Georgia River Network releases a free trip planning mobile app as a tool to encourage the exploration of the states’ water trails.
Release:
Adventure on Georgia’s rivers just got easier. Georgia River Network (GRN), the only statewide advocacy organization dedicated solely to protecting Georgia’s water, released the Georgia River Guide mobile application – a free trip planning tool designed to empower river recreationists to experience Georgia’s network of more than 30 water trails.
For paddlers, boaters, anglers and anyone else looking to recreate on Georgia’s waterways, Georgia’s water trails offer hundreds of miles of adventure from Georgia’s mountains to its coast. With the Georgia River Guide mobile app, in a few simple taps, users can discover nearby water trails and learn about safe public access points, river mileage between accesses, points of interest, nearby shuttle services and more.
In recent years as the popularity of river recreation has increased, so have the number of annual boating accidents and fatalities. Having loaded the Georgia River Guide app with safety information including river difficulty, potential hazards and rapids, real-time access to river gauges and recommended runnable levels, Georgia River Network hopes to keep boaters safe on the water.
“The Georgia River Guide app helps paddlers ‘know before they go’ so they can have the best possible experience on Georgia’s water trails,” says Andrea White, Georgia River Network community programs coordinator and American Canoe Association certified river kayaking instructor. “The app includes live links to river gauges that provide real-time information about the water level as well as a recommendation for the best water level to run that section of river. These links allow users to understand river conditions in real-time so they can avoid time spent dragging their boat on low water days or accidentally putting on when the river is at a flood stage.”
Georgia’s waterways serve as gateways to places inaccessible by other means. Adventure seekers flock to Georgia’s water trails to swim in crystal clear blue hole springs, run exciting rapids and see and experience rare wildlife and historical and cultural points of interest — often tucked away miles from access roads and walking trails. The Georgia River Guide mobile app provides information about these special places as well as visual guides to common fauna and flora seen along Georgia’s rivers.
When on the water and within cell service, users can locate themselves on the water trail and track their location in relation to river features and access points. When out of cellular service, users still have access to all of the app’s data, including maps, trail descriptions and information pages.
For those who prefer to rent their gear or want to plan an overnight trip, the app includes information about local outfitters, boat rental shops, shuttle services, amenities and camping sites.
The Georgia River Guide app is the latest resource produced by Georgia River Network that aims to empower individuals to experience, and ultimately fight to protect, Georgia’s waterways. In spring of 2023, the organization is set to release the Altamaha River User Guide, the seventh in the organization’s printed guidebook series. Other guidebooks in the series include the Broad, Chattahoochee, Etowah, Flint, Ocmulgee and Oconee river user guides.
“People protect what they feel connected with,” says Rena Ann Peck, Georgia River Network executive director. “The more people we help to experience Georgia’s rivers, the more people will advocate for their rivers in Georgia. We aim to inspire all Georgians and visitors to our state to fight to protect Georgia’s waters.”
Anyone can download the Georgia River Guide mobile app for free today in the Apple and Google Play stores. More information about the app and links to download can be found on the Georgia River Network website at garivers.org/GeorgiaRiverGuide.
The Georgia River guide mobile app was made possible thanks to Georgia River Network’s individual and organization partners. Information for the app was curated from river experts and from the following resources: Georgia River Network’s guide books written by Joe Cook and published by University of Georgia Press, “Canoeing & Kayaking in Georgia” by Suzanne Welander and Bob Sehlinger and published by Menasha Press (2015), American Whitewater, National Park Service, Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Georgia Power Company, various outfitters and watershed, river keeper and water trails groups and paddlers who frequent Georgia’s water trails. Special thanks to the many teams of college interns from the University of Georgia and other institutions who have supported this research over the years.
Protect your rivers by paddling your rivers!
Join Georgia River Network for a Paddle Georgia river adventure in 2022. All registration fees help support river conservation efforts across the state!
Click here to learn more and register.
