Georgia Rivers hosts paddle event in Lee County

By David Dixon

LEESBURG — Lee County welcomed the Georgia Rivers organization recently for the group’s first 2025 “Paddle Georgia” event. A group of 19 paddlers from all across the state paddled 10 miles of the Kinchafoonee Creek and 6 miles of the Muckalee Creek.

The paddlers were led by Georgia Rivers Paddle guidebook author and Paddle Georgia Coordinator Joe Cook.

On Day 1, the group put in on the Kinchafoonee Creek at Skipper’s Landing, and traveled down to Sutton’s Landing to take out. The day started out cool and crisp and ended up as a pleasant warm day, perfect for paddling. Along the way the group experienced the beauty of this creek going past the high fern-covered bluffs of Raining Rocks, exploring Kinchafoonee Cave, and then stopping at the old Bond’s Mill Island site for lunch.

After lunch the group was back on the water, stopping for a swim and pictures at the Fowltown Blue Hole spring. Fowltown was the English name of nearby Muscogee Tutalosi Talofa, a Hichiti town further upstream on Fowltown Creek. Traveling farther down the creek, the group stopped once again to visit Palmyra Falls where Fowltown Creek enters the Kinchafoonee. Leaving the falls, the group traveled by Morgan’s Bluff, where school teacher and early Palmyra resident Henry Morgan made his famous leap into the creek. Last stop on the paddle was the little Blue Hole spring and then on to Sutton’s Landing to take out.

On Day 2, the group headed to the Muckalee Creek to begin the day at Light Horse Landing under the Forrester Parkway Bridge. Before entering the water, the paddlers held a site clean-up, removing three full bags of litter.

Just past mile marker 5, the group entered the long-running Muckalee Shoals. This shoal was the only spot where researchers recently found a small shoal bass juvenile. The water was just low enough to provide a nice, fun, bumpy paddle. After running the shoals, the group stopped and explored the Pirates Cove Nature Park swamp and stone bridge. The paddlers then proceeded down the creek past Chehaw Park and Zoo, before exploring the back water area called The Cove.

The last portion of the trip found the group entering Lake Chehaw before the final takeout at Cleve Cox boat ramp.

This was the first organized paddle for Paddle Georgia on the newest Georgia Water Trails along the Kinchafoonee and Muckalee creeks.