Visited by more than 2 million people each year, the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area preserves the river’s natural beauty and provides a range of recreational opportunities for metro Atlanta like hiking, biking, canoeing, rafting, trout fishing, wading and physical fitness training.

Originating in the Appalachian highlands of north Georgia, the Chattahoochee River widens to form Lake Lanier, and then passes through metro Atlanta before draining into the Gulf of Mexico. Beginning at Buford Dam through Atlanta, roughly 48 miles of the Chattahoochee River form the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area, one of the largest natural recreation areas in an urban zone in the United States.

The national recreation area was designated by Congress in 1978. The Nature Conservancy was a founding partner through the 70s and secured 560 acres of land along the river that is now included as part of the NRA.

The rich variety of habitats along the 48 mile corridor are home to a number of plants rare so far south, such as beetleweed, mountain camellia, mountain laurel, rhododendron, and umbrella magnolia. Other unusual plants include silverbell, sweet pepperbush, sweet-shrub, turk’s cap lily, and white basswood. The predominantly oak-hickory forests along the river host significant wildlife populations, including deer, fox, mink, osprey, peregrine falcon, among many others.

The lands along the Chattahoochee River have a long history of human habitation dating back over 8,000 years. The Creek and Cherokee Nations once lived in the adjacent forests. The Cherokees called the river “the river of painted rocks” and the surrounding area the “Enchanted Land.” During the U.S. Civil War, the Confederate forces defending Atlanta were defeated at the river, and this battle line now lies within the park.

Nature picture credits (left to right): Etowah river bank © Mark Godfrey/TNC; Photo © Mark Godfrey/TNC.