Questions asked along forgotten waters... Riddles of a remembered past...
In the Piedmont green of Northeast Georgia, between the mountains and the coast, there exists a place of untamed wild and unfettered freedom. It lies between the Classic City of Athens and the resort areas of Lake Oconee. It is not a single defined tract of land but a ribbon of waters flowing eternally through undeveloped granite hills, bordered by The Oconee National Forest. Here, over 12,000 years of human history meet the present pubs and pedestrians of Oconee County Region through a thin mist of time. Shoals and shallows pass by abandoned mill towns, while wood ducks, red tail hawks, kingfishers, and great blue herons soar over calm waters of the Oconee River. Eons have flowed as faceless men and women not just lived but thrived along these Oconee waters. This was Oconee Joe’s legacy. It is now our heritage. Come explore with us as we restore the Oconee's forgotten roots...
Kayak, Canoe, Hike, Camp,
Explore With The One Who Knows The Flow...
Oconee Joe Paddle Co. offers guided paddle trips via kayak or canoe daily. Half Day (4 Hrs.), Full Day (8 Hrs.), and even Multi-Night Excursions are available. Wanting the full experience of life upon the Oconee? Ask about the gourmet river fare that can be catered for special trips, such as, Birthdays, Bachelor/Bachelorette Tours, Company Trips, or Weekend Getaways. Oconee Joe offers customized ecology/historic tours along all sections of the Upper Oconee River Watershed. From Athens, Georgia downstream to Lake Oconee. Over 70 Local Miles of waterways to seek out one’s own personalized adventure in the wild woods and waters of the Oconee River Piedmont. Professional guides, well versed in local river history and Piedmont ecology, provide a uniquely tailored trip for each client. They are CPR and First Aid certified. OJPC is the only licensed and insured river guide service operating on the Upper Oconee River Watershed (Athens, GA-Lake Oconee Region). Top quality vessels are utilized to safely, and reliably carry each client downstream. PFDs by Onyx, Werner Paddles, Dry-Bag gear, Ozark Trail tents, and ENO hammocks can outfit any desired expedition through the woods and waters. Oconee Joe Paddle Co. even has the trip shuttle planned: from insertion to extraction, OJPC runs the logistics of travel. What is your history with these eternal waters? You make it today...
“There are places on this earth, even to this day, where the fabric of past worlds fray into our own. Strands become intertwined with untold lives from Fate’s Loom. Time gets thin out there in those places, so it does... So it does.” — Oconee Joe, On Speaking of the Stones
From the dawn of the First Peoples and the coming of the Archaic Indians, to forming our young nation's first boundary waters with the Creek Confederacy, the Oconee has always been the frontier of revolutionary veterans. This is where cotton made kings of some and slaves of many more. From the Civil War Home-Guard through the Industrial Revolution, many peoples labored, lived, loved, and died in the hope of a brighter American day. Humanity has continually harnessed the power of this river to thrive over this green land. Who Is Oconee Joe? Come, look into these waters to find just who you seek...