Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area

National park in the state of Georgia, USA

Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area

IUCN category V (protected landscape/seascape)

View northwards up the river from Atlanta at East Palisades (April 2012)

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Location| Cobb, Forsyth, Fulton, & Gwinnett counties, Georgia, USA
Nearest city| Park headquarters:
1978 Island Ford Parkway, Sandy Springs, GA 30350
Coordinates| 33°59′14″N 84°19′29″W﻿ / ﻿33.98722°N 84.32472°W﻿ / 33.98722; -84.32472
Area| 10,550 acres (4,269 ha)[1]
5,124 acres (2,074 ha) federal
Established| August 15, 1978
Visitors| 3,537,848 (in 2022)[2]
Governing body| National Park Service
Website| Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area

Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area (CRNRA) preserves a series of sites between Atlanta and Lake Sidney Lanier along the Chattahoochee River in Georgia, U.S. The 48-mile (77 km) stretch of the river affords public recreation opportunities and access to historic sites. The national recreation area, a National Park Service unit, was established on August 15, 1978, by President Jimmy Carter.

The park headquarters and visitor center are located at the Island Ford Unit of the park, at 1978 Island Ford Parkway in Sandy Springs, Georgia. The Chattahoochee River is a stocked trout stream[3] with 23 species of game fish. Year-round fishing is available with a Georgia fishing license and a trout stamp.

In 2012, the Chattahoochee National Recreation Area was designated as the Chattahoochee River Water Trail to become the first river named a National Water Trail. The National Water Trails System was created by the U.S. Department of the Interior to increase access to water-based outdoor recreation, encourage community stewardship of local waterways, and promote tourism.[4]

Cochran Shoals is the largest and most popular unit of the park, featuring a 3-mile (4.8 km) fitness trail, suitable for walking/jogging/biking, which is wheelchair-accessible and is excellent for bird- and wildlife-watching. The historic Marietta Paper Mill ruins along Sope Creek are preserved within the Sope Creek unit of the area. The Akers Mill ruins along Rottenwood Creek are found within the West Palisades unit. Steep rock cliffs rise from the river's flood plain in the East Palisades unit of the park.

Power's Island was named for James Power (1790-1870). In 1835, he established Power's ferry on the Chattahoochee River, connecting what is now Sandy Springs to Cobb County. Power's Ferry, now spelled Powers Ferry, was used by units of General William Sherman's army in July 1864. The ferry was eventually replaced by a bridge, which was built in 1903.

The Vickery Creek unit preserves a rugged and scenic stretch of Vickery Creek (also known as Big Creek) from Grimes Bridge Road to its mouth at the Chattahoochee River. The ruins of Ivy Mill, which was a wool mill that produced fabric for Confederate soldiers, are located in this unit along with the historic Allenbrook House. Ivy Mill was destroyed by the Union Army in 1864, and the women factory workers were sent North for the duration of the war. The Allenbrook House, completed in 1857, was the home and office of the manager of Ivy Mill.

From the Vickery Creek Unit, pedestrians can use sidewalks and spur trails for convenient access to Chattahoochee River Park (a Roswell Recreation and Parks/Fulton County park), Riverside Park, Don White Memorial Park, Willeo Creek Park on the Cobb County line, Waller Park on Hog Wallow Creek, and the Chattahoochee Nature Center. Roswell Mill can be accessed via a spur trail and covered bridge that crosses the creek at the site of the Roswell Mill Machine Shop, which was built in 1853 and is the only original building left standing of the 1839 Roswell Manufacturing Company. The Roswell Mill building currently left standing was built in 1882 and is now used as an office complex.

The Chattahoochee River itself is one of Georgia's premier trout streams.[3][5] It also offers picturesque areas for boating, canoeing, and rafting. It is very popular in the summer months for visitors to rent tubes and float from Powers Island to Paces Mill.

United States Park Rangers patrol the 48 miles (77 km) of river and 10,000 acres (4,000 ha) of land units with patrol vehicles, jet-powered boats, kayaks, and mountain bikes. They also hike the trails on foot. Rangers enforce park regulations as well as Georgia criminal and traffic codes, and are authorized to carry firearms and make arrests.

