Chattahoochee

This attractive run, appropriate for giving beginners a taste of whitewater or a bit of low-pressure intermediate for non-release flows.

When the dam is releasing the difficulty increases to Class III+.

A siren sounds prior to opening the gates as warning to flow start. New boaters call ahead to check releases so you don't get caught. See Will Gosney's narrative below for more details.

The water quality is much better than 30 miles downstream; trout can be seen swimming along the bottom. It's COLD, since they intake the nice clear water 40 or 50 feet below the lake surface. The only hazards are strainers and the water temp. Although surrounding development has been heavy over the last decade, the river corridor there is still pristine, thanks to the Chattahoochee NRA and the efforts of the Chattahoochee Riverkeeper organization.

Put-in is just below Buford Dam at the southern end of Lake Lanier near Buford, GA. Drive across the dam to its western end and immediately hang a left through a gate  onto a steep dirt road that winds downhill to a nice park on the west bank just below the dam. There's lots of free parking, picnic area, boat ramp and restrooms. This area typically gets gated shut at dark or 5PM, with remaining cars towed away, so plan your trip accordingly.

Half a mile or so below the put-in the river is split by Bowman's Island. You can run right or left; either side takes you down a quarter mile of Class I-II shoals until the flows merge again at the southern end of the island. There's lots of big, rounded, mossy rocks to keep things interesting. Good place to practice rockspins, ferrying and midstream eddying.

Another mile or so beyond this point the river disappears around a left-hand turn marked by a large gravel bar on river left. Around that bend is the best whitewater feature on this section, where a rock ledge extends across the river. Most of the water bangs into a big obvious truck-sized boulder (the 'Hump')

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