This is one of the most highly requested sections you will find on the Etowah River. It is the section that is called “the tunnel section” and it is also one of the most elusive trips lately with water flow levels. The tunnel can be safely run at levels between 135-320 cubic feet per second. This range with river fluctuations makes it tough to find a day to run the tunnel. Plus you also need to mindful of possible blockages. But all that said, it is tons of fun and a “must do” for all adventurous paddlers. You won’t find a more unique paddle in this area. 

Spring is the best time when levels are a bit higher. The tunnel is obviously the main attraction…a 1/3 mile mining tunnel that is large enough for only a kayak or canoe. This tunnel was built over 100 year ago to divert the flow of the river to dredge for gold. It meets to main river channel after it flows through the mountain.

Many outfitters don’t allow paddlers on this section because of tunnel dangers. I have done it many times now and haven’t had any troubles.  But it must be done with caution. 

Even though the tunnel is the “main entrée” for this trip, there are some really fun shoals and lots of scenery along the way. There are several shoals that do require a sufficient flow of water to navigate. I prefer for it to be over 125cfs to not beat your kayak too bad. 

Right from the start you have a tricky rapid that requires some agile paddling so as to not get caught in the low hanging strainer. Its fairly easy for those who have paddled before, but has been a cause for capsizing for beginners. 

There are some fairly easy but exciting class I rapids throughout the first 4 miles of this section. The river twists and turns and the scenery is some of the best. There are plenty of homesteads along the river so its best to obey signs and not stop on private property…even where takeout look appealing. 

The tunnel will be around mile 4-5 and will be on your river left. You can recognize it because there is an island that eddies the water just below the entrance of the tunnel. At this point you have a decision. Do you plunge in to the dark abyss or take the normal channel of the river? 

The tunnel channel normally has a fallen tree about 100 feet before you enter the tunnel. It is easy to hop over it and continue into darkness. But I like to look into the tunnel and make sure you can see the light at the end of it. If you can’t see light…DO NOT GO IN!

I haven’t seen it where it was blocked on the inside. But its still best to look anyway. Remember the cubic feet per second should be 135-320. You can find this reading on the American Whitewater website. 

But if all pre-checks are good. Have fun! The tunnel should be done with a helmet. Headlamps are also recommended. The brighter the light, the better. Its dark inside and even though I’ve done without headlamps in the past, it is better to see the Class II rapids near the middle of the tunnel. It is tricky in the dark, and this is where most of the capsizing happens. Plus the current pulls you into the right side wall here. 

After you make it through the rapids it becomes calm and you can look around the tunnel. A couple hundred yards from the exit, you can look up and see a vent. It is about the size of a manhole cover. Look up at the right spot and you’ll see blue sky. 

The exit of the tunnel is sometimes tricky. It narrows drastically and you have to bring your paddle in tight to avoid scraping the walls. The exit is really fast moving water so enjoy the ride! You get shot out of the tunnel with speed into an eddy pool that has a rope swing. 

I have heard of kayakers grabbing this rope and pulling off an Indiana Jones like exit from their kayak onto the rope. I have not yet pulled that off successfully, but will be sure to try my best on upcoming trips. 

The river after the tunnel meets with the main channel. From here on there has been a few fallen trees to contend with, but nothing that is too difficult. Enjoy the scenery the next 3-4 miles. It is pretty and there is a bamboo forest near an old mill. This mill was once known as Jenkins Mill and the community of Landrum. It also makes a good place to stretch legs and enjoy the scenery. 

The takeout is off of GA 136 in Dawsonville. For some reason, they never put a boat ramp here. You literally take out under the bridge in the sandy right bank. It’s a little walk to get to the “parking” spot along HWY 136. So be prepared to carry kayaks for about 50 yards. Its a pain, but this prevents this section of the river from being overcrowded with paddlers. 

