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The Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area (CRNRA) consists of a 48-mile stretch of the Chattahoochee River and 14 land units along its corridor. It begins at Lake Lanier’s Buford Dam, near Buford, Georgia, and continues downstream through four counties to Peachtree Creek near downtown Atlanta. CRNRA provides outdoor recreation for more than 3 million visitors a year. It is an important resource for this urban area that is experiencing unprecedented population growth and development. CRNRA is a place rich in natural and human history, each influenced by the river’s pervasive force.
Usually clear, cold, and slow moving, the river sometimes plunges as a muddy torrent through its rockbound shoals. For centuries people have been drawn to the river for food, transportation, and for power to sustain the mills, factories, and homes built along its banks. Today the river attracts us for different reasons. People come to float down the river, as the locals will say, "shoot the ’hooch", hike the trails along its banks, fish in its cold water, and simply relax.
In its role as an outdoor classroom, the park promises to expand your horizons through nature walks, workshops and evening programs. Wildlife is abundant in the park. Some animals you will see every time you visit CRNRA and some, like the playful river otter, will delight you with a rare appearance. In any season, the Chattahoochee’s banks are resplendent in color. Trout lilies, serviceberry, and redbuds bloom in early spring are followed by azaleas, trillium and coreopsis.
Late summer, cardinal flowers and the showy scarlet sumacs turn brilliant shades of red with the yellows of goldenrod, the deep purple of ironwood and the multitud foliage of falls changing leaves. A solitary walk enjoying natures’ display, rafting leisurely with friends, fishing on the misty waters, picnicking on the shoals - this is the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area.
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