Ellijay Softball Park to River Resort Pool

The Coosawattee River is a nearly 50 mile river that runs through Ellijay, Georgia and is fed by both the Cartecay and Ellijay Rivers. It flows west to Carters Dam and helps form Carters Lake. The Coosawattee was the inspiration for the James Dickey novel (and 1970’s Hollywood movie), Deliverance which was based on the Coosawattee River but called the fictional “Cahulawassee River” in his book

This float trip can be done as either a kayaking, canoeing, or tubing run down the Coosawattee. There is a put-in at the Ellijay softball parks and playground just past the junction of S. Main Street and Legion Road, but the take-out is located in the Coosawattee River Resort at the suspension bridge near the outdoor swimming pool. This is a private and gated community with limited access – but their are other take-out points before the resort.

After Carters Dam, The Coosawattee joins the Conasauga River and forms the Oostanaula River. This is a tributary of the Coosa River that leaves Georgia and enters Alabama.