Paddle Buford Dam to Abbotts Bridge - Take 2!

We had so much fun, we are doing it again! Please read this entire write up before signing up for the event.  

Come join us on this beautiful, clear, cold and fish filled section of the Chattahoochee River just below Buford Dam for a day trip to Abbott's Bridge Unit of the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area!

This section is the beginning of 48 total miles of paddling that is available with convenient ramps and take-outs on the way to Vinings near Atlanta. The river bottom is visible for most of the paddle and sightings of trout and other fish are common. Turtles, heron, and possibly eagles can be sighted along the way.

We will gather at the Lower Pool West Park on Little Mill Rd, Cumming, at the base of Buford Dam at 9:00 a.m. and drop our boats and gear. All possible vehicles will then be shuttled down to the Abbotts Bridge unit of the CRNRA (entrance is next to The Rock Yard at 4569 Abbott's Bridge Rd, Duluth), and we will ride back up to the Dam and begin our paddle! 

Please be on time, as this shuttle will be just over an hour, round trip, and we want to be on the water as close to 10:00 a.m. as possible.

Some points of interest along this paddle are Bowman's Island, fish weirs, the Buford Trout Hatchery, Rescue Rock Rapid, the Settle's Bridge Unit of the CRNRA, and the the McGinnis Ferry Unit of the CRNRA.

This is a BYOB (bring your own boat) paddle.   See notes below for rental information.

Kayaks and Canoes are welcome. Rubber Rafts, Tubes and any other soft floats are not suitable for this trip, please. Please bring Boat, PFD, and paddle. PFD's must be worn from the Dam put-in to the Highway 20 bridge by requirement of the GA DNR. From that point on, PFD's are strongly urged to be worn due to currents, low water temperatures and strainers.

We will stop for lunch at the Settles Bridge Unit of the CRNRA (approx 5 miles into our paddle). 

There are restroom facilities available at the dam and Abbott's Bridge.  Parking at Abbott's Bridge (take-out) requires a CRNRA parking pass. (CRNRA Daily Park Pass - $3, CRNRA Annual Park Pass - $35.)  Parking for shuttle vehicles returning to the dam is $5.

There is one, Class-II rapid on this trip, and therefore it is not suitable for begginers. This is a 14 mile paddle, which requires paddling skills and the ability to read the river.  Be prepared for a beautiful and long day of paddling.   If we have not paddled with you before, we will be reaching out to you to assess your ability.

Take-Out map: http://www.n-georgia.com/pdf/nps-abbots-bridge- map.pdf  
Chattahoochee map: htt p://www.nps.gov/chat/planyourvisit/upload/CHATParkMap.pdf

Thanks to Bobbie Marie for allowing us to borrow parts of his original write-up.

Put-in coordinates:

34.158151, -84.077457

Take-out coordinates:

34.024472, -84.171822

Information on boat rentals:

(This is a generic list and all rental providers may not provide service for this section of the river.)

http://www.garivers.org/paddle_georgia/pgrentals.html

http://www.garivers.org/gwtc/plan-your-
adventure/outfitters.html

http://www.highcountryoutfitters.com/

http://www.gowiththeflow.com/productcart/pc/viewContent.asp?
idpage=3

http://www.shootthehooch.com/

http://kayakguyatlanta.com/

https://noc.com/plan-your-trip/chattahoochee-
river

http://wildwoodoutfitters.com/