National Park Service Chattahoochee River U.S. Department of the Interior National Recreation Area Georgia Photo: tom WilsoN The Chattahoochee River starts high in the Southern Appalachian Mountains in the Mark Trail Wilderness Area. Seeping from a patch of sand and gravel, the river travels down the steep mountainside, growing quickly, fed by many springs and small tributaries. The river passes through scenic mountain villages, past farms, factories, and subdivisions and into Lake Lanier. After dropping 197 feet, the river emerges at the base of Buford Dam to begin its 48 mile journey as the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area under the stewardship of the National Park Service. The beautiful river and the land along it have a rich history dating back for centuries. The word Chattahoochee is Native American and is thought to mean “River of Painted Rocks.” The Cherokee referred to the Chattahoochee River Corridor as the Enchanted Land. This guide is designed to help you discover the enchantment. Photo: tom WilsoN Restrooms Boat ramp Wildlife viewing National Recreation Area (includes Fish weir 48 miles of the Chattahoochee River) Parking Boat launch Bicycle trail Other public area Bridge crossing Ranger station Picnic area Hiking trail 55 River milepost Historic bridge or Prehistoric Trail crossing Drinking water Picnic shelter Wheelchair-accessible Shoal area Playground 20 9 North Road m Creek a aw D H Buford Dam rd fo Bu Lake Sidney Lanier (Army Corps of Engineers) 0 1 2 Kilometers 348 0 1 2 Miles 14 Federal laws and National Park Service Market Place Blvd regulationsBufo apply to national recreation lands rd Bowmans Island BOWMANS ISLAND and 48 miles of H theig Chattahoochee River. hwa Shoals y 347 ek re C d n la ch Ri Buford Trout Hatchery B 346 uf or 20 d Hi ghw ay Fish Weir Shoals k ree James C ORRS Union troops shown crossing the Chattahoochee River at FERRY the Hightower Trail Ford as they approached Atlanta.1864 A covered bridge crossed the Chattahoochee 345 Courtesy of the GeorGia arChives River near the Roswell Cotton Mill. ca. 1900 13 (Georgia Courtesy of the GeorGia arChives Department of Natural Fords, Ferries, Bridges Resources) 9 Wading In Rivers serve as a natural barrier to human travel. Shallow areas ins riv- 344 e Historic Settles ers are called fords, and serve as ideal locations for crossing the m river. Bridge 141 a The fords on the Chattahoochee River have been important forJ centu- (closed) ries and connected an extensive network of American Indian foot- paths used for trade. These footpaths resulted in the establishment of k s e le e the Sixes Trail, Hightower Trail, and others through the river valley. tt r e C S SETTLES 343 Dry Feet BRIDGE As settlement of the area Sharonincreased, ferries began to appear along theSou thers river. Ferries used the river current to move the boat across the river. A l ve e rope was stretched across the river with bow and stern lines attached L to it which could be set at an angle to the current. The current’s force and the boat’s angle pushed the craft across the water. Until the early 342 years of the twentieth century, ferries were the major means of cross- ing the river. Many names along the river are derived from these early ferry crossings. 19 P Spanning the Rivere a Just like today, as increasedc travel resulted in waiting lines for the h 340 400 t 341 r next ferry, wooden covered ebridges began to replaceRoad the ferries. One Creek e such bridge crossed the river at the city of Roswell before and after Dick Dick Creek the Civil War. Today, only a few lonelyPa stonerkway piers remain of these bridges. More durable narrow bridges of steel were gradually built to d replace the decaying wood bridges.a Though no longer in use, three of o these historic steel truss bridgesR still span the river; the oldest being McGinnis Ferry Road Settles Bridge, constructed in the 1880s. Today, modern multilane d bridges of steel and concrete stando as a monument to their early 12 o McGINNIS ek engineered predecessors. Thesew serve as a reminder of the transition 339 re k C from fords to ferries to bridgeso as the need and desire to cross the FERRY o r river increased with the growingB population. e e n a American Indians 338 Suw M d Rock shelters have been used over e a d o the years for protection from the l Rd R o Home