Harrison Brock, an avid whitewater paddler, pulled up to the parking lot at the put-in for the upper section of the Chattahoochee River. As he got out of the car, he reminisced about the last time he ran—or paddled—this portion of the river. He unloaded his kayak and quickly carried it down to the river. What he saw was a truly horrifying sight: a field of rocks.

The upper portion of the Chattahoochee River, the “Upper Hooch,” is usually a great section of river for paddlers looking for varying levels of difficulty. The Upper Hooch is usually classified as a class II-III rapid when the water is flowing at 980 cubic feet per second. CFS is a measurement that paddlers often use when measuring water levels because it indicates how much water is flowing at that time.

The water levels of the Upper Hooch are particularly low right now. According to the American Whitewater Association, the water level is currently 160 CFS and is continually dropping. To put things in perspective, the Upper Hooch is not considered runnable until the water level is at 480 CFS.

According to the Upper Chattahoochee River Keeper, a nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting the upper section of the Chattahoochee River, the diminishing water levels are due to the lack of rainfall. There is not much that can be done about this, unless you know a way to make it rain.

The water levels really determine the fun factor of the trip. The more water there is, the more fun you have as long as you are ready for that difficulty level. If your skill level lags behind, high water levels can make the fun factor sink.

The only people who would want to run this section now would be people who are not really looking to paddle a river but wanting to go for a walk in a dry river bed.

That’s cool if it’s what you like doing. I would be a liar if I said I’ve never done that before, but nothing beats a day of paddling a raging, rapid-filled river in your favorite whitewater boat.

Although the Upper Hooch is running dry, there are plenty of other rivers that are still running at sufficient levels.

A good option is section two of the Chattooga River. It is running at 1.24 feet. According to the American Whitewater Association, it can be run anytime the water level is between 1 foot and 5 feet. It won’t be easy to find sections of good surf, but it is still runnable. This section is class II and similar to the Upper Hooch. It does not have as many rapids as the Upper Hooch, but its rapids have some exceptional drops. They also require some technical paddling.

Another option that is closer to Atlanta is The Wave. This is a rapid on the Chattahoochee River just north of Atlanta Road. It is a fun little “play area” to paddle around in. Before choosing to go roll around in this water, remember that it is in Atlanta. The water is far from clean there, perhaps even filled with diseases.

Wherever you choose to go, I’m sure it will be fun and I wish all of you happy paddling. But for those of you who end up paddling places like the Upper Hooch, I wish all of you happy wading.