The Coosawattee River offers excellent hovering opportunity only a little over an hour out of Atlanta. Just south of Ellijay, GA, a drive over the river on Hwy76 portrays a mild and mellow run of water. What you don't see from here is the significant white water that begins only a mile or so downstream. Over the course of the next 10 miles the elevation will drop 150'. There are a few flat sections, but for the most part rapids run consistently until lake level is reached.
There are no known ramps on the river in or near Ellijay. The closest ramp to the river on Carters Lake is Ridgeway Recreational Area. Take Hwy 282 West out of Ellijay and look for the Army Corp of Engineers sign on the left some 10 miles out of town. Follow the main road which is a mix of rough asphalt & gravel about 5 miles to the ramp. This is a no-change fee area ($4.00 in 2005). Also note that the parking area is very heavily sloped. For some a boat-style water launch may be the best approach. Note that there is no fuel, food or phone at this location.
Other ramps such as Doll Mountain or Harris Branch would be a shorter drive from Atlanta, but would add 5 or more miles of flat water to the trip each way. These do, however, offer support services such as fuel.
During our first outing on the Coosawattee (4/26/03) the river flow was up in the range of 750 cu ft/sec. This resulted in a number of relatively fast moving sections of water and a few exposed rocks to navigate around. Our second trip, however, offered a flow rate of only 1/3 of this and conditions changed quite significantly.
Mountaintown Creek, which branches north (at 34N39.75, 84W34.00) offers
good challenges in somewhat tight quarters. The creek looks navigable
as far upstream as Hwy76, but only the lower 1/2 mile of this section
has been explored to date.
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In the Tails Creek area the river banks are close to 300' in height.
Under either high or low flow conditions the Coosawattee offers several good sections of reasonably fast moving water.
Viewed from the Hwy 76 bridge in Ellijay, the river looks deceivingly tame and mild.
Tight quarters in this one section on the downstream return.
Plenty of opportunities here to test your maneuvering skills.
When below full pool, several bars exist where the moving water of the river meets the still water of Carters Lake.
River flow during our 4/26/03 cruise was in the range of 750 cu ft/sec, creating some relatively fast moving sections.
At times of high flow, pull-off points are not overly abundant.
Our 11/12/05 cruise offered only 245 cu ft/sec of river flow, resulting in a whole new set of challenges.
