Canoeing & Kayaking Georgia

by Suzanne Welander, Bob Sehlinger

Overview

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

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781634043373
Publisher:	Menasha Ridge Press
Publication date:	06/14/2022
Series:	Canoe and Kayak Series
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	44 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

Author Suzanne Welander canoes Georgia’s rivers—from swamps to mountain whitewater. In addition to Georgia, her adventures include multi-day, self-supported canoeing trips in Alaska, Montana, Canada, Arizona, and more than 100 laps on Tennessee’s Ocoee River. She writes about wilderness, food, and farmsteads from her home in Atlanta that she shares with her husband, their son, a flock of chickens... and an ever-growing fleet of canoes.

Veteran paddler Bob Sehlinger has led canoeing trips throughout eastern North America and is the former president of the Eastern Professional River Outfitters Association. He is the creator of the Unofficial Guide travel series and a recipient of the Lowell Thomas Gold Award for journalistic excellence. Founder and publisher of Menasha Ridge Press, Sehlinger lives in Birmingham, Alabama, where he enjoys mountain biking and playing the drums.

Read an Excerpt

Spring Creek

Overview Exotic and beautiful, lovely Spring Creek is the southernmost tributary of the Flint River, tucked into the southwestern corner of the state. The creek’s waters are largely stream fed, in contrast to the other Coastal Plain streams. Spanish moss graces the large cypress trees that tower over (and in) the stream’s corridor; banks rise high from the stream, thereby eliminating much of the usual wet floodplain flora. Planer trees, pines, and hardwood forests surround the water. Limestone outcroppings add to the wilderness beauty of the partially shaded stream, and small shoals and rocky shallows enliven the paddling.

Maps Colquitt, Boykin, Bronson, Desser, Reynoldsville (USGS); Miller, Decatur (County)

US 27 to Smith Landing

• Class I (+)
• Length 27.9 mi
• Time 3 days
• Gauge Web
• Level 125 cfs
• Gradient 1.8 fpm

Description With headwaters in Clay and Calhoun Counties, the creek flows directly south into the Flint River at Lake Seminole. The highest access listed here is US 27 in Miller County.

At a high-water run of 4,500 cfs, the uppermost 9.6-mile stretch of the river proves a hospitable swamp paddle trip. The creek feels quite private. Signs of seasonal recreation—a hammock, gazebo, deck—intrude briefly on the solitude, and in any case aren’t occupied when the water is high. Even with the creek out of its banks, the channel is easily discerned and largely unobstructed.

The stream threads through flooded forests and broader segments where the braided channels join as one. Approaching Whites Bridge Road (B), the flooded creek spreads through the trees to the west, transitioning into pastureland. Access at this point has reportedly been challenged by the nearby cattle rancher; watch for a wire fence across the stream channel upstream of the bridge at Whites Bridge Road.

When high water subsides following the spring rains, the water in the upper sections is crystal clear and reveals a beautiful array of underwater plant life, spring “boils,” and a bottom that is often solid limestone, sometimes pitted by erosion with jagged cutting edges. Fish and mollusks are plentiful and can be observed from a canoe.

The stream is intimate and diminutive until the lake pool is encountered near the Seaboard Coast Line rail crossing. From here the run remains interesting as the creek slowly widens to become the Lake Seminole Waterfowl Management Area. Except in the spring and in the lake pool of Lake Seminole, the water is too shallow for powerboat traffic but is perfect for paddle craft. Its level of difficulty is Class I (+), with numerous deadfalls being the primary hazard to navigation.

Shuttle From nearby Bainbridge, take GA 253 West toward Lake Seminole. Before reaching the lake, turn right onto GA 310, then left onto Smith Landing Road. The creek access (E) is at the end of the road. For upstream access, return to GA 310 and turn left. All other access points can be reached from this road, including US 84, Lane Bridge Road, CR 190, and US 27 (the northernmost put-in). Access is easy at all points and becomes progressively more developed proceeding downriver.

Gauge The USGS website lists data for Spring Creek at Lane Bridge Road near Iron City. Runnable levels commence at 125 cfs. Spring Creek is usually runnable upstream of US 84 November–June and all year below US 84.

GPS Coordinates

• A: N31° 10.263' W84° 44.56'
• B: N31° 4.776' W84° 42.904'
• C: N31° 2.419' W84° 44.355'
• D: N30° 58.512' W84° 44.738'
• E: N30° 53.706' W84° 45.014'

Table of Contents

River-Locator Map

Map Legend

Using the River-Locator Map

Acknowledgments

Recommended Runs

Introduction

Part One: The Savannah River Watershed

Part Two: The Tennessee Watershed

Part Three: The Coosa River Watershed

Part Four: The Chattahoochee River Watershed

Part Five: The Flint River Watershed

Part Six: The Altamaha River Watershed

Part Seven: Other Streams to the Atlantic Ocean

Part Eight: Other Streams to the Gulf of Mexico

Appendix A: Paddling Organizations

Appendix B: River Outfitters

Safety Code of American Whitewater

Glossary

Index

About the Author

Editorial Reviews

The Menasha Ridge Press 60 Hikes Within 60 Miles series destroys the myth that urban hikers are unfortunate creatures. Each volume of this paperback series delineates scores of trails and rambles within easy reach of the featured city. In this volume, veteran author Steve Henry maps 60 hiking routes nearby the Gateway City, St. Louis.