This river in the foothills of Northeast Georgia offers beautiful scenery as well as some challenging rapids for both the beginner who is looking for a good starting river and the expert who wants a tranquil day’s outing. This trip is from Georgia Highway 9 to Castleberry Bridge, about six miles.

The Etowah River is rich in the history of Georgia’s gold rush days. It witnessed the onslaught in 1828 as thousands of prospectors infiltrated the North Georgia hills starting the first major gold rush in this country.

The river is also an example of nature’s wonderful ability to heal herself if given time. As a result of the gold rush, the river was partially diverted, the bed mined, the banks cut over and stripped or mined and later cultivated. Today however, the river corridor must be one of the prettiest in the state. Also, the river itself is both attractive and exciting. The trip we will describe here covers about six miles of the most scenic area and the best whitewater.

The Etowah is a near perfect beginners’ canoeing stream. The flow of water is usually adequate for canoes in the spring and early summer months. Occasional high water levels following rains make the stream easier, except for possible increased danger from the waterfall near the middle of the trip.

The section of the river described here and shown on the accompanying map begins at Ga. Hwy 9 west of Dahlonega and ends at Castleberry Bridge near historic Auraria. The put-in is on the northeast corner near the bridge and is a rather steep bank, poorly suited to this use. (more…)