By SUZANNE WELANDER

The Flint River was recently recognized by American Rivers as the second-most endangered wild river in the United States. Droughts are increasing pressure to dam the Flint, an effort that was last (and famously) forestalled by then-governor Jimmy Carter. Links to more information and background on the Flint’s endangered status, including a remarkable essay by Jimmy Carter written in 2001 describing his epic battle with the dam-advocating U.S. Corps of Engineers in the 70s, are included at the end of this guide. The photo above was taken at Sprewell Bluff. More Flint river photos by professional environmental photographer Beth Young are included below.

From GA Hwy 18/74 to GA 137, a distance of about 50.9 miles. The trip may be shortened or run in sections. See map.

In terms of wilderness beauty and spectacular vistas of varied terrain, the Flint is rivaled by no other large river in Georgia. In the Piedmont alone, the Flint alternately flows broad and narrow, beneath pine covered bluffs and at the foot of high rock walls, over extensive rocky shoals, through winding bottomland swamp, past cities and towns, and between fertile cultivated plateaus. In the Coastal Plain, the Flint meanders through alternating pine forests and swamp and reclaimed crop and pastureland. It is one of Georgia’s longest rivers, with headwaters originating south of Atlanta and tailwaters in the extreme southwestern corner of the state, where it meets the Chattahoochee River in Lake Seminole. The Flint is suitable for both weekend paddling and epic canoe-camping trips.

DESCRIPTION: In this section, the terrain alters dramatically with the river expanding to over 250 feet and descending a long series of ledges where steep wooded hills and small mountains converge to form an intimate and spectacular valley. Tall bluffs alternate with steep, sloping, forested hills and exposed rock walls and ledges. Pine Mountain looms majestically above the stream as the Flint passes along the Upson–Meriwether county line. This area narrowly escaped being inundated by a dam that was proposed to pen the river in at Sprewell Bluff.

Due to the breadth of the river, the vistas are unobstructed and overwhelming. So, too, is the forest, which is spectacularly diverse with both mountain and Coastal Plain species. Here, the ravines, slopes, and bluffs support beech, black gum, sourwood, sweet bay, white oak, chestnut oak, hickory, buckeye and tulip poplar. Evergreens include loblolly and shortleaf pines and red cedar. Along the streamside, tupelo gum and black willow are common, and mountain rhododendron grows side by side with such swamp shrubs as cyrilla. High on the mountains, exposed rock outcroppings colored with moss punctuate the green slopes. Of special geological interest is Dripping Rock, a quartzite outcrop located below the mouth of Elkins Creek at the northeastern terminus of Pine Mountain. Fabulously, this eclectic botanical mix is heavily draped with Spanish moss at Yellow Jacket Shoals, where an occasional palmetto encroaches on the scene.

The most formidable whitewater on the Flint occurs in the 9 miles between Sprewell Bluff and Po Biddy Road. Below Sprewell Bluff to the GA 36 bridge, shoals remain easy Class II, although they tend to be more continuous than upstream. In low water, the current pools above each ledge. In high water, however, the current is appreciably faster and precipitates the formation of some respectable holes.

Approximately half a mile beyond the GA 36 bridge lies Yellow Jacket Shoals. At low water, this long boderline Class III is technical with a couple of big drops and some hidden boat-eating rocks. Since this rapid defies a “straight through approach, paddlers attempting Yellow Jacket Shoals should possess skills in water reading, eddy turns and ferrying. At higher levels, the eddies disappear and the rapid becomes more intense. Fortunately, alternate routes become more numerous.

A series of islands divides the channel below Yellow Jacket Shoals, creating occasional narrows as the Flint passes them. Shoals persist through the island section but occur less frequently and never exceed Class II. Lazar Creek enters on river right at Hightower Shoals, announcing a sizable tract of Big Lazer Creek Wildlife Management Area land on the right. The dirt road to the boat ramp here succumbed to erosion from high waters in 2003, but access from the road is still possible, though challenging due to the steep banks. The surrounding terrain remains mountainous, spectcular, and remote until the final approach to Po Biddy Road.

