Guided Canoe Trip: Centreville to Harrisburg – April 6

• When: Sunday, April 6th, from 8 am to 5 pm
• Caravan Meeting Location: Amped Fitness in the Colonnade
• Boat Launch Meeting Location: Centreville Blueway Access
• Day of event contact: Wil Rainer, Mobile: (901) 210-7850
• Cost: $40 per person. Children 12 and under are free. Members, remember your discount code! 
• You will need: Brown bag lunch, at least 1 liter of water, sun protection, close-toed shoes you don’t mind getting dirty
• We will provide: Boats (contact recreation@cahabariversociety.org to inquire about using your own boat), paddles, and life jackets.
• Difficulty level: Medium to Hard: this 13.3 mile trip is considered medium to hard based on the distance of the trip. We will be making stops along the way, but in order to be back home at a reasonable hour, we will want to limit our breaks.
• Registration: Email our Field Programs Director, Wil Rainer

Description

This 13.3 mile trip begins in the last shoals of the Valley and Ridge province of the Appalachian Mountains and travels through the Fall Line into the Coastal Plain province. In November of 2024, while paddling this stretch, we heard a heavy splash. We turned and saw four beavers flying out from their hiding place under a hanging root mat. As the bow of our boat touched the bank where the beavers had been hiding, another beaver flew out of the cubby not two feet from the bow of our boat. We will get on the water at the Centreville access and get off the water at the Harrisburg access. Harrisburg is an unimproved 

What to Expect:

As we begin our trip along this segment, we will keep an eye out for the “V” shaped rock formation between the island and the left bank. This is likely an ancient weir built by the Native Americans to catch fish. This shoal lies at the “Fall Line,” which is the last place we will encounter the 250+ million year old hard rocks of Alabama’s uplands. Below this point, the river’s character changes dramatically. We will notice that the river takes on wide meanders, bending back and forth, and the rocky shoals above the Fall Line are now replaced by broad gravel bars and beaches. We are now in Alabama’s Coastal Plain region, and the rocks here are much younger (80-100 million years old) and softer than those above the Fall Line. Part of Alabama’s vast biodiversity is due to the wide variety of habitat types across the state. Just in the Cahaba River, we can generally divide the river into the Appalachian region above the Fall Line; the unique geological and hydrological conditions present as in the Fall Line; and the broad, sandy soils below the Fall Line. Some Cahaba critters prefer to live only above, some only below, and some occupy all three of these habitat types.

The Centreville access is wooden and metal steps leading down to a broad, flat bedrock. The Harrisburg access is an unimproved access with a steep hill. Cahaba River Society guides are available to help guests navigate any obstacles along the way.

Guided canoe trips are weather and water-dependent. If there are changes or cancellations, Wil Rainer will contact each guest and let you know the plan.

What to Bring

• Water (plan to bring 2 liters for this longer trip)
• Lunch & snacks
• Sunscreen
• Sun hat
• Close-toed water shoes. Sandals and flip-flops are not protective enough when walking through the shoals. This site shows some of the shoes our team might be wearing.
• Photography equipment (don’t forget we will be on the water)

You are welcome to bring a cooler for your water and lunch, but alcohol is prohibited.

Registration:

Email our Field Programs Director, Wil Rainer (recreation@cahahariversociety.org) with the following information.

• Trip name/date
• Number of people, specify number of children and ages

Make your suggested donation HERE.