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Upper (Goshen Church Road to Highway 53)Class II-III
9.75 Miles
Avg Gradient 20 fpm
Max Gradient 25 fpm
Typical Amicalola Creek rapid
Typical Amicalola Creek rapid Photo of Pat Hagan by Chris McLoughlin taken 05/05/02 @ 0.9 Gauge Information
River DescriptionThe 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, youÂve 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 individualÂs right to access and use this area. StreamTeam Status: Verified
Last Updated: 2006-01-22 20:27:38
Stream Team Editor Jim Osborne Lawrenceville, GA | ||||||||||||||||
NWRI - Amicalola Creek Upper (mobile)