Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area
Encyclopedia
Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area preserves a series of sites between Atlanta
in the United States and Lake Sidney Lanier along the Chattahoochee River
. The 48-mile (77 km) stretch of the river affords public recreation opportunities and access to historic spots. 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 with 23 species of game fish. Year-round fishing is available with a Georgia fishing license and a trout stamp.
Cochran Shoals is the largest and most popular unit of the park, featuring a 3 miles (4.8 km) fitness trail, suitable for walking/jogging/biking, that is wheelchair accessible and also 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.
Powers Island was named for James Power (1790–1870). In 1835, he established Powers Ferry connecting what is now Sandy Springs to Cobb County. 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 Union soldiers 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 City of Roswell/Fulton County park), Riverside Park, Don White Memorial Park, Willeo Creek Park on the Cobb County
Line, Waller Park on Hog Waller 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 the only original building left standing of the 1839 Roswell Manufacturing Company. The city has boarded up the old machine shop building and fenced it off with razor wire. The Roswell Mill currently standing was built in 1882 and is now used as an office complex. In 2008-2009 the City of Roswell removed the fence and razor wire, cleared the old stone walls of Kudzu and rehabbed many walking trails.
The Chattahoochee River itself is one of Georgia's premier trout streams. It also offers picturesque areas for boating, canoeing and rafting. Its is very popular in the summer months for visitors to rent tubes and float from Powers Island to Paces Mill.
United State Park Rangers patrol the 48 miles (77.2 km) of river and 10000 acres (4,046.9 ha) of land units with patrol vehicles, jet-powered boats, kayaks, mountain bikes and hike the trails on foot. Rangers enforce the United States Code, Code of Federal Regulations as well as Georgia Criminal and Traffic Codes and are authorized by the U.S. Governement to carry firearms and make arrests. U.S. Park Rangers are commissioned Federal Police Officers who are also trained in EMS and wildland firefighting. U.S. Park Ranger are required to complete over 11 months (4 months initially and an additional 7 months) of law enforcement training at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC) in Glynco, Georgia in order to protect the visitors and the resource.
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
in the United States and Lake Sidney Lanier along the Chattahoochee River
Chattahoochee River
The Chattahoochee River flows through or along the borders of the U.S. states of Georgia, Alabama, and Florida. It is a tributary of the Apalachicola River, a relatively short river formed by the confluence of the Chattahoochee and Flint Rivers and emptying into Apalachicola Bay in the Gulf of...
. The 48-mile (77 km) stretch of the river affords public recreation opportunities and access to historic spots. The National Recreation Area
National Recreation Area
National Recreation Area is a designation for a protected area in the United States, often centered on large reservoirs and emphasizing water-based recreation for a large number of people. The first National Recreation Area was the Boulder Dam Recreation Area...
, a National Park Service unit, was established on August 15, 1978 by President Jimmy Carter
Jimmy Carter
James Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr. is an American politician who served as the 39th President of the United States and was the recipient of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize, the only U.S. President to have received the Prize after leaving office...
. The park headquarters and visitor center
Visitor center
A visitor center or centre , visitor information center, tourist information center, is a physical location that provides tourist information to the visitors who tour the place or area locally...
are located at the Island Ford Unit of the park at 1978 Island Ford Parkway in Sandy Springs, Georgia
Sandy Springs, Georgia
Sandy Springs is a city in north Georgia, United States. It is a northern suburb of Atlanta. With a 2010 population of 93,853, Sandy Springs is the sixth-largest city in the state and the second-largest city in Metro Atlanta. Sandy Springs is located in north Fulton County, Georgia, just south of...
. The Chattahoochee River is a stocked trout stream with 23 species of game fish. Year-round fishing is available with a Georgia fishing license and a trout stamp.
