Slow Down and Enjoy a Guided Trip On The Chattahoochee River

Take some time to yourself, or with your family or friends, to unwind from the week’s stresses and slow your pace of life for a night. Join us for an evening trip of casual paddling down the Chattahoochee River with CNC canoe guides.

As our journey begins, the group spreads out on the river to investigate whatever may catch their eyes. The guides paddle back and forth between these explorers, pointing out things in nature, and offering tips on steering the boats. Morgan Falls Dam is only 3 miles downstream, so travel is smooth and the current is light. It’s surprising how quick the first half-mile goes by. The sounds of the road behind us disappear by the first time we stop as a group. All you can hear now are the sides, or gunwales, of our canoes gently gracing each other as we huddle in the middle of the river for a short history of the area surrounding us.

At our mid-way point, 1.5 miles into the trip, we exit our boats to stretch our legs and explore the cliffs and marsh land around us. Follow your naturalist through the muddy banks and learn to identify tracks of local birds and mammals. Flip over some rocks to find aquatic macro-invertebrates, the infant phases of dragonflies and other insects.

The paddle back takes us over land flooded by the construction of the dam over a hundred years ago. Away from any current we maneuver our boats single file around bends beneath the sycamore and water oak lined swamp. The sun begins to set and the crepuscular animals begin to show their faces in the evening light. Many animals are most comfortable not at day or night, but rather in the cool dusk and dawn of a changing day. Now is when we are likely to see beaver, muskrats, and marsh rabbits.

We emerge from the swamp not far from where we first “gunwaled up.” One of the naturalists begins to get ahead of the group to prepare for our arrival on shore. We all dig in a little more with our strokes, for the first time we are going against the easy flow of the Chattahoochee.
When we get back to the Nature Center, we load up the A-frame with our equipment and gather the trash we collected along our way. Our arms are a little tired, but we don’t mind. We are too satisfied with the experience we have shared on this great river.

by Joey Giunta, CNC Canoe Coordinator

Visit the Canoe Page on the CNC website to see the schedule of evening paddles and other special canoe trips. You may register by phone (770-992-2055 x237), email or on line.