Congratulations! You have completed the “tunnel section” of the wild and wonderful Etowah River. It’s one of the best and provides great stories to tell. Cheers!

This park is great for some recreational paddling. It is the water above Morgan Falls Dam so its like a lake and shallow too.  Its still the Chattahoochee River but they call this section Bull Sluice Lake. Here you will see lots of fishermen and paddle boarders. There are plenty of inlets to paddle into and see wildlife. Geese, deer, beavers, herons, and muskrats are everywhere here. 

Bulls Sluice lake is a must see if you haven’t been there and the best way to see it is from a kayak.  Its all flat water so it’s very safe for beginners but will provide plenty of scenery.

This location is good if you just want to drop in and paddle around for a few hours. Since it is a pretty large “lake”, you get plenty of places to navigate. There is open water kayaking, there are islands with shallow marshlands, and there are some large coves that provide good protection from the afternoon sun.

We had terrific new guests Jodie, Bruce, Andrew, Liv (2 years old) and Nate and they all handled their kayaks like pros.  They arrived early enough to see the morning fog and escape the afternoon sun. This section can be extremely hot in the summer, so plan accordingly. 

The scenery at Morgan Falls Overlook Park (Bull Sluice Lake) is amazing. The wildlife is always out there. We saw beaver and happened to jump a few whitetail deer while navigating some of the small inland cut throughs. If you want to kayak here you should navigate through the islands. Its like kayaking through the Amazon but you don’t have to worry about all the jungle snakes.

In all, this place is the best for beginners.  I would definitely recommend this park if you feel a bit nervous about kayaking your first time.  But its also a very scenic park that offers tons to see and do for all skill levels.  Let us know if you want to check Morgan Falls park and we’ll provide the kayaks.

Thanks again to the crew and cheers from Kayak Guy Atlanta. If you want to join us for a trip like this, call (678-920-3944) or email (Scott@KayakGuyAtlanta.com).

This amazing trip took place in the scenic mountains of Blue Ridge, GA on the clear waters of the Toccoa River. The total distance of the trip was around 9 miles and takes close to 3 hours paddling. The perfect amount of time and distance…long enough to really enjoy and make it worth your time, but not so long that your butt goes numb from sitting in a kayak.

It has officially become one of the great paddles in Georgia. At least for me.  I know it may a bit of a drive outside of Atlanta (1.5hrs) but it is well worth it if you have a full day to spend in the beautiful mountains of Blue Ridge.

The Toccoa River in this section is friendly to nearly all paddlers. It does have a few Class I+ rapids but overall very safe. We typically put in along the roadside above the Van Zandt Bridge.  There isn’t a lot of parking, but that works well because it keeps out the major rentals companies. So where we put in it is practically free of other kayakers and tubers.

The put-in launch location is in a calm pool just above some exciting small rapids. There is a string shoals that make sure to keep you interested and focused on the paddle. The water is shallow here so it will test your skills in navigating the river without getting hung up on the rocks. Maybe 20 minutes into your paddle we pass under the Van Zandt bridge off of Newport Road.

Here the scenery is farmland and there is a good chance you may be joined on the river by some cows getting their morning drink. It makes for a fun photo moment. The farmland continues for a while with a good section of calm and a chance to relax a bit and chat with folks.

Soon after the farmland you will see some of my favorite scenery on the trip. As you look downstream you can see the beautiful Chattahoochee National Forest in the background. I love it and make sure to get a shot of the amazing mountains and river.

This is where you start to plunge into the National Forest lands and it is gorgeous. The river banks are covered with Hemlocks and Mountain Laurel. The river speeds up here again, making you once again focus on the river with a couple of small rapids. 

About 4 miles into your trip you reach a place called Sandy Bottom Canoe and Boat launch. (See pic below) This is an idea spot to stop for lunch and take a swim in the river. It has plenty of shallow, calm water to pull your kayak up from the river. There is even some primitive campsites here. I have stayed overnight here and it is very nice and peaceful. There is a bathroom here too, which is a great strategic location after about 4-5 miles on the river paddling.

