Broad River User's Guide

The Broad River is among the last free-flowing rivers in Georgia and perhaps the state’s most wild. The Broad River User’s Guide traces the unique characteristics of the full 60 miles of the river and the 110 miles of its three forks (South, Middle, and North) before the main river’s convergence with the Savannah River.

In doing so, the guide outlines the river’s cultural and natural history, telling the story of humans’ relationship to the river from precolonial days to the present. Though the mainstem of the Broad is one of the few Georgia rivers to escape dams, it was one of Georgia’s first inland river valleys to be explored and settled. Along its course are rare species like shoals spider lilies and the Bartram’s bass, not to mention some of the most popular whitewater paddling in North Georgia.

With this handbook, river explorers will find all the information needed to embark on a Broad River journey, including detailed maps, put in/take out suggestions, fishing and camping locations, mile-by-mile points of interest, and an illustrated natural history guide to help identify animals and plants commonly seen in and around the river.

This guide includes:
an introduction and overview of the riverchapters describing each river section with detailed maps and notes on river access and points of interesta compact natural history guide featuring species of interest found along Georgia’s riversnotes on safety and boating etiquettea fishing primernotes on organizations working to protect the river

an introduction and overview of the river
chapters describing each river section with detailed maps and notes on river access and points of interest
a compact natural history guide featuring species of interest found along Georgia’s rivers
notes on safety and boating etiquette
a fishing primer
notes on organizations working to protect the river

JOE COOK works with the Coosa River Basin Initiative and is the coordinator of Georgia River Network’s annual Paddle Georgia event. He has authored Georgia River Network guides to the Broad, Chattahoochee, Etowah, Flint, and Oconee Rivers (all Georgia). Cook’s photography has been widely published, and he is the coauthor with Monica Cook of River Song: A Journey down the Chattahoochee and Apalachicola Rivers.