morgan Falls Dam for a trip worth the effort

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