Description
Formed by the South, Yellow and Alcovy rivers, the Ocmulgee River flows south through central Georgia where it meets the Oconee River just past Lumber City. The confluence of these two long rivers creates the Altamaha River.
Known as Georgia’s “Little Amazon,” the Altamaha is a mighty river. It drains the second largest watershed on the east coast into the Atlantic Ocean at a rate of over 100,000 gallons per second. Its main stem, forming in Lumber City at the confluence of the Oconee and Ocmulgee rivers, is undammed and free-flowing, creating a relatively intact and healthy ecosystem that is home to more than 100 rare and endangered species – the largest concentration in the state.
These “Three Rivers” constitute one of the eastern United States’ largest watersheds and are home to some of Georgia’s rarest species.
Join the Georgia Conservancy and the Georgia Canoeing Association for an educational weekend of paddling, camping and exploring the history and ecology of these three Georgia Heartland rivers, the Ocmulgee, Oconee and Altamaha.
On Saturday, we will paddle 14 miles of the Ocmulgee River and Altamaha River. After the paddle we will host a low county boil and enjoy live music.
On Sunday, we will explore the mysterious and ecologically-rare Broxton Rocks Nature Preserve and get our feet dirty on a 2-3 mile hike along rocky terrain. Thanks to the Georgia Department of Natural Resources and The Nature Conservancy for this opportunity.
From the Nature Conservancy: Ages ago, part of the 15,000 square mile band of sandstone running under this flat coastal part of Georgia was exposed by erosion. Combined with the roaring water of Rocky Creek, a tributary of the Ocmulgee River, and the steady effects of weathering, an environmental anomaly was created, a place where a network of fissures, cliffs and crevices stay cool and moist, juxtaposed with almost desert-like conditions on flat rocks above the fissures.
While this is enough to make Broxton Rocks a site worth seeing, there’s more. Plant life abounds, some not normally found in the coastal region and some growing in unusual ways. Green-fly orchids, for example, which grow on trees, adorn the rock walls at Broxton Rocks.