GEORGIA – Paddle Georgia, the Peach State’s annual week-long canoe/kayak camping adventure will happen June 14-20.
Release:
REGISTRATION OPENS FEB. 9 FOR PADDLE GEORGIA 2026, A WEEK-LONG CANOE/KAYAK ADVENTURE ON COOSAWATTEE AND OOSTANAULA RIVERS
Paddle Georgia, the Peach State’s annual week-long canoe/kayak camping adventure, will venture from the Appalachian Mountains of North Georgia to the ridges and valleys of Northwest Georgia via the Cartecay, Coosawattee and Oostanaula rivers June 14-20.
More than 300 people are expected to participate in what is considered the largest event of its kind in the country. The journey will highlight the rich biodiversity and history of the upper Coosa River system as it flows from Ellijay to Rome along a 95-mile route that includes sections of thrilling Class II whitewater and miles of peaceful flatwater.
Interested parties can learn more and register online beginning at 8 a.m. Feb. 9 at www.garivers.org/paddle-georgia/2026-2
While most participants join for entire seven-day journey, two, three and four-day registration options are also available. Registration fees for adults range from $160 for two days to $460 for seven days. The fees include campsites with showers and flush toilets, shuttle and guide services, daily educational programs, event t-shirt and decal, overnight boat security and daily river maps and guides. Substantial discounts are offered for children and families. In addition, a limited number of scholarships are available for women, people of color, recent immigrants and low-income individuals. Scholarships may be applied for at https://georgiarivernetwork.regfox.com/paddle-georgia-scholarship-application.
Scholarships are also available for Georgia educators in K-12 public or private schools. During the journey, these educators receive environmental education curriculum and Georgia Adopt-a-Stream training. Scholarship my be applied for at https://georgiarivernetwork.regfox.com/paddle-georgia-2026-educators-scholarship-program.
Catered meals for the week may be purchased separately during registration. Participants must provide their own boats; boats may be rented from Paddle Georgia sponsors and nearby outfitters.
“Paddle Georgia is an event like no other; it’s kind of like summer camp for adults and families,” said Rena Peck, Executive Director of Georgia Rivers. “If you and your family love adventure and love the outdoors, this trip should be on your bucket list.”
Now in its 21st year, Paddle Georgia will begin on the Cartecay River which merges with the Ellijay River in the mountain town of Ellijay. From there, the Coosawattee River will lead boaters on to Carters Lake. A portage around Carters Dam will take participants to a peaceful float on the Coosawattee through Murray and Gordon counties. At Calhoun, the Coosawattee meets the Conasauga to form the Oostanaula River, which will host paddlers for the last three days of the journey. The sojourn ends in Rome at the confluence of the Oostanaula and Etowah rivers where the Coosa River begins. Along this winding route, participants can dip their paddles in seven different rivers.
Highlights of the trip include the Cartecay and Coosawattee’s whitewater sections where Georgia Rivers staff and volunteers will guide participants through several Class II rapids; Carters Lake, the deepest reservoir east of the Mississippi; Native American sites like New Echota Historic Site and the rivers’ multiple rock dams, or “fish weirs,” built by the area’s original inhabitants; the upper Coosa River’s rich biodiversity that includes some two dozen aquatic species found no where else in the world; and historic downtown Rome.
Billed as an environmental-education adventure for the family, it will feature enrichment programs and children’s activities on the water and each evening. Participants will also have the opportunity to visit area attractions and become certified as Georgia Adopt-A-Stream volunteer citizen water monitors. Collectively, the group will remove trash from a portion of the Oostanaula River during the journey.
The purpose of the event is to connect people with Georgia’s rivers and raise funds to help protect those rivers. Georgia Rivers uses a portion of each event registration fee to advocate for policies to protect Georgia’s water and improve public access to Georgia’s 70,000 miles of rivers and streams. Since 2005, Paddle Georgia events have engaged more than 7,000 participants and generated more than $1 million for river protection and water trail development in Georgia.
“The result of this participation is that Georgia’s streams are getting cleaner as more people advocate on their behalf, participate in river cleanups and hold state regulators and water users accountable for protecting our water,” said Peck.
Sponsors of the event include Georgia Power Company, Hennessy Land Rover, Southwire, Southern Company Gas, Troncalli Subaru, Mill Creek Environmental, Spears Family Foundation, Baxter and Harbin CPAs, Purina, Terry Pate CPA, RES, Westbrook Supply Company, Wildwater, REI, Georgia Mining Association, Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Stream Techs, The Canoe House, Patagonia, Adventure Keen, Royal Restrooms, Southeast Adventure Outfitters, Festive Water, Whitewater Express, Oconee Outfitters, The Hike Inn, Learn to Kayak Georgia, Café Campesino, Crescent Kayaks, Appalachian Outfitters, Murph’s Surf, Kayak Kushion, Savannah Canoe and Kayak and Mustang Survival. Partners include Georgia Canoeing Association and Georgia Adopt-A-Stream.
Businesses or individuals interested in sponsoring Paddle Georgia 2026 should contact Joe Cook at joe@garivers.org
Georgia Rivers, formerly operating as Georgia River Network, is a 501c3 non-profit organization with the mission of connecting people with and protecting Georgia’s rivers. It serves as Georgia Department of Natural Resources non-profit partnering to coordinate the state’s water trail program.
