HIDDEN GEMS 2020

Hidden Gem Social Distancing Paddles June-Nov 2020

In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, Georgia River Network is getting creative! We’ve designed paddle trips that help you get on Georgia’s rivers in safe and healthy ways. Join us for a summer of healthy rivers and healthy people on the following tidal paddles and paddle-bike trips. These trips allow us to enjoy Georgia’s river while following Centers for Disease Control guidance for social distancing and safe outdoor group gatherings.

June 27-28 Tidal Paddle Weekend Hidden Gem in Altamaha Delta

SOLD OUT! Join us as we explore the labyrinth of marshes, river islands, serpentine creeks and historic man-made canals that make up the Altamaha River delta. A no-shuttle, social-distancing approved paddle trip, we will embark from boat ramps near Darien, ride the incoming tide up the Altamaha to explore the delta and then return to our starting point. The two-day trip includes two tidal paddles of 10-15 miles. Cost: $60. Boat rentals available for additional charges. Meals, lodging and transportation to and from launch sites must be arranged by participants. Limited to 30 participants. CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

July 25 Etowah River Paddle-Bike Hidden Gem

SOLD OUT! This 6-mile paddle and 6-mile bike takes in a beautiful and historic section of the Etowah River Water Trail near Euharlee in Bartow County featuring mostly flatwater with a few small shoals. The bike ride is a bucolic one along lightly traveled Bartow County backroads. The bike-paddle enables us to avoided crowded bus/van shuttles and maintain social distancing guidelines. Cost: $50. Boat rentals available for additional charges. Georgia River Network provides bike/boat shuttles. Limited to 30 participants. CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

Aug. 1 Toccoa River Paddle-Bike Hidden Gem

SOLD OUT! Dog days of summer getting to you? Cool off in the North Georgia mountains in the cold water of the Toccoa River downstream from Blue Ridge Lake. This hidden gem takes in a 7-mile run of the Toccoa and a 7-mile bicycle ride on lightly traveled Fanin County backroads. The bike-paddle enables us to avoided crowded bus/van shuttles and maintain social distancing guidelines. Cost: $50. Boat rentals available for additional charges. Georgia River Network provides bike/boat shuttles. Limited to 30 participants. CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

Aug. 15 Tugaloo River Paddle-Bike Hidden Gem

SOLD OUT! Head north! North to the Tugaloo for this North Georgia Hidden Gem that features a 10-mile paddle on the Tugaloo River Water Trail and a 10-mile bike ride on Stephens County backroads. The bike-paddle enables us to avoided crowded bus/van shuttles and maintain social distancing guidelines. Cost: $50. Boat rentals available for additional charges. Georgia River Network provides bike/boat shuttles. Limited to 30 participants. CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

Sept. 12 Ocmulgee River Paddle-Bike Hidden Gem

SOLD OUT! CONTACT JOE COOK AT joe@garivers.org to be placed on the wait list. Explore the longest continuous developed water trail in Georgia on this 14-mile paddle on the Ocmulgee River through Bleckley and Pulaski Counties, ending at Mile Branch Park in Hawkinsville. The route features beautiful bluffs and oxbows and numerous historic shoals blasted and reconfigured by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers during the late 1800s and early 1900s to open the river for steamboat travel. The 13-mile bike ride follows rural roads parralleling the river. The bike-paddle enables us to avoided crowded bus/van shuttles and maintain social distancing guidelines. Cost: $50. Boat rentals available for additional charges. Georgia River Network provides bike/boat shuttles. Limited to 30 participants. CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

Nov. 6-8 Okefenokee Wilderness Canoe Trails Hidden Gem

The Okefenokee is the largest blackwater swamp in North America and offers over 400,000 acres of wetland wilderness to explore. Join Georgia River Network for this special Hidden Gem on the established Okefenokee Wilderness Canoe Trails. In order to minimize the risks of spreading COVID-19 we have decided to eliminate shuttles and thus are not able to paddle the St Marys river this trip. Instead we will spend two days exploring the majestic Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge. This event will be limited to the first 30 registrants. All skill levels are welcome to attend this special weekend paddling event exploring and enjoying the sites and sounds of the Okefenokee Swamp.

A few highlights of our itinerary include:

Live music by Ray and Hupp, fascinating evening programs, performing artists and educational presentations along our paddling route, and delectable farm to table cuisine. We will dine in-style while social distancing with a catered low country boil dinner on Friday evening by Okefenokee Adventures, followed by a Saturday morning hot breakfast, and a farm to table dinner grown locally and served up by Grassroots Farm. Tickets include food,  weekend camping at Okefenokee Pastimes. There are 4 tiny cabins that can also be reserved for an additional charge when registering on a first come first serve basis.

Okefenokee Wilderness Canoe Trails Hidden Gem 2020 Information Packet

COVID-19 Considerations and Guidelines

Before registering for these events, please understand the following guidelines by which Georgia River Network will run these paddle trips: If you are exhibiting symptoms of COVID-19 or have been in contact with someone diagnosed with COVID-19, please stay home. If you are an older adult or you have a serious underlying medical condition, please consider staying at home. Before embarking on a trip, please consider being tested for COVID-19 to ensure that you are not carrying the virus. During the event, please remember to practice the following protective measures: wear a facemask during periods where you may be in close proximity to other participants (launch/take out sites); do not share equipment, food, water and other supplies; maintain social distancing of 6 feet at all times; maintain strict hygiene by washing hands frequently; do not touch eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands. In route to the event site, when visiting local businesses, wear a facemask and/or other personal protection equipment.  These practices will help keep you and other participants healthy and protect the health of the communities we are visiting.