If you are a fisherman, this area is actually one of the very popular fly-fishing areas. The trout are abundant here…so I’ve been told. I love to fish, but I never have yet on the Toccoa River. But soon I will drop a line.

After you launch out from the Sandy Bottom campsite, the beautiful scenery continues. Laurel and hemlock are everywhere. About one mile downstream from Sandy Bottom you meet the largest rapid on the entire trip. It sounds worse than it really is, be sure to stay left of the island. There is a good drop in from the left side and it is an exciting set of rapids to challenge you a bit.

After this rapids you paddle under the Shallowford Bridge where there are some tube rentals that dot the shores. I love the bridge, its single lane with wood 2×4 planks to drive over. At dark they light up the bridge…its a pretty cool site. After you paddle around the bend below the bridge you will see a dock on the left. This is the nearly world famous Toccoa Riverside Restaurant. There is a place at the dock where you could tie up your kayaks and grab a bite.

Typically, we save the restaurant for after our kayak paddle, but I do like the food that they serve. From this point you have a very scenic 2 miles of cabin rentals placed on the water. The water stays fast until the end point but there really no rapids of interest. I always like to end our journey at a place called by the locals as “party rock”. This is a very tricky Class 3 rapids. We pull the kayaks out above this rapids. But if there are some confident paddlers I always leave the option to shoot this rapids. We only have a 20% success rate at getting through them. But hey what is the fun in staying dry all the time.

Party Rock is a great place to be humbled. It doesn’t look like a big rapid (and it isn’t) but its a very tricky rapid that requires perfect placement in the water. This area normally has a lot of people because it is so close to the road near the Toccoa Riverside Restaurant.

So there you have it. The one of the most exciting and scenic kayak paddles in all of Georgia. That is, of course, according to me. If you know better I am open to suggestions. If you’d like to make the trip with me sometime and feel you are up for it…..let me know. Drop an email (Scott@KayakGuyAtlanta.com) or call me. 

Scott (678)920-3944 (call/text)

Yes this was the third trip on the Etowah River in Dawsonville, GA. But man, they just seem to get better. This trip took place on a cool November 1st morning. It was chilly but we had 7 brave kayakers not afraid of a little cool weather. One so brave he decided it would be a good idea to go in the very cold water.

We started out at 10AM at the Hwy 9 bridge. Although it wasn’t the height of the leaf fall like I promised…..it was still very scenic. Minus the gunshots of the shooting range in the distance, it was one of the more peaceful tours we took. There were even two whitetail buck that we spooked along the river bank…..it looked like they came to the Etowah River for a drink and instead came across some insane kayakers.  Unfortunately, they were too fast for us to pull out our cameras and get a picture of them.

This picture to the left gives you an idea of how scenic this trip really is.  The reflection was amazing on this morning and the colors where still vibrant.

And like we normally do… at the halfway point, the crew stopped to stretch legs and hike the Bearfoot Falls.  This time we really did hike all the way to the top.  This time we found a trail that led us all the way to the top of the falls. Pretty cool I must say.

We grabbed a bite there and within 45 minutes we were back on the river. Just below that point there is the small rapids that sounds like Niagra Falls from a distance but are really pretty calm when you go through it. My wife and I had a giant 2 person sea kayak for this trip, so we dragged our way through the rapids. The others were much more graceful getting through without a single issue at all.

The only issue came when kayaker Harry decided he didn’t want to pay attention to the tree that was sprawled across the river on the right. Well most times its not the rapids that flip kayakers, its the strainers….aka trees. We this tree branch did a good job of toppling him. But he did a textbook exit from the kayak. He grabbed the tree and hung on with a terrific grip. The kayak going down stream without him.

