Georgia Rivers

A big shout out to Janina Edwards, Sylvester Pierce, Don Hayes, McClain Martin and Les Duncan for leading and instructing on Georgia Rivers Chattahoochee River Learn-To-Kayak adventure this weekend in Roswell. Some 20 new paddlers learned strokes and safety. Said one participant: "Thank you and your team for the amazing and unforgettable experience. My children enjoyed the trip so much that they talked about it for the rest of the day yesterday." See all of Georgia Rivers on-water adventures at www.garivers.org/events

"Okefenokee" the thoroughbred horse is racing at the Belmont Stakes weekend!

Okefenokee the horse is owned by the West Paces Racing partnership co-founded by Keith Mason and Larry Connolly. This horse is making its first start in final race today at Saratoga in the Belmont Stakes weekend.

“The Okefenokee Swamp is so popular now that a horse at the Belmont Stakes weekend is named Okefenokee.

It’s been a long race but we’re going to get the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge to the finish line this summer to become America’s next World Heritage Site - joining World Heritage List legendary winners like Grand Canyon & Great Pyramids! Goooo Okefenokee!!!” — Rena Ann Peck, Georgia Rivers Executive Director

Watch on FOX Sports this weekend!
https://www.nyra.com/belmont-stakes/

Itching for a new kayak?

Play and win in the Georgia Rivers PADDLE GEORGIA 2026 Kayak Raffle in which one lucky winner will take home a Crescent Kayaks CK1 Kayak donated by Murphs Surf with outlets at Morgan Falls Lake and multiple Lake Allatoona locations.

Each raffle ticket puts your name in the hat, so the more tickets you buy, the greater your chances to win! All funds raised support Georgia Rivers' work to protect and connect people with Georgia rivers.

The raffle closes Friday, June 19th, with the winner announced at PADDLE GEORGIA and on social media. You don't have to be present to win the kayak.

Purchase raffle tickets here: https://rafflecreator.com/pages/55174/kayak-raffle---june-2026

A REMINDER! Tonight at 7 p.m. we will host our Paddle Georgia 2026 Zoom Information Session. You can join in the fun at: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/9749672913?omn=81886183493 We'll provide an overview of the trip set for June 14-20 on the Cooswattee and Oostanaula rivers, campsites and logistics. Then, we will answer any questions you might have. BE THERE!

Paddle Georgia is creeping ever so closer and we're preparing by educating some of our participants in basic water safety! Nine participants received water safety training from Georgia Rivers Andrew Kraft and volunteer Mike Henry this Saturday in Chattahoochee Hills. Some will be assisting as safety boaters during our journey down the Coosawattee and Oostanaula Rivers set for June 14-20!

Thunderstorms prevented us from paddling all nine miles of our Broad River Shoals Lily Adventure Saturday, but the bad weather did hold off long enough for us to make an upstream trip to Anthony Shoals to see the lilies and the ruins of the Broad River Manufacturing Company dating to the 1840s. Critters, beautiful flowers and lots of cool history all wrapped up at Anthony Shoals!

Georgia Rivers is excited to partner with Dalton State College to bring to bring more than dozen students on Paddle Georgia 2026, taking place June 14-20 on the Coosawattee and Oostanaula rivers. Last week, some of the participating students joined Georgia Rivers River Program Coordinator Andrew Kraft and Paddle Georgia Coordinator Joe Cook for a kayaking skills training at Haig Mill Lake Park in Dalton. They're now ready to rumble down the Oostanaula June 18-20!

If you are joining Georgia Rivers for Paddle Georgia 2026, here's a sampling of photographs from a recent scouting trip of part of Day 1 and Day 2 of this year's route on the Coosawattee River. Day 2 is filled with numerous Class II rapids/shoals followed by a 5-6-mile lake paddle (sorry!) Hopefully, these images will give you a feel for what to expect! Of course, water levels will have a major impact on this section and we will closely watch water levels up until June 15 when we run this section.

Thanks, Rough Draft Atlanta for sharing about Paddle Georgia! Reminder to register before May 31 to join this record-breaking paddle trip down 4 rivers.

Paddle Georgia to traverse four rivers starting in June Join Paddle Georgia, the largest canoe and kayak event in the US, for a week-long expedition through Georgia's beautiful rivers and valleys.