Paddlers set out on 112-mile Chattahoochee excursion
Jun. 20—ATLANTA — A group of some 40 paddlers left from Settles Bridge in Gwinnett County on a seven-day, 112-mile journey on the Chattahoochee River to the upper reaches of West Point Lake in Heard County as part of Georgia River Network's Paddle Georgia 2022.
The canoe/kayak journey is organized to highlight Georgia's rivers and raise funds for Georgia River Network's river protection and water trail development projects. The organization chose the Chattahoochee for its annual summertime sojourn to bring attention to the Chattahoochee RiverLands project, an initiative of the Trust for Public Land and other organizations aimed at creating a 100-mile network of parks and trails along the river, including new boat launches and paddle-in campsites.
"Improving recreational access to all of the state's rivers is one of Georgia River Network's primary goals," Rena Peck, Georgia River Network's executive director, said in a news release. "This trip shows the potential for river tourism in the corridor targeted by the RiverLands project."
Participants in this year's Paddle Georgia will travel down river about 16 miles each day and camp along its course each night, feasting on catered meals and learning about the river through visits to sites and facilities along the waterway and nightly educational programs. The group hails from communities across Georgia and from four other states with the furthest participant traveling from Ohio.
The journey includes a river cleanup held in cooperation with Chattahoochee Riverkeeper, and opportunities for participants to become trained as citizen water monitors through the Georgia Department of Natural Resources Adopt-A-Stream program. A team from the program will accompany the group and measure the health of the water during the weeklong journey. In partnership with the Chattahoochee Nature Center, the group also will welcome an Atlanta-based Boy Scout troop for one day of the journey.
Paddlers will camp at Simpsonwood Park in Gwinnett County, the Chattahoochee Nature Center in Roswell, Smyrna's new Riverview Landing Park at the historic Campbellton Masonic Lodge and Painted Rock Farm in Chattahoochee Hills, and at Chattahoochee Bend State Park in Coweta County.
This trip marks the third time that the statewide river advocacy organization has hosted Paddle Georgia on the Chattahoochee. The first-ever Paddle Georgia was held on the Chattahoochee in 2005. Since then, the annual journey has grown into the largest weeklong canoe/kayak camping journey in the country with more than 300 people participating each year. The event was also held on the Chattahoochee in 2014.
The COVID-19 pandemic forced the organization to adopt a small-group format for this year's trip. Since 2005, GRN paddling events have attracted more than 7,000 paddlers, explored thousands of miles of Georgia's rivers and generated more than a half-million dollars for river protection and water trail development projects.
Among the organization's most recent projects is the Georgia River Guide app, a smartphone app providing detailed information about more than 30 water trails around the state. The app can be downloaded for free from the Apple and Google Play app stores.
GRN is a statewide river advocacy organization with the mission of helping everyone enjoy, connect with and advocate for economically vital and clean flowing rivers.
