Amicalola Creek,

Gauge Information

Name	Range	Updated	Level
AMICALOLA CREEK NEAR DAWSONVILLE, GA.	1.00 - 5.00 ft	01h15m	0.96 ft (rc= -0.0 )

River Description

The Upper Amicalola is a II/III+ pool drop river with approximately six decent rapids in its 9.75 miles. It has often been referred to as a mini version of Section 3. The river has been run at levels as low as 0.4 on the GA53 gauge but a realistic minimum for the entire run is 0.8. At this level, all the rapids are runnable with a minimum amount of plastic loss from your boat. At levels of 0.95-1.3, the river becomes a very good seasoned beginner/intermediate run with enough technical moves, eddy hopping, and surfing to keep things interesting. From 1.3-2.0, the river bumps up to a solid III with a significant increase in the pushiness of the drops and the amount of waves and holes on the river. At 2.0-3.5, the river becomes extremely fast and develops some huge river wide holes and standing waves up to about six feet high. If the river level is too high to run the Lower Amicalola, but you still feel you need to be humbled, the Upper Section is a good choice.

Wood

At levels above 1.4 feet, this section of the river moves a huge amount of wood ranging from cut firewood to 35 ft. trees. An ice storm in early 2000 dropped numerous strainers into the first five miles of this run. Thanks to the efforts of the Georgia Canoe Association and several local paddlers, there are clear lines through all obstructions on the river. Extreme care should still be taken when boating this section at higher water levels.

Put-ins

There are three put-ins for this section of river.

Put-in 1 Goshen Church Rd/Afton Rd (9.5 river miles total)

From the GA53 Bridge-Go east towards Dawsonville. Take a left at the junction of GA53 and GA183. Go approximately 10 miles and make a left on Afton Rd. If you reach the intersection of GA183 and GA136, you’ve gone too far. Go approximately a mile and put in at the bridge. The area surrounding this put-in is private land. No problems have been encountered here, but please be respectful. The river between this put-in and put-in 2 contains mostly moving water and ripples and serves as a good warm up for beginners.

Put-in 2 Six Mile / DNR Campground (7.7 river miles total)

From the GA53 bridge-Go west 1 mile and make a right on Amicalola Church Rd. Follow the road until the pavement runs out and then continue approximately 1.5 miles. The road will begin to climb a hill and bare around to the left. There will be a brown forestry service sign on the right, next to the campground road. Note that during holiday weekends this area can become very congested and creative parking may be required.

Put-in 3 Steel Bridge Road (2.3 river miles total)

From the GA53 bridge-Go west 1 mile and make a right on Amicalola Church Rd. Go approximately 3 miles and make a right on Steel Bridge Rd. Best put-in access is on the right side of the bridge.

Local Hazards

During warmer weather, this section of the Amicalola is typically frequented by an armada of sit-on-tops, tubers, and Wal-Mart rafters with no regard to water level. The vast majority of these individuals are ill equipped or prepared to deal with potential problems that may occur at higher water levels.

Multi-use Area

95%+ of the navigable portion of the Amicalola lies within the Dawson Forest Wildlife Management Area. This is a multi-recreational 25,000-acre tract of land administered and managed by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources. Depending on the time of year, the forest is utilized by a wide variety of individuals including: boaters, fishermen, hunters, hikers, equestrians, and DNR personnel engaging in forestry management (controlled burns and logging operations). Please remember to be respectful of these individual’s right to access and use this area.