One of the many things on our Atlanta list was to hike in the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area. 

Given the short timeframe and the oppressive heat, we thought that we would forego the hiking but visit the park anyway.

What a gem of a find, this close to civilization.  The park has many segments bordering the Chattahoochee River, but the primary portion is just north of Atlanta in the Sandy Springs area. 

The shallow winding river is popular with canoeists, kayakers, and tubers due to it’s picturesque shoreline and light current.  Several launched next to us while we were eating our lunch, and Colette overheard the canoe operator saying that he had brought 28 groups of canoers there yesterday.  You can paddle downriver as fast as you want, or bask in the sun and let the current do the hard work. 

It is also very popular with the local flyfishers due to the shallow depth and abundance of trout.

We chose to find a spot on the riverbank to enjoy our lunch, then hike up and down the shoreline trail briefly for a few photo ops. 

The crazy heat and humidity made short work of us, and we were more than happy to rejoin civilization and head for the climate-controlled temps of ATL airport. 

The thermometer in the car clocked between 101 and 102 degrees the entire time from the park to the airport, like Tampa steam without any of the Gulf breeze to help out.