Amicalola Creek
Upper(Goshen Church Road to Highway 53)
| Difficulty | II-III |
| Length | 10.7 mi |
| Avg Gradient | 20 fpm |
| Gauge | Amicalola Creek Near Dawsonville, Ga. |
| Flow Rate as of 1 hour | 92 cfs |
| Reach Info Last Updated | January 15, 2024 |
River Description
The Upper Amicalola is a II/III+ run with scenery second to none. This section starts only a couple miles down stream from the famous Amicalola falls which is the tallest waterfall east of the Mississippi. 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( would highly suggest against this unless using an ex gf/bfs gear) but a realistic minimum for the entire run is 1.1. At this level, all the rapids are runnable with a minimum amount of plastic loss from your boat but it would be a long day if you were to do the whole section. (At lower levels it is better to put in at the second or third putin.) At levels of 1.2-1.5, the river becomes a very good seasoned beginner/intermediate run with enough technical moves, eddy hopping, and surfing to keep things interesting. In my opinion it puts the Cartacay to shame for a begginer/ learning river( At lower levels**).From 1.6-1.9 the river starts to pad out and speed up with new lines opening up. From 1.9-2.5 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 2.5-3.5, the river becomes extremely fast and develops some huge river wide holes and standing waves up to about six feet high and becomes akin to paddling in a flood. Above 3.5 feet you realy need a bomb proof roll because if you flip and swim your gear will be gone. Also the abilitly to read water well, avoid features such as but not limited to keeper hydrolics and trees are needed. At the higher levels this becomes an excellent play boat run just make sure to watch for wood and holes.
Wood
At levels above 2.0 feet, this section of the river moves a huge amount of wood ranging from cut firewood to 35 ft. trees. Extreme care should still be taken when boating this section at higher water levels.
Put-ins
There are three put-ins for this section
...River Features
Put in for six mile/ camp ground
Great put in. Stairs lead directly to the river. This is the second put in down.
The Ledge
A five foot river wide ledge. Best line is typically right of center. This is a mandatory scout due to the possible presence of wood. Scout from the left bank.
The Play Hole
Believe it or not, there is actually park and play in North GA. This hole consists of a II+ wave hole with good eddy access from the river right side. The hole is playable from 0.6-1.5. Above 1.5 the hole moves upstream about 10 ft. and forms more of a wave. If you can get on it, it's a great ride. At this higher level, up to about 3.0, some great standing waves also develop behind this hole. To get to the hole, take the upstream dirt road to the east of the GA53 bridge. Park at the end of the road and walk approximately 100yards up the trail. This is also a great place to sit an watch the local sit-on-top carnage.
Take Out
Take out on right left by Hwy 53
Trip Reports
Log in to add a reportWent down and had a complete clear run. Put in at Lindsey Ford and took out at Hwy 53. There were several dead falls the last trip I had out on this section. This trip happened about a week after a massive flood. River clear.
Did this section yesterday with 2 other friends. Had a great time the level was at 1.25. We ran into no problems except some bone chilling water!
6-mile Put In - Devil's Elbow (6/29/07)
Two man trip in recreational kayaks. Two men who get recreational in other ways if you catch my drift. No unavoidable hazards. Probably as low as you would want to attempt running. Necessary to find deepest channels. 5.85 miles in 2:08.
I ran this run on 3-12-11 @ 1.25'. Here's a video I made http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OHIZzkO8KSk.
We ran this on Aug. 30 of 2009. Most of yall probably know this, but there are three river wide trees from six mile to the 53 take out. The first two are in calm water (we picked up our canoe and slid it over the first one). The second one we were able to climb over the tree and slide our canoe under its far right side. That only works in low water.
The third one is tame enough but could mean trouble at higher water (we ran it at around .53). If there is enough water, you can paddle around the far right side of it.
I didn't submit this as a hazard, because I don't want to scare people away.
All in all, the river is still totally worth running and we had a complete blast. Kevin
A group ran the amicoloa 1/11/09 and the online guage was 1.2'. The river was very doable and rapids were solid class II. The hole on the last rapid before the take out was sticky and flipped a few folks, but still very safe. I enjoy playing with it on this river.
Had a great trip down Saturday 12/13/2008 water level about .9 ft with my wife (she is black). This is a great level with minimal rock scraping and the rapids are still tame. We saw a canoe pinned down in a tree, about a mile above Devils elbow. Looked like from the previous day, all the gear was still inside. A new tree also got deposited on the ledge that is about 75 feet long.
River low (.43). River Fun. Dad + 5 year old + 7 year old = 'The best day ever!' We left some paint on some rocks but had a blast. Were unable to run the second to last rapid because water level. Kids final verdict - 'Let's do each other again tomorrow!'
Eli Kesting- I live in dawsonville and have been in love with this little river since day 1! a local group of boy scouts or forestry service has built a wooden walkway from the bridge to the edge of the wold no more lugging boats through the woods! and there is also a lot more parking available at the bridge than before an a nice take out right before the bridge. this is a great run and me and my friends really enjoy it hopefully you will too!
On April 15, 2007, A group of GCA members paddled the Upper Amicola. The gauge at the hwy 53 bridge showed the creek was running at .65. The river was scrapey, but runnable. Also, there were no river-wide, impassable strainers in the creek.