Etowah
5 - Highway 136 to Kelly Bridge Road
| Difficulty | I(II) |
| Length | 18.2 mi |
| Avg Gradient | 6 fpm |
| Gauge | Etowah River at Ga 9, Near Dawsonville, Ga |
| Flow Rate as of 29 minutes | 111 cfsrunnable |
| Reach Info Last Updated | June 29, 2020 |
River Description
Sources: B. Sehlinger and D. Otey, Northern Georgia Canoeing (1980); S. Welander, B. Sehlinger and D. Otey, A Canoeing and Kayaking Guide to Georgia (2004).
With only Class I-I+ rapids, this reach perhaps stretches the definition of 'whitewater' despite a fairly rapid flow. But with agricultural or wooded scenery, minimal residential or road intrusion, a quiet, rural atmoshphere and year-round availability, it is an excellent respite from the challenges of steeper rivers or the cold swims of winter. The reach is really two sections, an upper section from Highway 136 to Highway 9 and a lower section from Highway 9 to Kelly Bridge Road.
The 9.1 mile upper section from Highway 136 to Highway 9 snakes through a broad, flat plain consisting mostly of farms: with traffic noise mostly absent except for the highway crossings, boaters often hear the mooing of cattle. Residential development is still minimal right along the river, so the scenery remains agricultural. Though their traffic can only rarely be seen or heard, two roads parallel the Etowah on river right, Etowah River Road for the 4 miles from Highway 136 to Highway 53 and Thompson Road for the 2.6 miles from Highway 53 to Highway 9.
While the section is generally described as 'Highway 136 to Highway 9,' it may actually be preferable to take out at the Hugh Stowers Road bridge (about 1.8 miles upriver of Highway 9) or at one of the accesses in the Dawson Forest WMA. The hill down to the water at Highway 136 is steep, as is the hill up from the water at Highway 9: traffic is fast and somewhat dangerous at both bridges and parking is limited at the Highway 9 bridge. Directions to the alternate accesses are below.
UPDATE 02/06: The Georgia Department of Transportation has allocated $32,000 of $40,000 needed to build a 'canoe put in' at Highway 9 on the Etowah. Dawson County will provide the remaining $8,000 in 'like kind' funding such as site work. The project will include off-road parking,
...River Features
Highway 136 Bridge
Put in under the bridge on either side of the river. The hill down to the water is steep on either side: the river-left side is less steep, but be careful of the rocks near the river.
Highway 53 Bridge
Put-in/take-out is not recommended at Highway 53. If you must put in or take out at Highway 53, the downstream river-left corner of the bridge is best alternative.
Hugh Stowers Road Bridge
A good alternative to putting in at Highway 53 or Highway 9. The river can be accessed under either end of the bridge, but access is easier on river right.
Highway 9 Bridge
To put in, park river left upstream of the bridge. Carry down at that corner, cross under the bridge just above the concrete support and put in under or just downstream of the bridge.
Rocks dropped along both banks to limit erosion represent a possible hazard that can be easily avoided by staying near river center.
Shoal Creek Road Bridge
The first access in the WMA. The easiest carry is at the southwest corner of the bridge. Park on the right of the road about 100 yards past the bridge: do not block the gate on the left or the horse passage beside it.
Railroad Road
The second access within the WMA by water, the third by road. There are paths to the river on both sides of the road, but carry and put-in are easier down the path to the left.
Blue Trail Ford
Two accesses, one on each side of the river, where the Blue Trail in the WMA fords the river. Carry is short and access is easy, but be careful of slippery mud and horse droppings. From the river, look for old steel bridge just upstream of the accesses.
One Rock
The channel to the left of the rock has two small drops, the second of which is very scrapy at low water levels: stay close to the left bank. If you go around the rock to the right, stay close to the right bank.
Two Rocks
The log that made the straight chute between the large rocks dangerous has been removed and the chute is now runnable. At low water levels, stay to the left of the chute to avoid rock just below the surface on the right side. If you prefer, can still go around to the right.
Kelly Bridge Road
Take out at the paved boat ramp in the river-right bank about 100 yards before the bridge. The property is privately owned, so pay the small fee and follow the rules posted on the gate at the driveway.
Trip Reports
Log in to add a reportOn 03 April 2011, we paddled the 11 mile section from Hugh Stowers Rd to Kelly Bridge Rd. We were impressed that a flatwater creek moved at a nice clip (cfs was ~320).
There were 2 riverwide strainers in that first 2 mile section between Hugh Stowers & Hway 9; the first was less than a half mile from the put in. We removed SOME of it, opening up a decent gap (though still requiring a 'duck under') on river-left immediately along the bank that will be safe ducking under at lower water levels (say, <400). However, at higher water levels that 'duck under' on the left will be dangerous, but the center might become open allowing a scoot-over.
The second strainer is about 1/4 mile before (upstream of) the Highway 9 bridge & ramp. This huge mess is a fresh fall, and in addition to several trees, was also a thick jungle of thorny vines. We managed to clear enough of it on river-right next to the bank to scoot over & through. At low currents (below <400), it should be slow enough to ease through the narrow opening we cut right next to the right bank. (Portaging didn't seem judicious; both banks were high & very steep for a ways downstream, and the thorn vines looked just as bad or worse on top as down on the river.) I'll post photos later.
Rest of the trip from Hway 9 to Kelly Bridge was fantastic (and no riverwide strainers); we averaged 3.5mph with very little paddling. We loved the gorgeous 80ft cascading falls up the Barefoot Creek tributary, about 1.5 - 2 miles before the takeout.
The water Sunday was great on this not so popular for WW. The work Jamie Higgins and his group did to remove some of the recent downed strainers made it very enjoyable and kept the pace going nicely. Water was a lot faster than normal and water level was above normal as well die to the rain we received prior. Had a blast just wished the river stayed this way :D BTW It would be great if as mentioned by the below poster if the Description could be updated to let everyone know there's a new put in at the bridge with parking and bathrooms. They've also provided a swing and picnic tables for observers to watch yakers putting in and witnessing the occasional rookie roll.
I did a video of folks from the GCA paddling the Etowah River - Dawson Forest Section. FYI. The strainer has since been removed.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h75mNUr\_AWU
so what is the right way to clear a tree?
Encountered cows and deadfall in the river between Hwy 136 and Hwy 9. Still was a fun float (about 3 hrs) at 110 cfs at the Hwy 9 Dawsonville gauge.
Chilling out on underwater rock on the right side of the chute at Two Rocks (aka Boulder Squeeze)
Ran Hwy 136 to Hwy 9 (River Park) with the kids in my We-no-nah Prospector 15.5'. Water level was around 120 cfs. Took 3 hrs at a leisurely pace. Several downed trees to deal with. One that we pulled the canoe over with the two 3 yr olds still in the boat (probably 8' of log above water). One spot with 2 logs about 3 ft apart 10' above the water that required a boat exit of all members (the kids seemed to like that). Later, we got to see 3 cows in the river with lots more on river right. I reminded the kids why you don't want to drink the water... ;) All in all, a good trip, but would be nice if someone could clear those trees. We saw GK carved into a downed tree that had been cleared (Georgia Kayaker). I remember seeing Richard clearing trees last fall in this section. Time for another clearing trip! ;)
Austin Jowers: Are there any primative camping spots along this section of river?
The Hwy 9 put-in/takeout is really nice now (or for a while now).. Can you update the detail on the 'rapids' page? It has a full parking lot, pavilion, and steps down to the river.
Hwy 9 in Dawsonville to Kelly Bridge Takeout