Amazing, even though he was hanging from a limb (literally), he still had a calm, cool demeanor.  That’s a lot considering the water was very darn cold. I told him I wasn’t jumping in the cold water to save him, so he should just grab the back of our boat. (picture included below) It makes for a good picture…..sorry Harry.

The funniest part was his wife was laughing and the others were taking pictures of us. Terrible…haha. But we retrieved the kayak and emptied the water (pics also below). Luckily we were near the finish of our trip so Harry didn’t have to freeze in wet clothes for too long.

This trip was awesome. Everyone was lots of fun and I hope you all come out again.  Julie, Michelle, Cheryl, Kristi, Ang, Eric and Harry you guys rocked! Thanks a bunch.

Kristi and Eric

Yes that is a man on the back of the kayak.

Ducks in a row!

Taking selfies and laughing at the drama.

emptying water!

Cheryl near the cliff!

Scenic Etowah

It was an honor to have Boy Scout Troop 942 out of Peachtree Corners join us.  They set out early morning on the date September 21, 2013. The rented my entire fleet of kayaks.  I give them credit since the weather called for heavy rains and cool temps.  But when it comes to kayaking, a little rain can’t stop them. After all they are Boy Scouts…. and they are tough young dudes.

They were total professionals, both scouts and scout leaders, and I never heard a complaint or negative word. They arrived on time and helped out with off-loading the boats and gear.  I did not kayak with them but they were in good hands with their scout leaders. I could tell they were well trained in paddling because they all handled the boats with ease.

Their trip was from Medlock Bridge Park (hwy 141) to Garrard Landing (Holcomb Bridge) which is around 6 miles.  Maybe they tried to beat the rain, but they covered 6 miles in fast times. They even were nice enough to give a “paddle by” while I took a video. The video is posted below. By the time they arrived at Garrard Landing the rain started at a steady downpour. I normally don’t like the rain all that much, but watching them having so much fun inspired me. It reminded me of my youth and I realized how many great times I had on the rivers.

So thank you Scout Troop 942, you all were great! It would be great to have you back anytime.  These guys will grow up to be great leaders in both business and family. And to quote the scout motto “keep yourself physically strong, mentally awake, and morally straight”. Cheers!

Island cut through

I just wanted to thank the great crew that joined Kayak Guy Atlanta on this tour. We had a great adventure and lots of fun. The trip started at Island Ford Park in North Sandy Springs at the National Parks HQ. We ended at Morgan Falls Overlook Park. It was a total of 7-8 miles and took us around 4 hours.

The tour started with the shoals of Island Ford which can be a bit tricky to navigate.  It didn’t make it any easier when we seemed to take the “wrong” route.  If you paddle much on the Chattahoochee River you know the water levels are always changing.  Well on this day it must have been a bit lower than normal.  We reached the island and had the choice of going right or left.  I chose the right side because I listened to a fisherman say “go that way” its your easiest route.

Unfortunately, I listened to him and went right of Island Ford. ……. bad choice. We hit waters about 3 inches deep and trees in our path. But to the credit of our group, they were adventurous and thanked me later for an interesting route.  I think we all enjoyed the “wrong” route and joked it felt like the amazing race on the river. Either way we got through the low waters laughing all the way, me a bit more sheepish for leading my guests into shallow waters.

But like I said, they were an awesome crew and we got back into deeper waters below the island and continued on with our adventure. The rest of the way was a lot of calm waters so we all relaxed and had a blast.  I even met my brother from another mother……(his name was the same as my brother’s) He was a first time kayaker with us and I hope he can come back and join us again.  The rest of the crew kayaked with me before so I guess I’m not a bad guide if they came back for more.

We made a brief stop at Chattahoochee River Park for restrooms and food. After that it was another 4 miles to Morgan Falls Overlook Park.  It was a great day to kayak with temps in the 70’s approaching 80 near the end.  I think we all feel our muscles are a bit bigger after this trip. It was an endurance test and they all passed.