Cochran Shoals is the largest and most popular unit of the park, featuring a 3 miles (4.8 km) fitness trail, suitable for walking/jogging/biking, that is wheelchair accessible and also excellent for bird and wildlife watching. The historic Marietta Paper Mill ruins along Sope Creek
Sope Creek
Sope Creek is an stream located in Cobb County, Georgia, United States. It is a significant tributary of the Chattahoochee River, and under high water levels it can be used for extreme whitewater kayaking...
are preserved within the Sope Creek unit of the area. The Akers Mill
Akers Mill
Akers Mill, was a complex of at least two 19th century mills along Rottenwood Creek in Cobb County, Georgia, United States. The gristmill built into the bank overlooking the creek, with six terraces each acting as an individual floor in the mill operation...
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.
Powers Island was named for James Power (1790–1870). In 1835, he established Powers Ferry connecting what is now Sandy Springs to Cobb County. 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
Vickery Creek
Big Creek is a stream in Forsyth and Fulton counties in Georgia. The creek mouth into the Chattahoochee River is located at the southern border of Roswell where State Route 9 crosses the river...
(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 Union soldiers 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 City of Roswell/Fulton County park), Riverside Park, Don White Memorial Park, Willeo Creek Park on the Cobb County
Cobb County, Georgia
Cobb County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. Its county seat and largest city is Marietta, which is located in the center of the county. The county was named for Thomas Willis Cobb, who in the early 19th century was a United States representative and senator from Georgia...
Line, Waller Park on Hog Waller Creek, and the Chattahoochee Nature Center
Chattahoochee Nature Center
The Chattahoochee Nature Center is a private, non-profit environmental education facility in Roswell, Georgia. Located on adjacent to the Chattahoochee River, the nature center focuses on educational outreach through the use of live flora and fauna....
. 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 the only original building left standing of the 1839 Roswell Manufacturing Company. The city has boarded up the old machine shop building and fenced it off with razor wire. The Roswell Mill currently standing was built in 1882 and is now used as an office complex. In 2008-2009 the City of Roswell removed the fence and razor wire, cleared the old stone walls of Kudzu and rehabbed many walking trails.
The Chattahoochee River itself is one of Georgia's premier trout streams. It also offers picturesque areas for boating, canoeing and rafting. Its is very popular in the summer months for visitors to rent tubes and float from Powers Island to Paces Mill.
United State Park Rangers patrol the 48 miles (77.2 km) of river and 10000 acres (4,046.9 ha) of land units with patrol vehicles, jet-powered boats, kayaks, mountain bikes and hike the trails on foot. Rangers enforce the United States Code, Code of Federal Regulations as well as Georgia Criminal and Traffic Codes and are authorized by the U.S. Governement to carry firearms and make arrests. U.S. Park Rangers are commissioned Federal Police Officers who are also trained in EMS and wildland firefighting. U.S. Park Ranger are required to complete over 11 months (4 months initially and an additional 7 months) of law enforcement training at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC) in Glynco, Georgia in order to protect the visitors and the resource.
Units
- Bowmans Island
- Settles Bridge
- Orrs Ferry
- Suwanee Creek
- McGinnis Ferry
- Medlock Bridge
- Abbots Bridge
- Jones Bridge
- Holcomb Bridge
- Island Ford
- Vickery CreekVickery CreekBig Creek is a stream in Forsyth and Fulton counties in Georgia. The creek mouth into the Chattahoochee River is located at the southern border of Roswell where State Route 9 crosses the river...
- Gold Branch
- Sope CreekSope CreekSope Creek is an stream located in Cobb County, Georgia, United States. It is a significant tributary of the Chattahoochee River, and under high water levels it can be used for extreme whitewater kayaking...
- Johnson FerryJohnson FerryJohnson's Ferry or the Johnson Ferry was an important ferry built and operated by Johnson Garwood, and like most of the historic ferries of the Atlanta area, dates back to the 1830s...
North - Johnson Ferry South
- Cochran Shoals
- Powers Island
- East and West PalisadePalisadeA palisade is a steel or wooden fence or wall of variable height, usually used as a defensive structure.- Typical construction :Typical construction consisted of small or mid sized tree trunks aligned vertically, with no spacing in between. The trunks were sharpened or pointed at the top, and were...
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