Ogeechee River Canoeing Guide
Monday, August 3rd, 2009By SUZANNE WELANDER
Ogeechee Canoochee Riverkeeper members in the clear waters of the Ogeechee River during a July 25, 2009 trip organized by OCR Program Director Dianna Wedincamp. First-time paddler Anna Thibeau blogged about flipping her boat on her first canoeing adventure, “Seriously, I had not expected to get wet above the knees. I had even styled my hair and put make up on carefully before we left home. The drenching was wonderful!” View a Gallery of photos taken during the trip and read Anna’s complete trip report.
The Ogeechee is Georgia’s only major riverway that stretches from the Atlantic to the Piedmont unimpeded by dams, forming a rare native environment for indigenous wildlife and a spawning grounds 
for sturgeon and mullet. After a brief, rarely runnable Class II section formed as the river falls off the piedmont, the Ogeechee runs wild through broad expanses of lowland swamp and past occasional bluffs carved out of the clay banks before reaching the alluvium marshes of the Atlantic Ocean. Its remote nature holds development at bay – a trip on the Ogeechee opens up a private wonderland virtually inaccessible except by boat.
This is a paddling guide to the Ogeechee River in three sections: Louisville to Millen, a distance of about 52.6 miles; Millen to GA 24, a distance of about 49.5 miles; and GA 24 to US 17, a distance of about 64.3 miles. The trip may be broken up into smaller sections using the map and shuttle directions below. VIEW INTERACTIVE MAP
SECTION I LOUISVILLE TO MILLEN
SUMMARY: Class, I; Length, 52.6 miles; Time, up to 1.5 weeks; Gage, USGS website; Level, unknown; Gradient, less than 2 feet per mile; Scenery B. VIEW INTERACTIVE MAP
DESCRIPTION: Intimate, serene, and beautiful, in good years the Ogeechee becomes runnable below the impassable Chaulker Swamp at the US 1 bridge crossing south of Louisville. Here, the river is from 35 to 50 feet in width and almost completely shaded by sycamore, willow, sweet gum, and cypress laden with moss. The current is slow, in keeping with the tranquil, lazy atmosphere.
For the most part, the Ogeechee runs in the center of a heavily forested lowland swamp as it moves southward through Jefferson, Burke, and Emanuel counties. The course of the river is meandering and convoluted, with numerous horseshoe bends, oxbow lakes, and small meandering islands. Beyond the lowland swamp, the terrain rises gradually to a plateau about 20 feet above the swamp floor. When not marred by logging activity, the setting is primitive in the extreme, with a swamp of woodland corridor ranging for a mile or so to either side of the river.
The same factors that make this section of the Ogeechee enticing constitute the major impediment to paddling it. In high-water years like 2003, trees and accompanying vegetation are dislodged and washed into the stream, clogging the narrow stream bed with prolific deadfalls that force frequent hurdling, and portaging, and, at a minimum, intricate maneuvering. Passage more reliably clear of obstruction begins in the next section.
SHUTTLE: The lowest take-out for this section is immediately south of Millen on US 25; access is at the northwest corner of the bridge. Upper access points are close to GA 17. VIEW INTERACTIVE MAP
GAUGE: Data for the gauge located at Midville is available on the USGS website. The minimum level for using this gauge is unknown; maximum is flood stage. Local outfitters can provide assessments over the phone.
SECTION II MILLEN TO GA 24
SUMMARY: Class, I; Length, 49.5 miles; Time, up to 6 days; Gage, USGS website; Level, 3 feet; Gradient, less than 2 feet per mile; Scenery B+. VIEW INTERACTIVE MAP
DESCRIPTION: The river’s channel below Millen becomes wider and relatively free of the deadfall that can plague the upper sections, although complete stream-wide blockages are still possible. The current moderates from sluggish to surprisingly swift as the river meanders around frequent bends. This, and the trees growing in the stream, keep the paddling lively and sharpen you navigational skills. Scenery is excellent, flora and fauna are abundantly varied, and except following heavy rains, the tannin stained water is bright and clear.
The surrounding swamp expands and contracts as the Ogeechee flows past tall (65 feet) sand-and-clay bluffs that give the stream a special identity. These bluffs and many others more modest in size approach and recede from the river intermittently, leaving vast primeval gardens of backwater sloughs and thickly forested watery lowland in their wake. Continuing almost all the way to the tidewater section below the railroad crossing west of Meldrim (in the lowest section), the bluffs offer the best canoe camping sites on the Ogeechee.
When the cycles of rain and deadfall align to create favorable conditions (more rain, less deadfall), approaches to the river can be made via the Buckhead Creek’s crossing of GA 17 west of Millen. The creek is largely fed by Magnolia Springs, which surfaces at Magnolia Springs State Park north of Millen.
