The Flint River
The Flint is a long river. The Fellow Travelers have not canoed most of it, and the river apparently offers a variety of experiences. John Williams has paddled the section by Sprewell B luff and is familiar with the famed Yellow Jacket Shoals. However, the only section the group has canoed is the section from GA 96 east of Reynolds and west of Perry to the GA 49 bridge which connects Montezuma and Oglethorpe.
Those expecting a clear, spring-fed river or expecting a reflective blackwater stream will be disappointed by the muddy color of the water. But the color is more than compensated for by the high bluffs, large brown (not white) sandbars, the abundance of wildlife, and the absence of development. The river has a fair current, and obstructions and deadfalls do not cause big problems at most water levels. However, paddlers should be aware that the Flint is prone to flash flooding, and it is a good idea to get off the river in the event of heavy rain.
It is only twenty-six miles from the put-in to the take-out, and although it could be paddled as an overnighter, this section of the Flint is better suited to a leisurely three-day trip. Campsites are easily found, and there is not a lot of posted land along the river.
There is access to the river about twelve miles downstream at GA 127 near Marshalville and at Crooks Landing which is another eleven miles or so. There is an excellent take-out at Hooks Landing which is on the Oglethorpe side of the river at GA 49 .
Below Montezuma, the Flint continues toward Lake Blackshear and then toward Albany. The Fellow Travelers have paddled none of this section. There is a dam at Albany and also some shoals. Below Albany, the river flows through beyond Plant Mitchell power plant as it approaches Newton. It is a fairly wide river at that point. The river then heads past Bainbridge and finally into Lake Seminole where it joins the Chattahoochee to form the Apalachicola.
The Fellow Travelers hope to explore other sections of the river and to give a more complete description of it in the future.
|