Paddling the Metro Hooch: Kayaking the Chattahoochee River

6.5 mile Chattahoochee River kayak trip from Johnson Ferry through Cochran Shoals to Paces Mill

Check out our HD video review of the 6 mile downstream kayaking trip from Johnson Ferry to Paces Mill on a metro-Atlanta stretch of the Chattahoochee River:

This metro stretch of the Hooch has long been one of our kayaking favorites for convenience – with just a short drive and coordination of drop off and pick up parking arrangements, we’re out paddling on the Chattahoochee River in minutes, enjoying some time on the water.  The scenery is mixed between preserved park areas, stately homes along the river, and the rocky cliffs along the shores of the river at Cochran Shoals south to Paces Mill, and flow on the river ranges from slow and tranquil at the Johnson Ferry put-in to lively and slightly challenging through the Chochran Shoals, Thornton Shoals and Long Island Shoals at the southern end of the trip.

We shot this video footage during our most recent paddle on the river on April 11, 2010 – and were glad to find that cleanup continues on the Chattahoochee river following the epic floods that occurred in Atlanta last fall, and that the river is returning to its former beauty.  Our trip sighted plenty of active wildlife:  3 river otters and numerous turtles were a sign of revitalization.

As always, be safe and check the daily Chattahoochee River water quality updates at http://ga2.er.usgs.gov/bacteria/ before you paddle.

Click here for Johnson Ferry put-in directions, and here for directions to the take-out at Paces Mill.  Parking is $3 at both locations – we recommend an annual parking pass, which we end up using quite often during the year at all of the metro Atlanta Chattahoochee National Recreation Area parks.

View our original ‘Kayaking the Chattahoochee’ post here.

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