The Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area is located at:

1978 Island Ford Parkway
Atlanta, Georgia 30350
Voice: 678-538-1200
Website: www.nps.gov/chat

The Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area (CRNRA) consists of a 48-mile stretch of the Chattahoochee River and 14 land units along its corridor. It begins at Lake Lanier's Buford Dam, near Buford, Georgia, and continues downstream through four counties to Peachtree Creek near downtown Atlanta. CRNRA provides outdoor recreation for more than 3 million visitors a year.

CRNRA is a place rich in natural and human history, each influenced by the river's pervasive force. Usually clear, cold, and slow moving, the river sometimes plunges as a muddy torrent through its rockbound shoals. For centuries people have been drawn to the river for food, transportation, and for power to sustain the mills, factories, and homes built along its banks.

Today the river attracts us for different reasons. People come to float down the river, as the locals will say, "shoot the 'hooch&", hike the trails along its banks, fish in its cold water, and simply relax. In its role as an outdoor classroom, the park promises to expand your horizons through nature walks, workshops and evening programs.

Whether you are canoeing, fishing or hiking, CRNRA is an exciting place to observe animals in their natural habitats. Lucky visitors may catch a glimpse of the playful river otters frolicking in the cool waters or the industrious beaver building a dam on the bank of the river.

At the water's edge, turtles sun on rocks or fallen trees. If you get too close, they will quickly slide into the water and out of sight. Jumping fish break the rivers' surface while ducks and Canada geese noisily make their presence known. Crawfish and salamanders can be found in rocky areas where the water is shallow but the current is swift.

The river is home for trout, bass, catfish and 20 other species of fish. The Chattahoochee River is the southernmost trout river in the United States. This is possible due to Buford dam releasing cold water from the bottom of Lake Lanier and the Georgia Department of Natural Resources stocking the river.