The Chattahoochee River is one of the premier waterways of Georgia and the Southeast. It is a mecca for summer recreation, a priceless natural resource that provides water and power for a great number of Georgia's citizens, and an essential component to the region's ecosystem. As public interest in both exploring and protecting Georgia's rivers such as the Chattahoochee grows, so too has the demand for clear and elegant guides to our rivers. The Chattahoochee River User's Guide – the second in a series of river guides from Georgia River Network and the University of Georgia Press – aims to meet that demand.
The Chattahoochee River User's Guide traces the 430-mile course of the Hooch from its headwaters at a spring on Coon Den Ridge near Jacks Knob in northeastern Georgia to its confluence with the Flint River, where they form the Apalachicola River. The Georgia River network guides provide many little-known facts about Georgia's rivers, bring to life these rivers' cultural and natural history, and present river issues in an immersive and engaging manner that will inspire users to help protect their local waterways.
Joe Cook is executive director of the Coosa River Basin Initiative and coordinator of Georgia River Network's annual Paddle Georgia event. His photography has been widely published, and he is the author of Etowah River User's Guide and coauthor with Monica Cook of River Song: A Journey Down the Chattahoochee and Apalachicola Rivers.
"No matter what your reasons are for picking up [this guide], you won't be disappointed. You will be entertained with interesting facts and photos, and you will be impressed with Cook's descriptive and invaluable information regarding every facet of the Chattahoochee River."
– Sydnah Kingra, Northeast Georgia Living
"Joe Cook's Chattahoochee River User's Guide serves not only as a handy guide to recreation on the Chattahoochee, but also a history book, an ecology lesson, and a love letter to Georgia's longest and perhaps most well-known river [...] Cook's appreciation for the Chattahoochee is evident and engaging, evoking vivid pictures of the living river that has something to appeal to all lovers of the outdoors, from kayakers to campers to the casual picnicker. This book is appropriate for adult and young adult outdoorsmen/women alike."
– Maryska Connolly-Brown, Georgia Library Quarterly
"A reader-friendly collection of maps, information and photos that traces the 430-mile course of the Hooch from its headwaters at a spring on Coon Den Ridge near Jacks Knob in northeastern Georgia to its confluence with the Flint River, where they form the Apalachicola River."
– Rome News-Tribune
"Brings the Chattahoochee to life in an immersive and engaging manner that will inspire users to help protect their local waterways."
– Atlanta INtown