Downstream of Po Biddy Road, the rugged, steep slopes begin to recede and taper down to an agricultural plateau by the time the river reaches the US 80 bridge. White kaolin bluffs start appearing in this section, as do cattle pastures. The gradient diminishes, and though the current remains swift, the shoals are smaller and occur less often. Passing an island midway between US 80 and GA 137, the last significant shoal is found where the river winds between high banks and rocky clay bluffs surrounded by cultivated tableland. The river narrows to 85-110 feet and flows swiftly, though flat and calm, with large sandbars appearing on the inside of turns at low water. This marks the Flint’s departure from the Piedmont and its arrival onto the Coastal Plain.

SHUTTLE: Most access points in this section are easily reached from Thomaston. For the final take-out at GA 137, take US 19 South to GA 208 East, which will intersect with GA 137 East at Pickling Mill. Follow the road to the river and the boat ramp on the far side. Sprewell Bluff State Park is reached from GA 74 west of Thomaston; turn left at Old Alabama Road and follow signs to the park.

GAUGE: A gauge is painted on the pilings visible from the outfitter located at the GA 36 bridge; call the Flint River Outdoor Center (706-647-2633) for levels. The USGS provides data for the gauge at Culloden, which can be used to estimate the bridge level. Divide the Culloden flow in half and add 6 feet. Using the bridge gauge, 7.0 is the recommended minimum. The river becomes enjoyable above 8.0. The park management has been known to turn people away from putting in at Sprewell Bluff when the bridge gauge is over 11 feet; call at (706) 646-6026 to verify access before leaving home if the gauge is headed over 10 feet. The Flint River Outdoor Center will run shuttles to their property at Goat Mountain, upriver from Sprewell, for experienced paddlers under those conditions.

LEARN MORE ABOUT THE FLINT AND ITS STATUS AS THE 2nd MOST ENDANGERED RIVER IN AMERICA

The Flint River is the Second Most Endangered River in America
The most credible and respected national river environmental organization, American Rivers, has named Georgia’s Flint River, my personal favorite river, the second most endangered river in the country. The recent drought and Georgia congressman Lynn Westmoreland’s misguided and out-of-date attempts to revive the discussion of a dam on the Flint are cited as among the reasons.

Jimmy Carter Saved the Flint
The most interesting and brilliantly insightful essay ever written about the controversial Corps of Engineers plan to dam the Flint River back in the 70s was written by Jimmy Carter, the person who halted the dam and personally saved the Flint River, as the Preface to the Flint River Guidebook published in 2001. It’s good reading anytime, but especially now with the announcement about the Flint being ranked as the #2 most endangered river in the country by American Rivers.

More Background on the Dam from Hell
Also worth reading in this context is Georgia native Gene Methvin’s story in Readers Digest in August 1974 about Jimmy Carter’s battle with the Corps of Engineers over the proposed Flint River dam.

Claude Terry Canoes the Flint
During all of this, Claude Terry, one of the earliest voices heard speaking out for preservation and protection of Georgia rivers, a microbiologist at Emory University, founder of Southeastern Expeditions, advisory to the movie “Deliverance,” the person who taught then Governor Jimmy Carter how to kayak, and, generally, the most macho guy you could ever imagine meeting, was paddling the Flint and writing about it. Here’s his guide to the Flint written the first time it was one of the most endangered rivers in America.

Flint River photo by Beth Young

Flint River photo by Beth Young

Flint River photo by Beth Young

Flint River photo by Beth Young

Flint River photo by Beth Young

By Suzanne Welander

From GA Hwy 128 to GA Hwy 127, a distance of approximately 29.3 miles. View map

The Flint River. In terms of wilderness beauty and spectacular vistas of varied terrain, the Flint is rivaled by no other large river in Georgia.

