Water Trail Rodeo Allows Paddlers To Explore Etowah River

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Dozens of paddlers from across North Georgia and beyond will soon take to the Etowah River to celebrate the waterway and raise money to create at 163-mile long boating trail.

The Etowah River Water Trail Rodeo will take place Sept. 20, and will feature an 8-mile paddle on the Etowah from the historic Leake Mound Site in Cartersville to the covered bridge town of Euharlee.

The paddle will be followed by a dinner provided by Johnny Mitchell’s Smokehouse in Euharlee, games, a silent and live auction and a kayak giveaway from The Outside World.

Cost of the event is $50 per person (or $45 each for two or more tickets) and includes complimentary canoe or kayak rentals courtesy of Euharlee Creek Outfitters and Coosa River Basin Initiative (CRBI), dinner, shuttle service and a chance to win a new kayak.

Dinner will be accompanied by Coopers Furnace Lager, a specialty brew created by Anheuser-Busch at its Cartersville brewery. Proceeds from the benefit will be used to assist local communities in promoting and building the Etowah River Water Trail.

The deadline to register for the rodeo is Sept. 16.

The event begins at 1 p.m. and continues until 8 p.m. at Euharlee’s Frankie Harris Park. To learn more and purchase tickets, visit the event’s website.

“During the past two years, Cartersville, Euharlee and Bartow County have seen an explosion in river recreation,” said Joe Cook of CRBI, a Rome-based nonprofit organization that is leading a group of stakeholders in facilitating creation of the trail. “This is a great opportunity for those who have never explored the river before to experience it in a safe and fun environment.”

The stakeholders group, consisting of representatives from local governments, convention and visitors bureaus, private businesses, non-profit organizations and individuals has worked for the past three years to create the water trail.

The trail would stretch from near Dahlonega to Rome, and would pass through Lumpkin, Dawson, Forsyth, Cherokee, Bartow and Floyd counties.

In the past year, Bartow County’s completion of the Neel’s Landing boat ramp and parking area near Kingston has made it easier for boaters and tubers to enjoy the river.

“Canoeing, kayaking and tubing the Etowah is the big thing right now,” said Sheri Henshaw with Bartow County’s Keep Bartow Beautiful. “River recreation is bringing people to our communities to enjoy our river and spend money. The river has become an economic calling card.”

Organizers hope to install a new Etowah River Water Trail information kiosk at the Euharlee Road boat ramp before the Sept. 20 event.

For more information about the event or the Coosa River Basin Initiative, contact Joe Cook at 706-409-0128 or jcook@coosa.org.

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Photo: Barbara Lamb of Kennesaw shoots through a shoal on the Etowah River near Euharlee. The Rodeo will feature an 8-mile paddle on the Etowah from the Leake Mound historic site to Euharlee. Credit: Coosa River Basin Initiative