Chattooga River — Georgia Section

About

Cherokee homeland along the Blue Ridge frontier, the Chattooga carved its reputation through 15 miles of Rabun County granite that escalate from Class III to Class V. Section III runs the Georgia-South Carolina border at sustained Class III, while Section IV delivers the marquee whitewater — Five Falls and Bull Sluice among the most recognized rapids in the Southeast. Five Falls alone drops through a Class IV-V sequence that has defined technical creek boating since commercial outfitting began here. At 860 CFS average, the Chattooga runs best between 500 and 2,000 CFS on gauge 02177000, though the granite constrictions can turn pushy above 1,500. Wild & Scenic designation came in 1974, two years after Deliverance filming brought national attention to these drops. Southeastern Expeditions and Wildwater Chattooga guide commercial trips through the Chattahoochee National Forest corridor, though many of the harder lines require private boating skills.