In 2014, the CRNRA was given the Award for Outstanding Service to Environmental Education by the Georgia Environmental Education Association - an affiliate of the North American Association for Environmental Education.[6]

## Units

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Chattahoochee River NRA Island Ford Shoals near Roswell, GA | Vickery Creek Dam at Oxbo Road entrance of Vickery Creek unit

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The Chattahoochee River in Sandy Springs |  Covered bridge entrance to the Vickery Creek unit at the Roswell Mill Ruins (City of Roswell Park)

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* Bowmans Island
* Settles Bridge
* Orrs Ferry
* Suwanee Creek
* McGinnis Ferry
* Medlock Bridge
* Abbots Bridge
* Jones Bridge
* Holcomb Bridge
* Island Ford
* Vickery Creek
* Gold Branch
* Sope Creek
* Johnson Ferry North
* Johnson Ferry South
* Cochran Shoals
* Powers Island
* East and West Palisades

## References

[edit]

* Georgia (U.S. State) portal

1. ^ "Listing of acreage – December 31, 2011" (XLSX). Land Resource Division, National Park Service. Retrieved 2012-12-16. (National Park Service Acreage Reports)
2. ^ "NPS Annual Recreation Visits Report". National Park Service. Retrieved 2023-07-26.
3. ^ a b Baldwin, Don (March 2006). "Trout Fishing Tour of the Chattahoochee River". Georgia Outdoor News. Retrieved 2014-03-31.
4. ^ "Chattahoochee America's first national water trail". Alpharetta and Roswell Revue & News. Appen Newspapers Inc. March 6, 2012. Retrieved 2014-03-31.
5. ^ Kennett, Brad (April 25, 2002). "Buford Dam area offers great trout fishing". Alpharetta and Roswell Revue & News. Appen Newspapers Inc. Archived from the original on April 1, 2014. Retrieved 2014-03-31.
6. ^ Dixon, Crystal (March 31, 2014). "Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area Gets Award". Roswell Patch. Planck LLC d/b/a Patch Media. Archived from the original on April 1, 2014. Retrieved 2014-03-31.

* The National Parks: Index 2001-2003. Washington: U.S. Department of the Interior.

## External links

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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area.

* Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area at NPS.gov
* Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area: Hiking, Running & Walking Trails

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National recreation areas of the United States

National Park Service|

* Amistad
* Bighorn Canyon
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* Chattahoochee River
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U.S. Forest Service|

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Bureau of Land
Management|

* White Mountains

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Hiking trails in Georgia

* Appalachian
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Protected areas of Georgia

Federal|

| National Historical Parks,
historic sites and military parks|

* Andersonville NHS
* Jimmy Carter NHP
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* Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park
* Ocmulgee Mounds NHP

|

National monuments|

* Fort Frederica
* Fort Pulaski

National forests|

* Chattahoochee–Oconee

National wildlife refuges|

* Banks Lake
* Blackbeard Island
* Bond Swamp
* Eufaula
* Harris Neck
* Okefenokee
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* Savannah
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National Natural Landmarks|

* Heggie's Rock
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Wilderness areas|

* Big Frog Wilderness
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* Brasstown Wilderness
* Cohutta Wilderness
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* Mark Trail Wilderness
* Okefenokee Wilderness
* Raven Cliffs Wilderness
* Rich Mountain Wilderness
* Southern Nantahala Wilderness
* Tray Mountain Wilderness

Wild and scenic rivers|

* Chattooga River

National trails|

* Appalachian Trail
* Pinhoti National Recreation Trail

Other protected areas|

* Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area
* Cumberland Island National Seashore
* Gray's Reef National Marine Sanctuary
* Sapelo Island National Estuarine Research Reserve