Progression c elements. Ferry American Indians in the southeast used the Chattahoochee Riverk val- Photo: NPs s e hany nni ot i g B G ley as their home for thousands of years. The most intensive occupa - Road c Historic Rogers SUWANEE M d i r y tion of the river corridor was during the Woodland Indian period,B Bridge a B r CREEK w from 1000 B.C. to AD 900. These people were hunters and gatherers,i (closed) d 337 k g r s Alpharetta and took advantage of rock shelters, naturally occurring overhanginge a e P rock, for cover. Sixteen rockn shelters have been identified in the park, o J with the most visible being in the Cochran Shoals area at riverBridge mile d r 307.7. With the Historic Period came the incorporations of European a tt w bo 336 Road influences in the Creek and Cherokee cultureAb along the Chattahooch- d 120 in ee River. Over time, villages with sturdy log cabin-style homes became W established along the river as the inhabitants began to settle in one area to adopt an agricultural economy. While the rock shelters have Abbotts Bridge Abbotts Bridge Road 11 withstood the weathering of time and nature, all evidence of these villages disappeared long ago. 335 120 Fishing the American Indian Way ABBOTTS The Chattahoochee River served as a source of protein for the early in- BRIDGE habitants. Fish weirs, which are stone dams in the shape of a down- stream pointing “V,” were constructed in the river with wooden pole fencing across the top. This allowed water to pass through, but not large fish. These fish weirs were a very economical method of harvest- 120 ing fish. The stone remains of a number of these fish weirs can still be 334 seen in the waters of the Chattahoochee River. State Bridge Road 10 d a McClure o C R r Bridge e e e k g d i r B 333 H s a e yn n e o s J J o h n Berkeley s 141 9 C Lake r e 9 e 332 k 330 Medlock Bridge Road 120 B Old rid 331 g e The Partridge family stopped for a picture Historic Jones Road 329 on the Jones Bridge on their way to a Bridge Sunday picnic. 1913 (closed) MEDLOCK BRIDGE Photo: NPs Jones Bridge Shoals Jones Bridge Park 19 JONES BRIDGE (Gwinnett County) 400 8 328 CREEC Chattahoochee River 327 Environmental Education Center 326 19 140 Holcomb Garrard Landing Bridge (City of Roswell) H olco mb Don White Memorial Park Bridge Rd. 400 (City of Roswell) C 322 324 325 ro Waller Park ok ed HOLCOMB Cr (City of Roswell) eek Prehistoric BRIDGE 318 319 Sixes Trail C i VICKERY Island rc Ford 321 le 323 CREEK B Shoals ig C reek W Riverside Park 320 i nt Allenbrook (City of Roswell) er s Azalea Park R ISLAND FORD C o h (Fulton County and s a w Park Headquarters p City of Roswell) e Drive e ll Information 317 l R o a d Ro ad Prehistoric Hightower Trail Chattahoochee 316 9 Nature Center Bull Sluice Lake 315 314 k ee Cr GOLD BRANCH N Shallow ford 31 313 Road 32 Morgan Falls Park y (City of Sandy Springs) c n a Morgan Falls Dam N portage river left 30 285 C 312 ha mblee D u n w o o dy Ro ad ek 23 re C h 311 arc JOHNSON FERRY M Clairmont rry Rd. Johnson Fe d a 141 Jo o hn R so y n Ferr 310 P e a c Paper Mill h t Ruins r e e S op e C ree Sope k Creek 309 Parkway 308 h t r o N e t a t s COCHRAN r e t Powers n SHOALS I Island 307 Cochran Shoals PALISADES 306 Devils Race 285 Course Shoals Overlook R ott enw ood C 305 ree Thornton k Shoals Long Island Shoals 75 41 304 Paces Mill Parkway Cobb 303 302 301 300 9 20 Road m Creek a aw D H Buford Dam rd fo Bu Lake Sidney Lanier (Army Corps of Engineers) 348 14 Market Place Blvd Bufo rd Bowmans Island BOWMANS ISLAND Hig hwa Shoals y 347 ek re C d n la ch Ri Buford Trout Hatchery B 346 uf or 20 d Hi ghw ay Fish Weir Shoals k ree James C ORRS FERRY 345 13 (Georgia Department of Natural Resources) 9 s 344 e Historic Settles m Bridge 141 a J (closed) k s e le e tt r e C S SETTLES 343 BRIDGE Sharon Southers l ve e L 342 19 P e a c h 340 400 t 341 r e Road Creek e Dick Dick Creek Parkway d a o R McGinnis Ferry Road d o 12 o McGINNIS ek w 339 re k C o FERRY o r B e e n a 338 Suw M d e a d o l Rd R o c Ferry k s e hany nni t i g Bo G Road c Historic Rogers SUWANEE M d i r y B Bridge a B r CREEK w i (closed) d 337 k g r s Alpharetta e a e P River Guide n o J Bridge d r a ts ot w bb 336 Road d A in 120 W River Safety Abbotts Bridge Abbotts Bridge Road 11 The river emerges at the base of Buford Dam from the bottom of Lake La- Wear suitable clothing.