Apalachee,

Pot Leaf Shoals (Apalachee park and play spot)

Usual Difficulty	II-III (may vary with level)
Length	0.1 Miles

Gauge Information

Name	Range	Difficulty	Updated	Level
APALACHEE RIVER NEAR BOSTWICK, GA
usgs-02219000	175 - 6000 cfs	II-III	18h49m	365 cfs (rc= 0.0 )

River Description

The gauge you are looking for is the Apalachee near Bostwick gauge and you want

between 200-400 cfs for it to be optimal play. You can definitely play it at both lower

(absolute minimum is around 100 cfs) and higher levels, I have played there at around

3000 cfs and beyond, but it gets way more intense and is a huge, kind of flood stage

feeling to it. The line to the right of the island opens up then and it has a GNARLEY hole

on river right that will keep you in it for a long while (I found this out myself one day) as

well as some entrapment potential on the river left of it-- stay center for best results. At

high flows, the wave mid rapid goes from being a small wave to a nice hole to, at really

high flows, a great 6-7' surf wave. At higher flows, the blasting hole gets pretty unfun as

the current shoves you into the rock on river left, making it more difficult to play in and at

really high flows, this feature completely disappears.


At between 200-400 cfs, the park and play spot is a blast, with surfing waves, a great

blasting hole, a deep eddyline for flatwater moves, several splat spots, and other features

that make it worth while to hit when you live in Athens. Not a destination boating

location, but a great training spot for Athens area boaters.


Directions to the Appalachee:


Go out of Athens on Hwy 441/129/24 south towards Bishop, Farmington and Madison,

GA. Go through Bishop and then Farmington and once you finally see the Oconee

Heritage Park on your right hand side (a big shelter type structure sitting a ways off of the

road), you will know that you are getting close. Pass OH Park and then go about another

mile or so til you see a fruit stand on the left hand side of the road. Once you pass it,

there will be a dirt road headed left off of 441, take it. Go on this road for about 500 yards

til you see a road headed off right come up (with a tire-stop sign holding thing in the

intersection). Take the road going right (the good road, not the 4 wd road on the far right)

and follow it for about one mile till you pass all of the houses and trailers and are now in

the middle of the woods. You will by this time be going up a hill surrounded by woods on

both sides. When you get to the top of this hill and just before you begin to be headed

down the other side of it, you will see another dirt road headed up and right, take it.

Follow this road around as it bears right and downhill. Go downhill for a decent ways till

you see the road split left or right, follow the left line and then you will end up in a cleared

area at the top of an old railroad bridge. Park on the side of the road and head downhill

following the trail/rutted out road on the left side of the trestles. Put in there and paddle

down about 200' and then head left around a small island following the main flow of the

water. The rapids will then come up and just enjoy. There are play spots all down the

drops that can be re-run, etc.



Also, anyone in the Athens area that wants to be put on the UGA WHITEWATER CLUB

LISTSERV so that they can network with other UGA/Athens boaters, drop me an email

and I will add you to the list. Email me at willvdb@uga.edu