Looking for an unusual choice for a canoe-camping trip? Try the Flint River north of Lake Blackshear. It’s easily accessible, and as of late 2007, utterly devoid of any sight of human habitation. Sounds are another matter: since the surrounding land above the 4-12 foot river banks is relatively flat, motorized traffic sounds can and do permeate an otherwise primitive experience. That did little to deflate spirits on our three-day trip. The river’s narrow streambed is surprisingly intimate, especially given its girth in upstream sections. With ample sandy beaches for camping and leisurely breaks, this section of the Flint River delighted. (more…)

By Reece Turrentine

Editor’s Note: Over the years I have canoed Southern Rivers with many different companions. I have assigned stories to and edited copy from many writers who were writing about Georgia and southern streams. Never have I known anyone who, deep down at their core, cared more about rivers than Reece Turrentine. If there ever was a person to whom the description “He has river water flowing through his veins,” applied, that person is Reece Turrentine. Not only does he truly have the spirit; Reece can describe his river experiences in a way that communicates his affection for rivers to everyone whether or not they have ever paddled a canoe. A Methodist minister by profession, Reece can hear more of God’s voice in an eddy current than most of us can find in the Old Testament.

My wife and I spent a couple of weeks canoeing, hiking and fishing around Yellowstone National Park. In the evening we were delighted to get back to the quaint elegance of the old Yellowstone Inn on the lake. Each evening meal was accompanied by a live string quartet and by “Bullwinkle,” a huge Bull Moose who made nightly rounds.

One evening we heard a little more commotion than unusual. Into the dining room strolled former President and Mrs. Jimmy Carter and their entourage. They were ushered to the table next to ours. The temptation was too great. As he approached, I stood up and offered a “down-home” introduction. (more…)

Editors note: When Sherri and I were researching and writing the Riverkeeper’s Guide to the Chattahoochee and the Flint River Guidebook, we took numerous trips up and down both rivers, often “locking through” at the Walter F. George Dam, the George W. Andrews Dam and the Jim Woodruff Dam. It’s a river experience we highly recommend to anyone really interested in experiencing and understanding Southern Rivers. Here is our account of our first experience locking through the Woodruff Dam. See the illlustration at the end of the locking through process for a visual image of what it’s like to make the transition from lake to river. The third person in the boat is Rio, our literary companion on our travels up and down the Flint River and an important character in the Flint Guidebook. FB. Illustrations by Roel Wielinga.

One of the most interesting and anticipated experiences traveling up or down the lower Chattahoochee is that of going through the locks. Three dams on the Chattahoochee River, Walter F. George, George W. Andrews and Jim Woodruff, have navigation locks that allow recreational as well as commercial boats to travel both upstream and downstream. The locks are necessary to transfer boats from one water level to another.  “Locking through” can cause anxiety the first time you do it, but it is relatively easy if you are prepared and follow the proper procedure. (more…)

By Jimmy Carter

President Carter wrote this for the Preface to the Flint River Guidebook

As a boy growing up in Archery, I worked fields that drained into Choctahatchee (or as we called it, Chock-li-hatchet) Creek. Choctahatchee Creek joins Kinchafoonee Creek, which merges with Muckalee Creek and flows into the Flint River just above Albany. The Choctahatchee was where I fished. It was where I learned about the out-of-doors, where I learned to explore, and where I learned how not to get lost. It’s where my playmates and I, and occasionally my father, had many hours and days together. We had an immersion in the natural world that has marked my whole existence. The Choctahatchee drainage is really the origin of my life. I still feel more at home and more in a natural element and closer to God when I’m out in the woods by myself, or just with Rosalyn, than at any other time.

During those childhood years on the Choctahatchee, I developed an appreciation for the protection of at least part of the world the way God made it. It affected my life when, as a state senator, I had to deal with natural resources. It was a part of my attitude when I became governor. I was one of the founders of the Georgia Conservancy; I advocated the protection of the Chattahoochee River, particularly in the Atlanta area, and, as governor, I created the Georgia Heritage Trust, which had a budget of $11 million the first year. (more…)

