Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens addresses a crowd in front a newly-installed, accessible kayak launch on the Chattahoochee River at Standing Peachtree Park. (Marisa Mecke/WABE)
Atlanta hosted a ribbon cutting for its first public access to the Chattahoochee River on Dec. 2 at Standing Peachtree Park in Buckhead.
Over a year ago, visitors would have to scramble down a steep embankment to reach the water. Now, the park has gravel trails, a ramp and a wheelchair-accessible kayak launch.
“This is just the beginning of this larger, 100-mile vision of the Chattahoochee RiverLands,” said Christina Hassell, project manager for Trust for Public Land. She said the park will connect urban, suburban and rural areas in the metro Atlanta region, including 19 cities and 7 counties.
The nonprofit Trust for Public Land built out the project, and is now turning over ownership of the property and equipment for the City of Atlanta to maintain as a public park.
The park is west of I-75 right at the confluence of Peachtree Creek and the Chattahoochee River.
It’s just one portion of the 100-mile Chattahoochee RiverLands, a project creating a camping and paddle trail along the river. Ultimately, the project will create a four-day, three-night camping itinerary on the river in addition to public access parks with kayak and canoe accesses.
Al Wiggins, interim commissioner of the Department of Watershed Management, said the project will help conserve green space along the river but also have additional benefits such as helping ease flooding and issues with stormwater in the City by keeping the floodplain green. He also said it’s an important issue of access and equity.
“Atlanta is too big of a city to not have access to the Hooch,’ Wiggins said.
“This Chattahoochee camping and paddle trail is not only a big step for Atlanta, but it’s a big step for the entire region,” said Mayor Andre Dickens.
He spoke at the ceremony highlighting his administration’s goal to increase access to the Hooch. He also noted goals to complete the trail and adjoining multi-use paths in the Atlanta and Cobb County area before the World Cup comes to Atlanta in 2028.
A demonstration of how to use the wheelchair accessible kayak launch. (Marisa Mecke/WABE)
Dickens said the park is also part of a larger legacy in Atlanta.
“This site Standing Peachtree — once a bustling Native American village, home of the Muscogee people and a busy trading center located at the juncture of Peachtree Creek and the Chattahoochee River — reminds us of our city’s heritage and our city’s history,” Dickens said.
On the same day, Cobb County celebrated the opening of a paved trail portion of its section of the Chattahoochee RiverLands. It’s a 0.6-mile trail with a shared-use path, a boardwalk over wetlands, an education nook and a river overlook.
