Atlanta’s sanctuary – the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area

Travels with Charlie

Veteran Georgia journalist Charles Seabrook has covered native wildlife and environmental issues for decades. For “Travels with Charlie,” he visits and photographs communities throughout the state.

I travel a lot, whether it‘s a day trip in Georgia or a crosscountry trek to California or a cruise on a river in France.

I want to see it all. But one of my most favorite destinations in the world is only a 20-minute drive — in normal traffic — from my home in Decatur. It’s the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area, which, in my mind, is one of the most remarkable places in the nation.

It’s hard to imagine Atlanta without this magnificent place, which is part of the National Park Service. Its 15 park-like units, covering 6,500 acres of land, stretch 48 miles along the river like a necklace of sparkling emeralds, from Buford Dam on Lake Lanier to the river’s confluence with Peachtree Creek inside Atlanta’s city limits.

The park harbors some 950 species of plants — more trees, shrubs, wildflowers, grasses and ferns than are found within the entire boundaries of some countries. More than 100 butterfly species flutter about the park, and more dragonfly species live here than within the Great Smoky Mountains, which is 100 times larger in land size than the Chattahoochee recreation area.

1 | The 48 mile stretch of the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area begins at Buford Dam on Lake Lanier.

2 | Scene in the Cochran Shoals Unit

3 | Sibley Pond, Sope Creek Unit

4 | Ruins of old paper mill, Sope Creek Unit

5 | Scene along riverside trail in Johnson Ferry North Unit.

6 | Scene in Powers Ferry Unit

7 | Scene just below Buford Dam at the beginning of the CRNRA

8 | Walking Trail in Johnson Ferry north Unit

9 | Trout lilies along famed Trout Lily Trail in West Palisades Unit

10 | Trout fisherman in Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area

11 | Old barn at historic Hyde Farm

12 | Scene in Johnson Ferry Unit

13 | Long time National Park Service

Ranger/Naturalist Jerry Hightower

14 | View from trail in West Palisades Unit

15 | Passion Flower, one of the many species of wildflowers that bloom in the CRNRA

16 | Scene along the river in the Cochran Shoals Unit

17 | Old mill dam, Vickery Creek Unit

18 | Bird watchers on boardwalk in the Cochran Shoals Unit

19 | Trout lilies along the Trout Lily Trail in the West Palisades Unit

Most of this rich diversity is due to the park’s variety of natural habitats — old growth hardwood forests, wetlands, floodplains, old fields, steep ravines, gentle hills, spectacular cliffs. The diversity is wonderful for birds and birders like me who love to watch them. Woodpeckers and warblers thrive in the old growth woods and wet habitats along the river. Indigo buntings, gray catbirds and yellow-breasted chats flit about the open fields.

Rainbow and brown trout also can be caught in the river — the southernmost habitat for the highly prized fish, which require cool water for survival. As Lake Lanier’s water gushes through Buford Dam and into the Chattahoochee, it is chilled to temperatures suitable to trout.

History also abounds in the recreation area — beginning, of course, with Native Americans. Sixteen ancient rock shelters used as temporary refuges by Native Americans are found within the park. Among some of the many other historical features are the Sope Creek paper mill ruins, the historic Hyde Farm and the former Hewlett Lodge, which now houses the park‘s visitor center.

All of this rugged natural beauty and rich history lures some 3 million visitors each year. Many miles of trails through the park’s 15 units allow one to thoroughly explore the park for an hour or all day long.

Perhaps what is most amazing to me, though, is that this sanctuary of serenity, sheer natural splendor and diverse wildlife habitat exists in the heart of Metro Atlanta.

Then-President Jimmy Carter said it best in August 1978, when he signed the federal bill creating the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area: “It’s a rare occasion when within the city limits of one of our major cities, one can find pure water and trout and free canoeing and rapids and the seclusion of the Earth the way God made it.”

More information: www.nps. gov/chat/index.htm