By Claude Terry

Editor’s Note: When Claude Terry wrote this story for Brown’s Guide to Georgia Magazine in 1973, he was a professor of microbiology at Emory University. A scientist by training and an expert outdoorsman by nature, Claude was among a small number of pioneering Georgia environmentalists who helped Jimmy Carter and other state and federal government officials see and appreciate the Flint as well as other Georgia rivers. He was one of the original Friends of the River, the group that successfully lobbied for designation of a portion of the Chattahoochee River in Atlanta as a National Recreation Area. He founded Southeastern Expeditions, a rafting outfitter on the Chattooga River in northeast Georgia. He was one of the founders of American Rivers Conservation Council, now American Rivers, and was recently recognized by that organization for his conservation efforts on behalf of rivers. For a story on Claude and his Georgia river experience that appeared in the Atlanta Journal Constitution on April 23, 2008, click here. The photo is Claude and his son, Mike, on the Chattooga River in 1972.

Take a river labeled “Georgia’s Number One Scenic River” by the Natural Areas Council, add the spice of three controversial dams which will drown this river valley, cap that off with the fact that this stream offers the best whitewater canoeing in middle Georgia and you can only be talking about Georgia’s Unique Flint River. Fishermen float and hike the river, canoeists drift down the easy stretches or risk boat and limb in Yellow Jacket Shoals, and hunters prowl the adjacent forests in large numbers to stalk the plentiful deer. (more…)

By Eugene H. Methvin

This story by Georgia native Eugene Methvin originally appeared in Readers Digest in 1974. It was reprinted in The Flint River Guidebook with permission.

Throughout the spring and summer of 1972, Georgia’s Gov. Jimmy Carter had been besieged with pleas to block a proposed federal dam and “save the Flint River.” Finally, in August, the governor took an overnight canoe trip to see for himself the source of the uproar.

The Flint River rises in Atlanta. Leaving the city, it is a greasy, sticky industrial sludge. But after tumbling through the Piedmont Plateau for 30 miles, it becomes a healthy highland stream that cuts through four steep ridges, forming the beautiful Flint River gorges, before spilling out into the coastal plain. In this magnificent fall-line passage of singing waters and hardwood forest, teeming wildlife thrives. Fishermen flock to try the Flint River bass, a prized game fish that spawns nowhere else, while canoeists test themselves on swirling white-water rapids.

“If we are going to destroy all this natural beauty,” Carter said to his fellow camper, Joe Tanner, commissioner of the state’s Department of Natural Resources, “we better make sure that what we get in return is worth the price.”

Back in the state capital, the two men began asking questions of federal planners – and soon found themselves grappling with gravely flawed government machinery for dealing with the twin crises of energy demands and environmental quality. The lessons they learned are vital to all Americans. (more…)

By SHERRI SMITH BROWN

Illustrations by Roel Wielinga

From the Flint River to the Chattahoochee River is a land that is tightly intertwined with the history of Georgia and America. Within this region sprang events with national scope. What was occurring in America was reflected in what was happening in the region, and events that occurred in the region greatly effected the policies of an emerging nation. (more…)

After being told by the Tarleton twins that Ashley Wilkes was to marry his cousin Melanie Hamilton, Scarlett O’Hara stood on the road to Tara awaiting her father, Gerald O’Hara’s, return from Twelve Oaks, the plantation across the Flint River where Ashley lived.

“Her eyes followed the winding road, blood-red now after the morning rain. In her thought she traced its course as it ran down the hill to the sluggish Flint River, through the tangled swampy bottoms and up the next hill to Twelve Oaks where Ashley lived. That was all the road meant now—a road to Ashley and the beautiful white-columned house that crowned the hill like a Greek temple.”

The Flint is only a 20-foot wide, winding stream between Fayette and Clayton counties, but this portion of it has played an integral part in literary history. Here, is where it flows along the western edge of Tara, the fictional home of Scarlett O’Hara—and perhaps the most famous home in all of American literature.

In reality, these Flint River bottomlands were part of a 2,527-acre cotton plantation owned by author Margaret Mitchell’s Irish great-grandfather, Phillip Fitzgerald. Margaret roamed the land as a child, and when she sat down to write Gone With the Wind, the Flint and her grandfather’s plantation, named Rural Home, evolved into Tara.

From The Flint River, A Recreational Guidebook to the Flint River and Environs by Fred Brown and Sherri Smith Brown