Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area (CRNRA) preserves a series of sites between

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and Lake Sidney Lanier along the

Chattahoochee River The Chattahoochee River () is a river in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern United States. It forms the southern half of the Alabama and Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia border, as well as a portion of the Florida and Georgia border. It ...

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

, U.S. The 48-mile (77 km) stretch of the river affords public recreation opportunities and access to historic sites. The national recreation area, a National Park Service unit, was established on August 15, 1978, by President

Jimmy Carter James Earl Carter Jr. (October 1, 1924December 29, 2024) was an American politician and humanitarian who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party ...

. The park headquarters and visitor center are located at the Island Ford Unit of the park, at 1978 Island Ford Parkway in

Sandy Springs, Georgia Sandy Springs is a city in northern Fulton County, Georgia, United States, and a suburb of Atlanta. The city's population was 108,080 at the 2020 census, making it Georgia's 7th most populous city. It is the site of several corporate headquar ...

. The Chattahoochee River is a stocked trout stream with 23 species of game fish. Year-round fishing is available with a Georgia fishing license and a trout stamp. In 2012, the Chattahoochee National Recreation Area was designated as the Chattahoochee River Water Trail to become the first river named a National Water Trail. The National Water Trails System was created by the U.S. Department of the Interior to increase access to water-based outdoor recreation, encourage community stewardship of local waterways, and promote tourism. Cochran Shoals is the largest and most popular unit of the park, featuring a fitness trail, suitable for walking/jogging/biking, which is wheelchair-accessible and is excellent for bird- and wildlife-watching. The historic Marietta Paper Mill ruins along

Sope Creek Sope Creek is an U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed April 15, 2011 stream located in Cobb County, Georgia, United States. It is a significant tributary of the Chattahooche ...

are preserved within the Sope Creek unit of the area. The Akers Mill ruins along Rottenwood Creek are found within the West Palisades unit. Steep rock cliffs rise from the river's flood plain in the East Palisades unit of the park. Power's Island was named for James Power (1790–1870). In 1835, he established Power's

ferry A ferry is a boat or ship that transports passengers, and occasionally vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A small passenger ferry with multiple stops, like those in Venice, Italy, is sometimes referred to as a water taxi or water bus ...

on the Chattahoochee River, connecting what is now Sandy Springs to Cobb County. Power's Ferry, now spelled Powers Ferry, was used by units of General William Sherman's army in July 1864. The ferry was eventually replaced by a bridge, which was built in 1903. The Vickery Creek unit preserves a rugged and scenic stretch of Vickery Creek (also known as Big Creek) from Grimes Bridge Road to its mouth at the Chattahoochee River. The ruins of Ivy Mill, which was a wool mill that produced fabric for Confederate soldiers, are located in this unit along with the historic Allenbrook House. Ivy Mill was destroyed by the Union Army in 1864, and the women factory workers were sent North for the duration of the war. The Allenbrook House, completed in 1857, was the home and office of the manager of Ivy Mill. From the Vickery Creek Unit, pedestrians can use sidewalks and spur trails for convenient access to Chattahoochee River Park (a Roswell Recreation and Parks/Fulton County park), Riverside Park, Don White Memorial Park, Willeo Creek Park on the Cobb County line, Waller Park on Hog Wallow Creek, and the Chattahoochee Nature Center. Roswell Mill can be accessed via a spur trail and covered bridge that crosses the creek at the site of the Roswell Mill Machine Shop, which was built in 1853 and is the only original building left standing of the 1839 Roswell Manufacturing Company. The Roswell Mill building currently left standing was built in 1882 and is now used as an office complex. The Chattahoochee River itself is one of Georgia's premier trout streams. It also offers picturesque areas for boating, canoeing, and rafting. It is very popular in the summer months for visitors to rent tubes and float from Powers Island to Paces Mill. United States Park Rangers patrol the of river and of land units with patrol vehicles, jet-powered boats, kayaks, and mountain bikes. They also hike the trails on foot. Rangers enforce park regulations as well as Georgia criminal and traffic codes, and are authorized to carry firearms and make arrests. In 2014, the CRNRA was given the ''Award for Outstanding Service to Environmental Education'' by the Georgia Environmental Education Association – an affiliate of the North American Association for Environmental Education.

Units

*Bowmans Island *Settles Bridge *Orrs Ferry *Suwanee Creek *McGinnis Ferry *Medlock Bridge *Abbots Bridge *Jones Bridge *Holcomb Bridge *Island Ford * Vickery Creek *Gold Branch *

* Johnson Ferry North *Johnson Ferry South *Cochran Shoals *Powers Island *East and West

Palisade A palisade, sometimes called a stakewall or a paling, is typically a row of closely placed, high vertical standing tree trunks or wooden or iron stakes used as a fence for enclosure or as a defensive wall. Palisades can form a stockade. Etymo ...

References

* ''The National Parks: Index 2001-2003''. Washington: U.S. Department of the Interior.

External links

Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area at NPS.gov

Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area: Hiking, Running & Walking Trails
{{authority control Hiking trails in Georgia (U.S. state) Roswell, Georgia Duluth, Georgia Sandy Springs, Georgia Recreational fishing in the United States National Park Service National Recreation Areas National Park Service areas in Georgia (U.S. state) Tourist attractions in Roswell, Georgia