State|

| Parks|

* Amicalola Falls
* Black Rock Mountain
* Chattahoochee Bend
* Cloudland Canyon
* Crooked River
* Don Carter
* Elijah Clark
* F.D. Roosevelt
* Florence Marina
* Fort Mountain
* Fort Yargo
* General Coffee
* George L. Smith
* George T. Bagby
* Georgia Veterans
* Hamburg
* Hard Labor Creek
* High Falls
* Indian Springs
* Jack Hill
* James H. "Sloppy" Floyd
* Laura S. Walker
* Little Ocmulgee
* Magnolia Springs
* Mistletoe
* Moccasin Creek
* Panola Mountain
* Providence Canyon
* Red Top Mountain
* Reed Bingham
* Richard B. Russell
* Sapelo Island
* Seminole
* Skidaway Island
* Smithgall Woods
* Sprewell Bluff
* Stephen C. Foster
* Sweetwater Creek
* Tallulah Gorge
* Tugaloo
* Unicoi
* Victoria Bryant
* Vogel
* Watson Mill Bridge

|

Historic parks
and sites|

* A. H. Stephens
* Chief Vann House
* Dahlonega Gold Museum
* Etowah Indian Mounds
* Fort McAllister
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* Fort Morris
* Hofwyl-Broadfield Plantation
* Jarrell Plantation
* Jefferson Davis Memorial
* Kolomoki Mounds
* Lapham–Patterson House
* Lebanon Plantation
* Little White House
* New Echota
* Pickett's Mill Battlefield
* Robert Toombs House
* Travelers Rest
* Wormsloe

Forests|

* Bartram
* Broxton Rocks
* Dawson
* Dixon Memorial
* Hightower
* Paulding
* Spirit Creek

Other|

* Centennial Olympic Park
* Charlie Elliott Wildlife Center
* Jekyll Island
* Len Foote Hike Inn
* Radium Springs
* Sapelo Island
* Stone Mountain Park

County,
municipal
and other|

| Parks|

* Bobby Brown Park
* Chehaw Park
* Cobb County Parks
* Hartwell Lakeside
* John Tanner
* McIntosh Reserve
* Murphey Candler Park
* Okefenokee Swamp Park
* Robert G. Hunter Memorial Park
* Roswell Recreation and Parks
* Seaborn Jones Memorial Park
* Shaking Rock Park
* Standing Boy Creek Park

|

Forests and
nature preserves|

* Autrey Mill Nature Preserve & Heritage Center
* Fernbank Forest
* Marshall Forest
* Morningside Nature Preserve
* Phinizy Swamp Nature Park
* Reynolds Nature Preserve

Nature and environmental
education centers|

* Birdsong Nature Center
* Charlie Elliott Wildlife Center
* Chattahoochee Nature Center
* Cochran Mill Nature Center
* Dauset Trails Nature Center
* Dunwoody Nature Center
* Elachee Nature Science Center
* Georgia Nature Center
* Grand Bay Wetland Education Center
* Melvin L. Newman Wetlands Center
* Oatland Island Wildlife Center
* Oxbow Meadows Environmental Learning Center
* Panola Mountain State Park Nature Center
* Sandy Creek Nature Center
* Savannah-Ogeechee Canal Museum & Nature Center
* Tidelands Nature Center
* Tybee Island Marine Science Center
* West Atlanta Watershed Alliance Outdoor Activity Center

* Georgia Department of Natural Resources
* Georgia Forestry Commission

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U.S. National Trails System

National Historic Trails|

| Scenic motor routes|

* Butterfield Overland
* California Trail
* El Camino Real de los Tejas Trail
* El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro
* Juan Bautista de Anza Trail
* Mormon Trail
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* Oregon Trail
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* Santa Fe Trail
* Selma to Montgomery Trail
* Trail of Tears
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Natural surface trails|

* Ala Kahakai Trail
* Chilkoot Trail
* Iditarod Trail

Water trails|

* Captain John Smith Chesapeake Trail

Combination|

* Lewis and Clark Trail (motor, land, and water)
* Overmountain Victory Trail (motor and land)
* Star-Spangled Banner Trail (motor and water)

National Scenic Trails|

* Appalachian Trail
* by state
* Arizona Trail
* Continental Divide Trail
* New England Trail
* Florida Trail
* Ice Age Trail
* Natchez Trace Trail
* North Country Trail
* by state
* Pacific Crest Trail
* Pacific Northwest Trail
* Potomac Heritage Trail

National Geologic Trail|

* Ice Age Floods Trail

National Recreation Trails|

* Category

Related|

* Triple Crown of Hiking

Authority control databases |

* VIAF
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