Protect Your Rivers by Paddling Your Rivers!
Compete to win up to $8,000 in prizes for paddling you’re already doing in 2023 — and help protect Georgia’s rivers in the process — by joining Georgia River Network’s 25th Anniversary Paddle-a-thon! Now through Sept. 6, paddlers can log the miles they paddle to win prizes in categories such as “Most Miles Paddled,” “Most Kayak Fishing Trips,” “Most Trash Collected” and even “Most Miles Paddled with Your Pet!” Part paddling competition, part community fundraiser, all are invited to join Paddle-a-thon. You can choose to raise money on behalf of the org or to just paddle, it’s up to you!
Join Paddle-a-thon
The urgent fight to protect the Okefenokee Swamp from mining is burning brightly in Georgia right now, but we need your help to stoke the fire. To help advocates like you get FIRED UP about the issue, Georgia River Network is hosting a community backyard bonfire event: Save the Swamp Mardi Gras Party.
Come out to support the cause and enjoy live music by Rob Jordan’s band Five & Dime, a low-country boil and refreshments provided by Fire Maker Brewing, Molson Coors and Terrapin Beer Co. while communing with fellow advocates around a huge Christmas tree bonfire. If you’re lucky, before the night is over you just might find the baby in the King Cake and be crowned King or Queen of Mardi Gras!
While North Georgia is still in the slumbers of winter, come late March and early April, the woods along the Satilla River are bursting with spring. Escape winter and get an early start on the paddling season with this two-day, two-night adventure exploring some 22 miles of the Satilla River. A blackwater beauty, the Satilla winds through southeast Georgia and features snow white sandbars and mysterious backwater sloughs filled with wildlife. As we near our final take out, the river becomes tidally influenced. Camping will be at Satilla Lodge, a private special events venue featuring limited indoor lodging in rustic cabins and treehouses, as well as tent camping. Restrooms with flush toilets and showers are available along with porta-toilets and a hot water outdoor camp shower. Event registration includes six catered meals served beneath an open air outdoor pavilion along the banks of the river. Kayak rentals are available. The route is all flatwater suitable for novice paddlers. CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION AND REGISTRATION.
Join Georgia River Network as we explore a 12-mile stretch of the Withlacoochee River as this Georgia-born river winds through northern Florida and past some of the iconic blue hole springs which make the region famous. The route begins at Bellville Road and passes a total of four known springs, highlighted by Madison Blue Springs, a designated Florida State Park that is home to a 82-foot wide, 25-foot deep limestone basin that has been voted the best swimming hole in the country in a past USA Today poll. Past Paddle Georgia participants will remember this route from Paddle Georgia 2019, one of our favorite routes from the past where the clear “blue” water of the natural springs mingles with the blackwater of these rivers fed by the bottomland forests and swamps of South Georgia. The trip is a true spring time treat, and with the just the right weather, the time will be ripe for a dip in one of these chilling springs! The journey is on flatwater and is suitable for novice paddlers. Kayak rentals are available. Registration fees range from $35-$70. Registration opens March 1! CLICK HERE TO REGISTER ONLINE.
This 13-mile adventure explores the scenic and historic Flint River Water Trail as it winds through Meriwether and Pike counties in Middle Georgia. Beginning on White Oak Creek in the Joe Kurz Wildlife Management Area, the route features mostly flatwater interrupted occasionally by Class I shoals and climaxes with a thrilling run over historic Flat Shoals, a Class II obstacle that will put your paddling skills to the test. The route ends at a boat ramp near Woodbury newly renovated by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources. Flat Shoals was once a favored crossing of the river by Native Americans along a trail known as the Oakfuskee Path. In the mid-1800s, the shoals were harnessed to power a wool carding mill and then in the 20th century, the picturesque spot became a favorite fishing hole of President Franklin D. Roosevelt during his many trips to nearby Warm Springs. Finally, in the 21st century, Flat Shoals gained fame as a filming location for TV series The Walking Dead. Kayak rentals are available. This trip is not recommended for beginning and novice paddlers; paddling helmets must be worn when running Flat Shoals (loaner helmets are available from Georgia River Network at no charge). Registration opens March 1! CLICK HERE TO REGISTER ONLINE NOW!
