Augusta Canal National Heritage Trail (Columbia County, Georgia)

I spent the night in Charlotte, NC last night after attending a concert given by my favorite band. Rather than head straight home this morning though, I decided to head south and visit Augusta, GA for the first time. I had a couple of trails I wanted to check out. That said though, the weather has been fairly unpredictable and not super friendly to hiking these last few days. There was a pretty heavy rain during much of the concert last night, but luckily my seats were under the amphitheater roof. Add to that super high temperatures and humidity, and it doesn't make for great weather to be outdoors. Still, I'm going to give it a go.

My first stop takes me to the Augusta Canal National Heritage Trail. This path runs parallel to the Augusta Canal cut alongside the Savannah River in 1845 to power cotton mills and other factories in the area. It was instrumental in the industrialization of the south. This canal is the only one if it's kind in the US that is fully intact and although none of the plants are still in operation, the hydroelectricity is still used by the community and Augusta's municipal water system is drawn from the canal.

As I drive around the trailhead at Savannah River Rapids Park and soon find a parking spot, I notice this is a popular recreation area. There are a number of kayakers, runners, walkers, bikers, and photographers busy at whatever their focus happens to be. I can't blame them; its' a very pretty area.

Walking down the hill from the parking area, I follow along Reed Creek, which empties into the canal, but not before passing over a beautiful little double waterfall. Vibrant colors of green and red make for a terrific picture and I'm already enjoying this place.

Just a bit further, I cross a sturdy bridge which takes me over the canal to narrow strip of land separating the canal from the river. The trail is small gravel, but well maintained and perfectly flat and seemingly perfectly straight, at least for the length I decide to walk. Both the river and the canal appears to be pretty shallow since I can see the bottom in many places and in the river, a number of shoals crop up from the water's surface offering some refuge to the local waterfowl and an army of turtles. There are also a great many turtles in the canal balancing on floating logs and other debris. Some of them drop into the water at the slightest move in their direction.

As I make my way down the trail on this incredibly warm day, I decide to take my shirt off and at least get a little color on my farmer's tan. I'm passed by a number of runners and bikers and in turn pass a number of walkers (as usual my pace is pretty fast), but I do take the time to take in the beautiful scenery all around me. 

I also notice that the joro spiders have arrived and they seem to be even bigger here than they are back home. I spot several of them who's leg spans would appear to be more than four inches, though it's difficult to tell at a distance. I'm sure they get well fed here on the river's shoreline. 

After passing a sign for a place called the Old Fish Camp Path, which seems to lead down to the river, I decide to turn around and head back. It's just so hot and humid today. Back at my car, I see that I only hiked about 2.8 miles and I now that this trail extends well beyond where I turned around. I may have to visit again when it's a bit cooler and finish out the remaining miles. For now though, I settle for just this taste.