Tallulah Release Information

It’s that time of year already, time for Tallulah season on November 5-6, 12-13, and 19-20. This year, there are a few changes that the Tallulah Gorge State Park wants to pass along.

Registration
Registration will be different this year. Instead of initialing the books, you will need to fill out a permit form for each run you make. We will be handing these out in the parking lot as you arrive. Please fill them in before heading to the stairs and hand to a volunteer stationed there. For subsequent runs, you will need to do the same thing. It takes about 90 seconds (at most) to fill out and this helps allieve some of the volunteer staffing during the releases.

Dogs
Dogs at Tallulah have become a major problem for the park officials. This spring, if your dog is off a leash at any point, tied off to your car, locked in a car or truck camper they deem unsafe for the animal, or walked on anything other than a six-foot leash, you will be fined.

Park Fees
Day-parking is now $4, shuttle is $3 and camping is now $5. Camping, shuttle, and a day-pass for the next day is $12.

General Info
Releases begin at 9:30 am and all boaters must start down the stairs by 3:00 pm to beat the flow down to the lake. Please continue to park across the road from the put-in and remember that you must go under the bridge to cross the road. As always, boater camping is across the bridge toward the Interpretative Center on the right; you will see the signs. Saturdays are 500 cfs and Sundays are 700 cfs

Trillium
Keep boats and bodies on the steps, bedrock, or water at ALL TIMES, especially at the bottom of the stairs, where some boaters jump the right rail or throw their boats vertically over the back of the platform. These areas are home to the one thing that could effectively end ALL releases on the Tallulah: persistent trillium. Also, keep your impact on the riverbank to a bare minimum in connection with scouting rapids.

Shuttles
While we don’t require you to use the free shuttles that Georgia Power, NOC, and AW supply, it significantly helps with parking problems if you use them. The shuttles start at 11:30. As always, at the take-out, be nice, patient, and wait your turn. If you plan to run your own shuttle, do not park or drive past the sign to the top of the dam, drive slowly and carefully, and park well out of the road and the way of the shuttle drivers.

Inflatables
If you paddle an inflatable (raft, shredder, IK), please view the Tallulah Inflatable Standard prior to your trip to the Tallulah. Please note that this policy contains very little, if any, new content. It is simply a clarification of what is found in the FERC settlement or what has been practiced now for over five years. AW will continue to work with DNR regarding inflatable issues on the Tallulah and share with them the many concerns and suggestions from the inflatable community regarding Tallulah Gorge access policies.

Finally…
Don’t forget, there would be no releases in Tallulah Gorge if it were not for the hard work of the American Whitewater staff and volunteers from the Georgia Canoeing Association and Atlanta Whitewater Club. Let’s all continue to demonstrate our superb stewardship of this natural resource.

As always, for more information, check out the best StreamKeeper site on the entire SK network, Brad Robert’s Tallulah Gorge page: http://www.americanwhitewater.org/rivers/id/506

Also, if you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at sutton@suttonbacon.com.

Thanks and we’ll see you at Tallulah!