Sprewell Bluff State Outdoor Recreation Area

I reach for the rock. It is perfect. Flat. Rounded on the edges. Worn smooth by Mother Nature and Father Time. The weight feels right. I gaze out across the Flint—a wonderful river—a river whose appearance and texture changes dramatically as it rises from it’s rather austere headwaters somewhere under Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International airport, flows in a southwesterly fashion over the Fall Line and through swamplands to become a white limestone-bottomed, blue-springed river which finally enters the wildness of Lake Seminole where it joins the Chattahoochee to become the Apalachicola.

As it tumbles over rocks and around thick vegetation along Fayette County’s eastern border, there are several spots—usually over or under a bridge—where you can catch a glimpse of the Flint or even put in a canoe. One of my favorite places to go, however, is Sprewell Bluff State Outdoor Recreation Area—about 50 miles away in Upson County. This is the first large area, as you travel downstream from the river’s headwaters, designed for public river recreation—and it is the only state operated park on the Flint.

I have stood along the river here many times, several times in the last few years with my daughter Brianna. I’ve watched swimmers climb on the protruding boulder-like river shoals and splash in the cool eddies. I’ve daydreamed along with fishermen, who quietly toss their line in search of the shoal bass that lurk under the rocky pools. I’ve tried my hand at skipping a few rocks. Hiked the trail along the bluff. Put in a canoe to make the five-mile trip to the Flint River Outdoor Center. Serene or adventurous—the experience is what you make it.

Opened in 1994, the state outdoor recreation area sits on the east bank at one of the Flint’s most beautiful natural areas—Sprewell Bluff, a winding four-mile stretch of river that flows from Pasley Shoals, three-miles upstream from the park, to Owens Island, just one mile below. Rocky shoals stretch the width of the river throughout this area with one particular set on the northern end of the recreation area forming a natural dam. Canoeists and kayakers paddling through this section can experience the fun of Class II rapids, but the shoals directly off the pebble beach in the park’s day use area are gentle enough for wading and tubing.

One of the best things about the outdoor recreation area is that it makes Sprewell Bluff’s natural environment accessible to everyone. From any bench in the picnic area at the river’s edge, you can see the bluffs towering on both banks. Made primarily of gneiss, schist and quartzite crystalline rock, the bluffs on the west bank range from 700 to 1,000 feet, while the bluffs on the east range from 550 to 900 feet.

For the nature lover, Sprewell Bluff is a unique botanical experience. Like much of this part of the Piedmont, you’ll find a mixture of mountain and coastal plants and Piedmont and Coastal Plain animals are common. The higher elevations have typical high-ridge flora–chestnut and black jack, along with hickory, wild cherry and winged elm with an understory of staghorn and sumac. The lower elevations, which run along the riverbed, are dense with river birch, ash, willow oak, silverbell, azalea, swamp dogwood, wild crabapple and sugar maple. Thickets of blue-stem palmetto grow about as far north as they are able to survive. Lavender, phlox, violets and ginger grow in the spring, while summer flowers include showy baptisia and wild indigo.

White-tailed deer, wild turkey, grey squirrel and raccoon roam the woods. It is a regular stop for migratory songbirds, such as hooded warbler, summer tanager and red-eyed vireo.

There are two areas worth exploring if you want to get a good panoramic view of Sprewell Bluff. One is from the overlook on Pine Wood Ridge, just before you arrive at the state park entrance. This 900-foot overlook faces northward toward Pasley Shoals offering one of the most-photographed views of the entire Flint River. The other location is in the park at the overlook deck near the trailhead. From here, you’ll see how the river makes its final arc around the high bluffs on the west bank as it heads toward Owens Island.

No matter what time of year you choose to hike the park’s three-mile trail, the views are the focus: fall’s red, yellow and orange foliage; the barren winter slopes of Oak Mountain; springtime lavender, azalea and dogwood; the Flint’s exposed shoals during summer’s low-water periods. From the overlook deck, the trail makes a steep descent to the riverbank where it winds along the Flint’s flat bottomlands. It ends at “Natural Dam,” a low, narrow shelf of rocks that crosses the river. There are two different places to access the trail: a trailhead at the small parking lot off the entrance road and another near the restrooms in the day use area. Trail maps are available at the bulletin board, located near the day use restrooms.

If you’re into just relaxing, you can spend the day picnicking and playing in the river. Even small children can safely wade at the pebble beach. There’s a large, grassy area for pitching horseshoes and plenty of room to skip a rock across the water. In fact, a rock skipping contest on Labor Day has been a yearly park event in the past.

I watch Brianna as she busily digs rocks out of the muddy shore and throws them into the river. The rock in my hand is perfect. I hold it horizontally, flat side down, my index finger curling around one edge. A sidearm, waist-high throw, low and parallel to the water’s surface. A snap of the wrist to give it a little horizontal spin. One skip, two. Plop. I need some practice. I reach for another. It’s a good day on the river.

Visit Sprewell Bluff State Outdoor Recreation Area on the Georgia State Parks website for more information.

Read more of Sherri’s travel adventures, Sprewell Bluff and the Flint River at Brown’s Guides.