Shooting the Hooch in Georgia

Cheré Dastugue Coen
Jul 12
6 min read

The Chattahoochee River runs from the Georgia mountains all the way to Florida and offers lots of opportunities for cool fun along the way.

**The Chattahoochee River at Roswell, just north of Atlanta.**

It was one of those summer days when the heat index slipped into the triple digits and all I wanted to do was remain indoors sucking on a cool drink. But the Hooch beckoned. We had signed up for a whitewater raft trip down the Chattahoochee River through Columbus, Ga., and the idea of that cool water—released from the depths of a nearby dam—gave us hope for a respite from the heat.

We weren't disappointed. The air felt cooler on the water, somehow, and all it took was a few rapids to douse us with river water and suddenly we forgot all about the heat.

A Long and Marvelous Waterway

The Chattahoochee River begins its arduous 430-mile journey in Union County of northwestern Georgia, traveling through the Atlanta area and its suburbs, then south to form a natural border with Alabama. When it reaches the Florida Panhandle, it merges with the Flint River to form the Apalachicola and empties into the Gulf of Mexico. Along the way, the Chattahoochee crosses the Appalachian Trail, flows into dammed sections that form massive Georgian lakes that provide electricity and enhances two Georgia state parks and a national recreation area.

The river provides numerous opportunities for recreation, from hiking trails, biking along river boardwalks and “shooting the Hooch,” or paddling and tubing down its slow-moving waters. Some sections, as in Columbus, dam-released waters from the Chattahoochee create some of the best whitewater rafting in the nation.

Around the Atlanta area, the river attracts numerous visitors to the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area. In 2021, it was the 16th most visited unit of the National Park Service, attracting more visitors than the Grand Canyon, according to Ann Honius, park superintendent.

“We had more than 3 million visitors,” she said.

The river has long been in the hearts of Central Georgians. When development threatened the river’s preservation in the 1970s, a group known as the River Rats, along with the Atlanta Junior League, fought for the park’s establishment, Honius explained. Congress agreed and the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area was signed into being in 1978 by then President Jimmy Carter, a longtime park proponent.

“It’s a great story and it happens in the United States when there is a lot of attention to urban parks preservation,” Honius said of the park’s creation. “It shows what a great amenity the Atlanta area has.”

The River’s Beginnings in the North Georgia Mountains

To view the river’s origins, start in northeastern Georgia. A smaller Chattahoochee River may be enjoyed along the Hardman Heritage Trail, a one-mile ADA-accessible trail that follows the river near its headwaters in the Georgia Mountains to the city of Helen. The trail includes the Hardman Farm with its historic buildings, interpretive panels that explain native plants and animals, and the Sautee Nacoochee Indian Mound. Parking is located at both ends of the trail, which is open during daylight hours.

Visitors flock to the mountain hamlet of Helen in summer to tube the slow-moving river.

Don Carter State Park

The Chattahoochee pauses at Gainesville where the river has been dammed to create the 38,000-acre Lake Lanier. Don Carter is the only state park on the lake, located at the north end of the reservoir. In addition to lake and river access on the state park’s beach and boat ramp, visitors may enjoy hiking trails through a hardwood forest and camping in cabins and within campgrounds.

Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area

There are 48 miles of land associated with the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area (CRNRA), with river access through 15 units from its northern Bowmans Island Unit near Buford Dam at Lake Lanier to Paces Mill and East Palisades inside the Atlanta Perimeter. Within these units are 64 miles of hiking trails and river access for paddling, tubing and fishing. Naturally, since the park lies within close proximity to Atlanta and its suburbs, the river and trails are heavily utilized.

“Cochron Shoals and Palisades are the most popular,” Honius said. “Vickery Creek near Roswell has skyrocketed since the start of the pandemic. So has Gold Branch south of Roswell.”

Nantahala Outdoor Center (NOC) runs Chattahoochee outposts in Roswell and Sandy Springs, renting tubes, canoes, kayaks, paddleboards and bikes, depending on the season.