SHUTTLE: The lowest take-out on this section is located east of Statesboro on GA 24 (N). Higher access points are easily reached from GA 17, north of the river. VIEW INTERACTIVE MAP
GAUGE: Levels at Rocky Ford are provided on the USGS website and over the phone by calling local outfitters. A good level is around 3-to-3.5 feet; the maximum is flood stage. The Waycross DNR Fisheries Office at 912-285-6094 can provide more information, including a map of commonly used public access points.
SECTION III GA 24 TO US 17
SUMMARY: Class, I; Length, 64.3 miles; Time, up to 1 week; Gage, USGS website; Level, unknown; Gradient, less than 1 foot per mile; Scenery B. VIEW INTERACTIVE MAP
DESCRIPTION: In this section, the river widens to 110 feet and the channel becomes better defined. Moving into Bryan and southern Effingham counties, small islands suitable for canoe camping become more prevalent. Just downstream from GA 204, the Ogeechee separates into multiple channels 40-to-55-feet in width, which are all runnable. These rejoin and split a second time before coming together to stay.
As the Ogeechee approaches and runs along the eastern boundary of Fort Stuart in Bryan County, the woodland swamp corridor widens to several miles and presents countless opportunities for side explorations into the adjacent sloughs and swamps, especially at high water. Paddlers anticipating off-river explorations should carry a GPS or compass and topographical maps and know how to use them to avoid getting lost.
Just upstream of the Ogeechee’s main tributary, the Canoochee River, the Ogeechee enters the tidewater zone. From this area downstream the banks and confining low-ridge plateaus bordering the swamp corridor begin to recede and flatten into a vast grassy marsh resembling a giant rice paddy. This topography persists below the last access point all the way to Ogeechee Sound, where the Ogeechee joins the Little Ogeechee and the Vernon River at the edge of the Atlantic Ocean. Powerboat traffic is not uncommon below the mouth of the Canoochee as the river’s width averages 190 to 230 feet.
While the tidal marsh is unique in its flora, its diverse fish and bird fauna, and its labyrinthine creeks that carve graceful swaths through the marsh grasses, the marsh is extremely inaccessible. Paddle trips must begin upriver, proceed down into the marshes, and then return to the point of embarkation or to an access point up one of the other streams emptying into the sound. Careful attention must be given to the tides when planning such trips; and paddlers should be completely self-sufficient in their equipment and preparations, since dry land is often nonexistent.
SHUTTLE: The final take-out is reached from I-95 south of Savannah. Take Exit 90 and go east on GA 144. Turn left onto US 17, which takes you to the boat ramp at the access point. GA 119, US 80 and GA 204 provide access to upper debarkation points of this section. VIEW INTERACTIVE MAP
GAUGE: Levels near Eden are provided on the USGS website. Local outfitters can provide river information. The Richmond Hill DNR fisheries office at 912-727-2112 can supply a map of the commonly used access points and annual forecasts of fish harvests by species.
MAPS: USGS Maps: Louisville South, Old Town, Colemans Lake, Midville, Birdsville, Millen, Four Points, Rocky Ford, Hopeulikit, Dover, Rock Ford 15′, Oliver 15′, Brooklet 15′, Egypt 15′, Eden, Meldrim Southwest, Mildrim Southeast, Richmond Hill, Burroughs, Isle of Hope, Raccoon Key. County Maps: Jefferson, Burke, Emanuel, Jenkins, Screven, Bulloch, Effingham, Bryan, Chatham.
Links
- The Ogeechee is one of Georgia’s major 14 watersheds. Read more about the Ogeechee watershed.
- Download a poster of the Ogeechee River showing historical and environmental information about the river, including all of its tributaries.
- Read a paddling guide to the Canoochee River, the Ogeechee’s main tributary.
- Learn more about the Ogeechee - Canoochee Riverkeeper.
A Canoeing & Kayaking Guide to Georgia is a compilation of paddling guides 
to over 80 Georgia streams and rivers, plus the Okefenokee Swamp and Georgia Coast, published by Menasha Ridge Press since 1982. Originally written by Bob Sehlinger and Don Otey, it has been extensively revised and updated by Suzanne Welander. Organized efficiently by watersheds, the book contains a wealth of interesting and useful information about Georgia physiography and paddling, in general, as well as the authoritative paddling guides. To purchase a copy of A Canoeing & Kayaking Guide to Georgia, a book every paddler of Georgia streams should have in their library (and boat), and to see over 75 other outdoor guides published by Menasha, visit the Menasha Ridge Press website.
The Canoochee River’s moderate currents of the upper and middle sections of the river are moderated by the ebb and flow of the tide near its confluence with the Ogeechee.