By Suzanne Welander

From Juliette to Pope’s Ferry, a distance of approximately 9.8 miles.    View map

The Ocmulgee River. Flowing southeast below Lloyd Shoals Dam through the Piedmont, the Ocmulgee winds through steep-to-rolling hills and narrow valleys flanked by a lush wooded corridor. Shoals resume at half-mile intervals below the dam and continue all the way to the take-out.

Drought-constrained paddlers need not stay dry-docked; this section of the Ocmulgee River north of Macon is dam-fed on a somewhat predictable schedule, and offers beautiful forest scenery only occasionally interrupted by streamside development. An easy two-hour drive from Atlanta, the 9.8 mile section from Juliette to Pope’s Ferry is less fragrant than the water immediately below Lloyd Shoals dam and Lake Jackson and ends before the large Arkwright Power Plant. Forest views dominate the river corridor on this easy day trip for paddlers with Class I-II skills.

The Ocmulgee is born at the confluence of the Alcovy and South Rivers in the backwaters of Jackson Lake in Butts and Jasper Counties. Flowing southeast below Lloyd Shoals Dam through the Piedmont, the Ocmulgee winds through steep-to-rolling hills and narrow valleys flanked by a lush, wooded corridor of pine, sweet gum, hickory, willow, red maple, white oak, black oak, and beech. Rock outcroppings occasionally grace the riverside as the stream runs within well-defined red clay banks 6–14 feet high, sharply inclined between 60 and 90 degrees. Scrub vegetation is thick with diverse flora, including ferns, vines, and shrubs.

At Juliette, you must make a quarter-mile portage on the left around the Birch Dam. Shoals resume at half-mile intervals below the dam, seldom exceeding easy Class II, and continue all the way to Arkwright. The large Arkwright Power Plant signals the end of the Ocmulgee’s whitewater and the departure of the river from the Piedmont.

GAUGE: The river is generally runnable from Lake Jackson to Macon all year, subject to regular but capricious releases at Lloyd Shoals Dam. Flow volume is reported on the USGS Web site for the river at Jackson. The minimum is 400 cfs; 800 cfs is more enjoyable. The maximum is flood stage. Water released from the dam is cold, increasing the risk of hypothermia in cooler weather.

SHUTTLE: To the put-in at Juliette, take the exit #186 from I-75 and head east on Juliette Road. After crossing Birch Dam and the river, turn right onto Round Oak Juliette Road, then take another right onto Old River Road, and a final hard right turn at the sign for river access. A dirt road takes you to a parking area. To the take-out, return to Juliette Road, cross back over the river and turn left onto Highway 87. Travel approximately nine miles; turn left onto Pope’s Ferry Road, veer right at the fork and follow the road over the railroad tracks and down to the boat ramp area. View map.

This canoeing guide was adapted from A Canoeing & Kayaking Guide to Georgia by Suzanne Welander, Bob Sehlinger and Don Otey. Organized efficiently by watersheds, the book contains paddling guides to over 80 Georgia streams and rivers, plus the Okefenokee Swamp and the Georgia Coast as well as a wealth of interesting and useful information about Georgia physiography and paddling in general. Order this and canoeing and kayaking guides for other states from Menasha Ridge Press.