Savannah River Paddling Guide
This paddling guide to the Savannah River begins at Thurmond Dam and extends for 210 miles to Savannah. The route can be divided into shorter separate trips by using the directions below and referring to the accompanyinginteractive map.
One of Georgia's longest and largest rivers, the Savannah originates in Hart County in northeastern Georgia. Flowing southeast, the Savannah travels approximately 300 miles and drains an area of 10,600 square miles before emptying into the Atlantic Ocean near the city of Savannah. The journey of the Savannah from source to mouth is a study of contrasts. It originates clear, cool, and free flowing in the Blue Ridge Mountains. However, its mountain tributaries are dammed and impounded many times before even reaching the Savannah. The Savannah itself comes into being not as a surging, vibrant stream, but as a still mass of backwater in the Hartwell Reservoir, into which the Savannah's parent tributaries, the Tugaloo and the Seneca, empty.
A Savannah River Paddling Guide from Thurmond Dam to Savannah VIEW INTERACTIVE MAP.
SUMMARY: Class, I; Length, 210.1 miles; Time, up to 4 weeks; Gauge, Web; Level, N/A;Gradient, 3 feet per mile, > 1 below Augusta; Scenery, B - C-. VIEW INTERACTIVE MAP.
DESCRIPTION: Released below Hartwell Dam, the Savannah is never again clear or free flowing. As it traverses the Piedmont, it flows reddish to light brown and transports a massive suspension of sediment and silt. Its flow is regulated by a series of impoundments, so there is less than 30 miles of free-flowing river between the Hartwell Dam and Augusta. Below Thurmond Dam, the Savannah averages 350 feet in width and runs through deep, well-defined, sandy, clay banks for approximately 6 miles before entering the backwaters of Stevens Creek Dam. Since Thurmond Dam is responsible for ensuring adequate water for navigation on the lower Savannah, releases are more uniform and predictable than at Hartwell. Runnable levels are therefore assured all year.
Three miles below the GA 28 bridge is the Stevens Creek Dam, followed shortly downstream by a navigation dam with locks. Both of these must either be portaged or locked through. Immediately following the navigation lock and dam, the Savannah broadens, and shoals appear again and run intermittently until the river narrows and winds to the left before passing the city of Augusta. It is at this point that the Savannah emerges from its wooded corridor into a heavily populated and industrialized area. Flowing first past the levees of downtown Augusta and then through the heavy industry and junkyards on Augusta's southeast river bank, the Savannah leaves the Piedmont behind and begins to change character as it plods irrevocably towards the Atlantic Ocean. River access in the Augusta area is rare at bridge crossings and is better sought at private and public boat ramps.
For paddlers, the Savannah has its good points and bad. On the negative side, the water is usually not aesthetically pleasing. On the positive, there is plenty of that funny-looking water, since upstream dams and hydroelectric plants must release sufficient water daily to support navigation in the Coastal Plain. Further, except in the environs of large cities and at two or three isolated industrial sites, the river corridor is surprisingly isolated and pristine and is rich in flora and fauna. Islands in the Piedmont and meandering bypasses (islands formed when a meander loop is cut off) in the Coastal Plain provide opportunities for canoe-camping.
Below Augusta, as the Savannah sweeps across the Coastal Plain towards the sea, the river is left more or less to its own devices. The river's character changes markedly as it bids farewell to the rolling hills of the Piedmont and enters the agricultural flats and bottomlands of the Coastal Plain. Here, the river deepens and constricts to an average 250 to 300 feet, and flows beneath well-defined, sandy clay banks of 2 to 6 feet in height. Where the Savannah was shallow and turbulent upstream, it is now deep and calm. Islands are smaller and much less common, and the straight sections give way to broad meanders and horseshoe loops, complete with lowland swamp and oxbow lakes.
While a forest corridor continues to cradle the river, it frequently yields to lowland swamp on the far side of the river's natural levee. Nevertheless, the streamside forest remains diverse and beautiful. Dominant along the Savannah in the Coastal Plain are bald cypress, tupelo, overcup oak, water hickory, green ash, and swamp black gum, with understory vegetation consisting of swamp privet, swamp dogwood, and swamp palm. Frequently encountered inhabitants of the Savannah along the Coastal Plain include the marsh rabbit, muskrat, several species of bat, mink, opossum, raccoon, gray squirrel, bobcat, long-tailed weasel, red fox, striped skunk, white-tailed deer, beaver, and river otter. Reptiles and amphibians are numerous and include several species of rattlesnake as well as the southern copperhead and the eastern cottonmouth. The many species of birds are too numerous to list.
Paddling is enjoyable and the setting pristine and remote, with the exception of several isolated riverside power plants and industries, including the nuclear power plant located across the river from Burke County. Hazards to navigation are limited to powerboat traffic (which is far from overwhelming) and to a dam 8 miles south of Augusta that must be portaged. The level of difficulty is Class I throughout. Access is good in Richmond and Burke counties but somewhat limited in Screven and Effingham counties.
After passing beneath I-95, the Savannah enters the Savannah National Wildlife Refuge. Formerly the site of many plantations, the rice pools have been allowed to revert to grassy marsh and now serve as the wintering grounds for waterfowl. Here begins a series of alternate cuts, canals, and river passages that branch off the main Savannah channel and parallel it to the east, return to the main channel at the southern end of the wildlife refuge, and immediately fork again around Hutchinson Island. Beyond doubt, several days of pleasant paddling can be had while exploring the wildlife refuge.
Moving south beyond the refuge, your choice is to paddle through Savannah city and port or to bypass the harbor on the less-trafficked Back River. While the Savannah waterfront is not without historical, industrial, and cultural interest, it is nevertheless somewhat dangerous due to the busy maritime traffic. Our advice is to view Savannah harbor from the deck of a sightseeing boat.
SHUTTLE: The lowest access is near Port Wentworth at the county park where GA 25 crosses the river. Upriver access points are shown on the map.
GAUGE: There are online gauges on the USGS Website. The Savannah is runnable year-round. For more information on the upper river, contact the Metter Fisheries Office at (912) 685-2145. For the lower river, the Richmond Hill Fisheries Office can be reached at (912) 727-2112.
MAPS: USGS 1:24,000 topographical maps: Clarks Hill, Evans, Martinez, North Augusta, Augusta East, Mechanic Hill, Jackson, Shell Bluff Landing, Girard Northwest, Girard, Millett, Allendale, Hilltonia, Peoples, Shirley, Hardeeville Northwest, Ringon, Port Wentworth, Lime House, Garden City, Savannah, Fort Pulaski, Savannah Beach North; County maps: Columbia, Richmond, Burke, Screven, Chatham.
