Paddle Georgia is BACK! After two years of COVID-19-altered paddle trips schedules and formats, Paddle Georgia is returning to its pre-COVID format. Paddle Georgia 2023 will explore more than 70 miles of the Savannah River, 23 miles of Brier Creek in Screven County, 6 miles of Ebenezer Creek in Effingham County, and finally, a 2-mile exploration of Abercorn Creek. A mix of big-river paddling on the alluvial Savannah and intimate blackwater creeks that feed into it, Paddle Georgia 2023 will introduce paddlers to the diversity and beauty of the lower Savannah River. You’ll slip beneath fossil-filled bluffs and into mysterious backwater sloughs on the Savannah, marvel at ancient and mammoth cypress trees on Ebenezer Creek and paddle past the site of one of Georgia’s most renowned Revolutionary War battles on Brier Creek. As the primary conduit for the exploration of inland Georgia in the 18th century following the founding of the Georgia colony, the Savannah is our state’s most historic river. It is also among the most heavily used and engineered rivers in the state. Along the route, you’ll gain an understanding of how we have impacted the river and how we are now working to sustain and restore it, for our own preservation and the preservation of the wildlife that also depends on it.
We’ll camp at Black Creek Scout Reservation near Sylvania and New Ebenezer Retreat Center near Springfield. At Black Creek, you can choose to rent Boy Scout platform tents with cots and mattresses, reserve (limited) space in an air-conditioned bunkhouse, pitch your tent beneath a covered pavilion or tent in shaded woods surrounding a multi-acre lake. RV camping is permitted but must be self-contained. Restrooms with toilets and showers are provided. Catered meals will be served in the reservation’s modern dining hall, and participants will have the opportunity to enjoy some of the reservation’s other amenities, including a zipline into the lake, a climbing wall and ropes course.
At New Ebenezer Retreat Center, we’ll tent camp on the wooded and shaded grounds of historic New Ebenezer founded in 1734 by Salzburger emigrants, Protestant refugees from Austria, and a stone’s throw from the oldest (1769) church building in Georgia. Limited indoor accommodations, including some private “hotel” rooms will be available. RV camping is permitted but must be self-contained. Restrooms with toilets and showers are provided. Our tent camping area will include supplemental shower trailers and porta-toilets. Catered meals will be served beneath an outdoor tent near a picturesque pond on the retreat center grounds. Participants will have access to a large air-conditioned common room and on-site swimming pool.
A new registration fee structure will make it easier for families with multiple children to participate in this year’s adventure. Registration fees will range from $55-$455 for thru-paddlers and $25-$155 for two-day paddlers. Three and four-day paddling options will also be available.
Additionally, a new vehicle shuttle plan will enable all participants to have access to their vehicles throughout the week.
Paddle Georgia is back…and better than ever before! Prepare yourself for 100 miles, 7 days and 1 great time on the Savannah River! Click here for more details and registration information.
