Picnic area at Sope Creek in the Cochran Shoals Unit of Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area
Sope Creek
The Sope Creek section of Cochran Shoals has a small picnic area comprised of a handful of tables near the parking lot, including one handicap-accessible table on a paved path. There is a grill available, but not one for each picnic table.
Interstate North
Approximately five picnic tables and three grills are located near the parking area at the start of the Fitness Trail. They are lined up along the Fitness Trail, not really in any type of a traditional “picnic area,” so you won’t find family reunions being held here. Why there are grills is beyond me. It would seem strange to be having a cook-out with a stream of people walking and biking by. Modern restroom facilities are next to the parking lot.
Picnic tables along the Fitness Trail in the Cochran Shoals Unit of Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area
Columns Drive
There are no picnic facilities at Columns Drive, though there is a restroom building.
Powers Island
There are a few older (i.e. dilapidated) tables near the former picnic pavilions, but these and the pavilions have been taken over by the Nantahala Outdoor Center for use as a raft rental facility. While you can still sit at the tables and have a picnic, when the rental office is open, there are going to be dozens of people running around getting ready for a rafting trip down the Chattahoochee. There is also a modern restroom facility near the parking lot.
Picnic tables at the Powers Island section of the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area’s Cochran Shoals Unit
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Last updated on July 17, 2026
