Print it. Bag it. Bring it.Phones die, screens crack, and most of this water has no signal. Print this map, fold it into a zip-top bag or dry bag with your license, and you have a backup your electronics can’t give you. Every marker is numbered so you can say exactly where you are.
| # | Point | Type | Lat, Lon | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Burrells Ford Campground USFS, walk-in | Campsite | 34.96901, -83.11814 | Walk-in only, about a quarter mile from the parking area. The Burrells Place day-use area sits 200 m upstream on the same access road. |
| 2 | Chattooga Trail footbridge, Burrells Ford foot crossing | Bridge crossing | 34.96923, -83.11965 | Carries the Chattooga River Trail (TR 221). A foot crossing, not a road bridge. |
| 3 | Sandy Beach Campsite riverside, walk-in | Campsite | 34.94215, -83.12078 | |
| 4 | Simms Field riverside, walk-in | Campsite | 34.94318, -83.11919 | |
| 5 | Licklog Falls Campground walk-in | Campsite | 34.92907, -83.12996 | |
| 6 | Russell Farmstead USFS interpretive site | Park / conservation area | 34.90971, -83.17274 | Historic homestead on the Georgia bank, just above the GA 28 crossing. |
| 7 | Hwy 28 Chattooga River Access USFS boating site, GA/SC line | Access / boat ramp | 34.90791, -83.18050 | The main upper put-in, at the GA 28 bridge. OSM maps a slipway 40 m away and the Bartram Trail trailhead 100 m off; all one access on the ground. |
| 8 | Delayed Harvest section - downstream limit GA 28 bridge | Regulation section limit | 34.90786, -83.18104 | Georgia's delayed-harvest reach runs upstream from the GA 28 bridge to the mouth of Reed Creek. Boundary only - check the current regulations for what applies inside it. |
| 9 | Long Bottom Ford USFS campground | Campsite | 34.89834, -83.18667 | |
| 10 | Earl's Ford Chattooga River Access USFS boating site | Access / boat ramp | 34.87650, -83.22966 | Reached by a rough forest road. The usual Section III put-in; everything below here is whitewater. |
| 11 | Hwy 76 Chattooga River Access USFS boating site, GA 76 bridge | Access / boat ramp | 34.81501, -83.30510 | At the GA 76 bridge, the busiest access on the river and the Section III take-out / Section IV put-in. |
| 12 | USGS gauge - Chattooga River near Clayton at the GA 76 bridge | USGS gauge | 34.81378, -83.30636 | Sits beside the Hwy 76 access, so its reading is the one most floaters key off. |
| 13 | Woodall Shoals Chattooga River Access USFS boating site | Access / boat ramp | 34.79769, -83.31226 | Short, steep carry to the water on the South Carolina bank. |
| 14 | Tugaloo Boat Ramp trailered, Lake Tugaloo | Access / boat ramp | 34.73688, -83.34524 | The lowest access on the mapped river, on Lake Tugaloo where the Chattooga ends. The standard Section IV take-out is a flat-water paddle from the river mouth to here. |
| 15 | Backcountry Campsite #1 near the Tugaloo end | Campsite | 34.73049, -83.35801 |
Gauge: USGS 02177000 — CHATTOOGA RIVER NEAR CLAYTON, GA. Live flow on the web page.
Species: Brook Trout, Brown Trout, Rainbow Trout, Redeye Bass
Regulations: georgiawildlife.com/fishing-regulations
Emergency: call 911 and give the number of the nearest point on this map plus its coordinates.
Burrells Ford: the main upper-river access, campground and the Delayed Harvest water.
Highway 28 Bridge: the boundary between the upper fishing water and Section II.
Sandy Ford and Earls Ford: gravel-road access to the middle river.
Bull Sluice at Highway 76: the Section III put-in and a well-known overlook.
Chattooga River Trail: long walk-in access along the Georgia bank.
Ellicott Rock Wilderness: headwater access where three states meet.
Woodall Shoals and Long Creek: South Carolina side accesses on the lower river.
Year-round on the main river; the Delayed Harvest section runs November through mid-May.
March through May: the best hatches and comfortable water levels.
June through August: warm afternoons; fish the headwaters and early mornings.
September through November: cool water, wild brown trout on the move, the quietest months in the gorge.