Georgia River Network (GRN), creator of Paddle Georgia, an annual week-long summer canoe/kayak camping adventure, will return to the Flint River this October for its fourth edition of Paddle Georgia Fall Float on the Flint. The event is set for Oct. 7-9.

The trip, produced in partnership with Flint Riverkeeper, will cover about 48 miles of the southwest Georgia river over three days, beginning near Baconton and ending in the backwaters of Lake Seminole near Bainbridge. 

Online registration is now open at http://www.garivers.org/paddle_georgia/fallfloat.html Registration fees are $325 for adults, $280 for children 8-17 and $140 for children 7 and younger. Fees include six catered meals, camping facilities with restrooms and showers, shuttle service, event t-shirt and more.

The trip coincides earlier this year with the release of the Flint River User’s Guide, a comprehensive recreational guide to the entire length of the river, and the Flint Riverkeeper and Georgia River Network’s ongoing efforts to create the Flint River Water Trail.

“We’re seeing more and more people interested in exploring Georgia’s rivers for canoeing, kayaking, boating and fishing,” said Joe Cook, Paddle Georgia Coordinator. “This trip gives people the opportunity to safely explore the river and learn about its cultural and natural history. It’s much more than just a paddle trip.”

In addition to traveling about 15 miles on the river each day, participants will have the opportunity to learn about issues impacting the Flint from Flint Riverkeeper, take part in water testing programs with Georgia Adopt-A-Stream and learn about the river’s unique fishes and mussels from biologists and scientists.  The group will camp for three nights at Rocky Bend Flint River Retreat, a campground located on the river in Newton

The trip is suitable for novice paddlers as well as experienced paddlers. Paddlers range in age from four to 84, with many families participating. In 2016, more than 100 paddlers made the three-day Columbus Day weekend journey.

Fall Float on the Flint is an offshoot of Georgia River Network’s annual 7-day summer voyage that takes place on a different river each year. Since its inception in 2005, GRN’s Paddle Georgia trips have guided more than 4000 people down 13 Georgia rivers while raising more than $400,000 for river protection.

Fall Float on the Flint serves as a fundraiser for GRN and Flint Riverkeeper.

“We’re excited about partnering with GRN to bring people from across the state and nation to the beautiful Flint,” said Gordon Rogers, Flint Riverkeeper. “We see the Flint River Water Trail as an economic development tool for southwest Georgia communities, and this trip shows the benefits of making our river accessible to visitors and locals.”

Sponsors of Fall Float on the Flint include the Golden Triangle Resource Conservation and Development Council as well as these Paddle Georgia supporters: Hennessy Land Rover Centres; Columbia Sportswear Company; Southern Company Gas; Cedar Creek RV and Outdoor Center; Cary Baxter, CPA; CYA Agency, Inc.; Oglethorpe Power; StreamTechs; Terry Pate, PC, CPA; China Clay Producers Association; Georgia Mining Association; Patagonia; EarthShare of Georgia; New Belgium Brewing Company; Shaw Industries; Stormwater Systems; Outside World; Troncalli Subaru; Paper Recovery of Georgia; Bending Branches; Murphs Surf; Len Foote Hike Inn; Euharlee Creek Outfitters;  RS Industrial; and Friends of Georgia State Parks. Partners include American Canoe Association, Café Campesino, Georgia Canoe Association, Georgia Adopt-A-Stream and Project WET.

Georgia River Network is a non-profit 501c3 organization working to ensure a clean water legacy by engaging and empowering Georgians to protect and restore our rivers from the mountains to the coast. Flint Riverkeeper is a 501c3 organization working to restore and preserve the habitat, water quality and flow of the Flint River for the benefit of current and future generations and dependent wildlife.

Those interested in participating can get more information at the Paddle Georgia website at http://www.garivers.org/paddle_georgia or by contacting Joe Cook at 706-409-0128 or joecookpg@gmail.com.