Paddle Georgia 2026

Few Georgia events ask as much of participants as Paddle Georgia, a seven-day expedition covering 95 miles across the Cartecay, Coosawattee, Oostanaula, and Coosa river systems by canoe and kayak. Rather than a single race or festival, it’s a rolling journey: paddle by day, camp by night, and repeat, with historic river towns marking the passage of each stage.

With roughly 360 participants committing to the full route in 2026, the expedition functions as a traveling community as much as an athletic challenge, generating a steady wave of lodging, camping, and support-vehicle demand along its length. Evening programs often include local history talks and riverside meals, turning each overnight stop into its own small gathering rather than a simple place to sleep.

Ridge Ferry Park in Rome serves as a launch point into the journey, and the event is best suited to prepared paddlers and their companions rather than casual observers. For those willing to commit the week, Paddle Georgia offers a depth of river landscape and small-town Georgia that a single-day outing simply can’t replicate, one bend of river at a time.