By Suzanne Welander

From Hiltonia Road to US Highway 301, about 3.2 miles. In the Savannah River watershed. Map

An intimate stream of primeval beauty near the fall line west of Augusta, Brier Creek threads a winding path through dense vegetation reminiscent of the Coastal Plain.

Brier Creek is simply a gem of a waterway, and for the most part, hospitable to boot. With the exception mentioned in the description below, access is very open. A hybrid of a winding plains stream and lowland swamp, the river corridor is intimate, private, and undeveloped. Our recent two-day float was exceedingly peaceful. While good campsites weren’t plentiful – this stream lacks the sandbars tucked into the inside curve of bends that define so many Coastal Plain rivers – they can be found. Our bottomland campsite, complete with camp toad, was blanketed in moss. (more…)

From Turners Corner to the Highway 52 Bridge

Born in the rock faces of Blood Mountain, the Chestatee cascades out of the Chattahoochee National forest as one of Georgia’s best trout streams. From Turner’s Corner to Georgia Highway 52 the river is one of the best canoeing streams in the state. Although the small watershed limits the rivers use to winter spring and rainy periods in the summer, the beauty makes it well worth the effort involved in planning a trip for “when it rains.” Individual preferences for water levels also come into play here, since some people may not mind dragging their boat over shallow ledges. The scenery is excellent, particularly in the spring and early summer. Azaleas and dogwoods in April, laurel in May and rhododendron in early June provide small splashes of color against the rich magnificence of the white pines and hemlocks.

The first six miles or so from Turner’s Corner is down a green-lined tunnel, with no real rapids of note, but plenty of beauty. The first really challenging rapid is a ledge with a “s” turn (1) There follows a series of moderate rapids, with abrupt turns in the river revealing steep banks covered with white pines. The next rapid is just above the lunch spot, and is preceded by an old white pine covered in “old man’s beard” lichen. This runs best on the left. (more…)