Thanks again to the crew and cheers from Kayak Guy Atlanta. If you want to join us for a trip like this, call (678-920-3944) or email (Scott@KayakGuyAtlanta.com).

Crossing under the GA 400 bridge

Jason and Nate

Liz and Karen

This tour took place on Sunday June 23rd in the early morning around 8AM.

It was just a fun kayak tour with some new faces.  This trip reminded me why I started this small business.  Our kayakers were just a pleasure to be around and they all seemed genuinely happy to be on the river.  They were so fun, we even invited them to our BBQ at our house after the tour.  I guess you make fast friends on the river.

This was my first tour of all women.  So this should be a wake up call (literally) for the guys out there.  Come on guys,  get out of that bar, so you can enjoy kayaking on the water with the good ladies.

We started this trip at Garrard Landing (Holcomb Bridge) in Roswell and traveled for 5 miles downstream to the River Parks Headquarters at Island Ford in Dunwoody.  Weather was perfect. A mostly overcast day with temperatures in the 70’s.  It is actually nice when you kayak not to have the sun beating down on you for hours on end.

This is one of the more scenic trips on the Chattahoochee River.  And with just calm waters, it would be perfect for any first time kayaker or anyone looking to take a scenic trip.  Its also amazing how fast 5 miles goes by on the river. The total time on the water was only around 2  and 1/2 hours.

Thanks again to the crew and cheers from Kayak Guy Atlanta. If you want to join us for a trip like this, call (678-920-3944) or email (Scott@KayakGuyAtlanta.com).

After tour photo.

Maidens of the Mist

Group photo ladies!

This was a terrific trip for all skill levels. It was about 6 miles and took us 2-3 hours.  The scenery along the way was very good. We awoke pretty early to get to the put-in spot. The put in spot was actually at Appalachian Outfitters on the road to the way to Dahlonega. I normally don’t promote another rental service but I must say these guys at Appalachian Outfitters were true professionals.  If you can’t get in touch with Kayak Guy Atlanta to rent, I guess I would send you to this outfitter.

It was funny as I showed up at their parking lot with a trailer full of my kayaks. They had no trouble giving me some good hints and information and they were even nice enough to carry our boats to the river.  This made my life a bit easier too so  I was more than thankful to the guys up there.

We started out down the Chestatee River in the morning around 9AM. It was a humid and sticky morning so I was glad to be on the river.  It was my first time on the Chestatee and I was enjoying the scenery and wildlife along the way.  Turned out, one of the kayakers with us was also enjoying the scenery too much and even decided to float backwards. That’s normally not all that strange when on the larger river.

However, with a smaller river there are also more fallen trees that end up in the river.  Yeah, that was what got him.  I wasn’t paying attention, he wasn’t either and when I noticed a tree in his path it was too late for him.  Big trees do not give way so he got flipped and in he went.  He was fine but the trouble was flipping a kayak full of water with high water and steep banks.  It took both of us to muster up the strength to flip the boat and empty the water.

We all had a good laugh from that slight mishap.  He and I were soaked. The girls with us had a good chuckle.  But the trip continued in style.  I think Jason was a bit more cautious now.  It was a hard lesson learned but I think he kept his kayak facing downstream the rest of the trip.  I also think he avoided the river banks.  Fun time I must say.

The rest of the trip was uneventful. We took pictures and enjoyed the river. We even stopped on the river banks for some stretching and a quick bite.  The river was pretty high volume after the heavy rains so you can see the brown water in the pictures. I would highly recommend this tour for people who are new to kayaking. The trip is mostly remote and very quiet until near the end there are a few homes.

The total time on the water was only around 2  and 1/2 hours.

Thanks again to the crew and cheers from Kayak Guy Atlanta. If you want to join us for a trip like this, call (678-920-3944) or email (Scott@KayakGuyAtlanta.com).

Pregame

Watch out for that tree!

Chestatee River Kayaking