Since the river attracts paddlers and hikers in warmer seasons, the best time to enjoy the park’s trails without crowds is during cold-weather months, Honius added.

Chattahoochee Nature Center

There are 127 acres to explore around the Chattahoochee Nature Center, which fronts the river in Roswell. Visitors of all ages may explore the grounds and learn about the riverside’s flora and fauna and wildlife and view both resident and migratory birds. Inside the center on the ground floor are exhibits that explain the natural attributes of the Chattahoochee and other Georgia rivers and the importance of river and watershed preservation. The Center hosts revolving exhibits and presents programming throughout the year.

Municipal Parks

Several municipal parks line the Chattahoochee as it makes it way south. Morgan Falls Overlook Park in Sandy Springs features 30 acres with an innovative playground, hiking trails and canoe launch overlooking a dammed section of the river. Canoe rentals are available in summer. For those who just want to enjoy the scene, swings are available along a bluff. The City of Roswell created a 9-mile Chattahoochee Riverwalk that juggles between paved roadway and boardwalk, perfect for walkers, bikers and children in strollers. There are numerous put-in sites for those with watercraft, and the Nantahala Outdoor Center rents tubes, kayaks and paddleboards.

Chattahoochee Bend State Park

This large riverside park south of Atlanta, in a bend of the Chattahoochee in northwest Coweta County, allows visitors access to the river for boating and fishing, but also six miles of wooded hiking trails. Camping option for the park include RVs and tent camping on riverfront platform sites.

Columbus

The big question when visiting Columbus, with its downtown fronting the Chattahoochee, is whether to fly across the river by zipline or get in the water in a guided rafting experience (we didn't bother debating; we did both!). Whitewater Express offers both attractions, plus a variety of rentals from standup paddles to bikes, so it’s easy to spend a day on the river. For those less adventurous, the Chattahoochee RiverWalk features river views through downtown along its miles of established trail from north of downtown all the way to Fort Benning (Fort Moore).

The zipline is a unique experience, a 1,200-foot leisurely ride across the Chattahoochee into Alabama on the other side, where a treetop canopy tour exists. Riders can choose between tackling the canopy adventures or travel one more zipline to another tower and then sail back to Georgia. One nice aspect of this zipline tour is no experience or personal exertion is required, simple hang back and sail. The guides will catch you on the other side.

Whitewater rafting runs the gamut in Columbus, thanks to a dammed section of the river north of town. USA Today picked the Chattahoochee Whitewater Park as one of the Top 12 Man-Made Adventures in the World and Whitewater Express outfitters get folks on the water year-round and in a variety of ways, from easy rides in the morning and afternoons to a more adrenaline ride in late afternoon when dam-released waters are flowing stronger.

**The Chattahoochee River at Columbus. Credit: Visit Columbus.**

Shooting the Hooch

There are many ways to “Shoot the Hooch,” as locals like to call boating on the Chattahoochee. For those with their own paddlecraft — kayaks, canoes and paddleboards, — getting on the water means locating a put-in site with adequate boat launch, then arranging for pick-up at the end of the route.

For those who need rentals, the Nantahala Outdoor Center rents a variety of options at its outfitting locations in Roswell and at Powers Island at Sandy Springs. The Roswell location at Don White Memorial Park provides for adequate parking when the crowds turn out in deep summer. River water remains fairly chilly even in August but tubing along the Hooch is refreshing, slow-moving and perfect for a hot summer day. For those who want more of a workout, kayaks, canoes and paddleboards are the ticket, and participants may paddle upriver and back to the outfitter or downriver to the put-out spot at Roswell’s Azalea Park.

High Country Outfitters both rents kayaks and paddleboards at its post at Morgan Falls in Sandy Springs. The river is dammed at Morgan Falls so the paddle consists more of a lake experience.

Weird, Wacky & Wild South is written by travel writer Cheré Dastugue Coen who heads out the door when her sister calls and asks if she wants to go kayaking. She loves shooting the Hooch.