Reference
Columbus whitewater: quick facts
Everything important about rafting the Chattahoochee in Columbus, Georgia and Phenix City, Alabama, on one page, with sources.
Updated
The course
| What it is | An urban whitewater course on the Chattahoochee River, branded RushSouth Whitewater Park, widely described as the longest urban whitewater course in the world |
| Where | Between Uptown Columbus, Georgia and Phenix City, Alabama; the river is the state line |
| Length | About 2.5 miles (American Whitewater measures its reach at 1.9 miles) |
| Put-in / take-out | Below North Highlands Dam / Uptown Columbus near the Columbus Iron Works area |
| Difficulty | Class I-III+ at base flow; up to Class IV-V during high releases |
| Biggest rapid | Cutbait, near the 13th Street Bridge at the old Eagle & Phenix dam site |
| Named features (in order) | Ambush, Turner's Tumbler, Stumpy, Pemberton Falls (Tie Snake), Monkey Wrench, Cutbait, Workout, Waveshaper, Good Wave, Great Wave |
| Time zone | Eastern Time on both sides of the river |
The water
| Dam units | Approx. flow | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| 1 (base) | ~900 cfs | Classic trips; technical Class I-III+ |
| 2 | ~4,500 cfs | Minimum for Challenge and Carnage; Cutbait's hole forms |
| 3 | ~9,000 cfs | Cutbait at its most powerful |
| 4 | ~13,000 cfs | Maximum turbine flow; biggest waves |
Releases are controlled by Georgia Power at North Highlands Dam, which posts a tentative daily schedule. The USGS gauge "Chattahoochee River at 14th St, Columbus" reports hourly. Floods can exceed 60,000 cfs through the spillway.
Guided trips
| Trip | Rapids | Time | Minimum |
|---|---|---|---|
| Classic | Class I-III+ | ~2 hr | Age 7 or 60 lbs |
| Challenge | Up to Class V | ~2.5-3 hr | Age 12 |
| Carnage | Up to Class V, ninja rafts | ~2.5 hr | Age 12 |
| Inflatable Kayak | Up to Class III+ | ~2 hr | Age 12 |
- Outfitter: Whitewater Express, 1000 Bay Avenue, Columbus, GA 31901, (706) 321-4720. Open 9 AM to 6 PM ET daily.
- Season: year-round; closed Thanksgiving and Christmas. Wetsuits and splash jackets provided in cold months.
- Rafts: 4-7 guests plus a guide (a few larger boats hold 8-9). Ninja rafts: 4 guests plus a senior guide.
- Discounts: 10% off for active-duty military with ID. Season passes available.
- Cancellation: at least 24 hours ahead.
- Prices: set by the outfitter and subject to change; see the booking pages.
- Zipline: Blue Heron dual zipline across the river, 30-40 mph, ages 10+, 70-265 lbs.
History
- City Mills dam: first built 1828, rebuilt 1907, impounded about 1.3 miles of river; breached March 12, 2013.
- Eagle & Phenix Dam: built 1882 to power the Eagle & Phenix textile mill; breached during the 2012-2013 project.
- Project cost: about $26 million. Partners included Uptown Columbus, the W.C. Bradley Company, the City of Columbus, Phenix City, Georgia Power, Georgia DNR and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
- A 60-foot-wide Waveshaper with movable, wing-shaped vanes was installed in November 2012.
- Rafters: about 16,000 in 2013, nearly 25,000 in 2014, about 50,000 a year by 2021.
- Events: U.S. freestyle nationals 2017 and 2018, World Cup 2022, ICF Freestyle Kayak World Championships 2023; Worlds scheduled to return in 2029. Named the ICF's first Center of Excellence for canoe freestyle in 2025.
Getting there
About 1 hr 40 min from Atlanta, 45 min from Auburn, 1.5 hr from Montgomery, 2.5 hr from Birmingham and Tallahassee, 3 hr from Jacksonville.
Sources
- Whitewater Express, Chattahoochee and its FAQ
- Whitewater Express: river flow and features
- American Whitewater: Chattahoochee, Metro Columbus/Phenix City
- Georgia Public Broadcasting (2023)
- Alabama Living: Urban whitewater on the Chattahoochee
- Wikipedia: City Mills Dam and Eagle & Phenix Dam
- Paddling Magazine: Columbus, Georgia
- Visit Columbus GA: RushSouth Whitewater Park