Broad River

I paddled the Broad today from the GA 281 bridge to about a half mile below the GA 172 bridge. I was on the river from approximately 3:30 PM to 6:30 PM, and based on the graph from the USGS website, the river was at approximately the 1.2 foot level.

I was able to get shuttle from Broad River Outpost (BRO) to leave my truck at their take-out about a half-mile below the GA 172 bridge. The river was l-o-w but doable without getting out of the canoe, but any lower might present a significant challenge to be able to find run-able water all the way down The meandering to and fro across river to find run-able passages likely added a half-mile to the 6 mile trip. Water was mostly clear but lukewarm. Except for slowing to take photographs, I paddled steadily and did the six mile run in 3 hours (a normal leisurely trip with stops and playtime is about 2-2.5 hours). Deduct from the 3 hours, maybe 15 minutes, for delays due to photo shots. I finished as tired as I have ever been after paddling anything anywhere, and that includes 12 miles of Okefenokee Swamp in a part where there are no currents. My fatigue was enhanced undoubtedly by being completely out of shape and being 69 years old in six weeks.

On the bright side, with the low water and an abundance of bait fish that could be seen easily in the clear water, bird watching was a significant treat. The Broad is usually Georgia red clay muddy except when it is so low that it is flowing over bed rock. I saw a green heron and several kingfishers which I rarely see anymore, and the ducks and Canada geese were NUMEROUS! Hawks and a Great Blue Heron were there as well as nine Great Egrets. Interestingly, to me anyway, the green heron seemed to fly mingled with the flock of egrets at times. The turtles were plentiful, and all in all judging from the wildlife seen in such abundance, the Broad's health appears good! I also passed 11 boaters (7 females, 4 males) renting sit-on-top kayaks from Sandbar, as BRO was not sending boats down what they call this section (Between GA 281 and GA 172+) at this low level. That was both wise and considerate, as Sandbar's customers appeared to be having a lot of trouble finding paddle-able water. I soon left them far behind. I will mention that I have probably paddled this section of the Broad River about 250 times since the mid-1970s and know its channels well. BRO was running the the section between US 29 and BRO (5 miles) as the water there was much better for paddling. Some commentary will be interspersed with the photos below.

Paddlers or other visitors to any of the landmark sites in the photographs are strongly urged to be mindful that most, even when in the river, are on private property and should not be disturbed. Visiting landmarks off the water may constitute unlawful trespassing and should not be done without the owner's permission. The fish trap below is in a State Natural Area. In any case, such historical landmarks should be protected for future generations.

Left photo is a weir and spillway for a fish trap. Right photo is closer on the spillway. At normal water levels, you can barely see any rocks and cannot see the spillway at all. This fish trap is likely 19th or early 20th century.

For a history of the Broad River, including all the efforts to regulate fish traps to insure that boats always had a channel to float goods up and down the river, see E. M. Coulter's (1965) Old Petersburg and the Broad River Valley of Georgia: Their rise and decline. Athens, GA: University of Georgia Press.

For more information about paddling the Broad River on this section and the source of the names of the shoals, click HERE.

The author thanks Fred Brown, founder of the Brown's Guide to Georgia magazine, for permission to include this article here.

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Photo of approach to Flat Shoals, the first of the four larger sets of shoals on this section of the Broad River. At normal water levels, most of those rocks would not be seen or would barely be above water. There is also a large pile of trees etc, that flood waters in the past year have brought down to block the normal approach to the often challenging, "squirrelly" water drop near the left bank (Photo below).

(Left). Left drop at Flat Shoals, 07/30/2008. (Right). Steve running left drop backwards 02/03/2008.

(Left) Scarborough Shoals 07/30/2008. (Right) Bill at Scarborough Shoals, 02/03/2008. Rock at left is same in both photos; center rock, left photo, & many rocks above it were covered in right photo.

Left photo, center fall (no water). Right photo, right Fall at Brown Shoals, both photos 07/30/2008.

Steve about to run center fall and Roger having just run right fall at Brown Shoals, 02/03/2008.

(Left) Compton Shoals, 07/302008. (Right) Compton Shoals, 02/03/2008. To compare given the different photo angles, If you drop your view straight down from the lone pine tree in the right photo, you will be closely aligned with the main water flow and rocks in the water in the left photo.