Kayak down the meandering Broad River near Royston as it winds along the foothills of the southern Appalachian Mountains. See mountain laurel and other wildflowers blooming on the hills during spring and summer, and enjoy autumn foliage from the unique perspective of the river. Slow Water Kayaking, a local mom and pop livery along the river, takes you to some of the river's most scenic stretches to enjoy paddling or floating back down to your car.
River Characteristics
- The Broad River meanders slowly through the Appalachian foothills, with waters running about one mile per hour. The glassy water is occassionally punctuated by small rapids rated as class 1 or 2 on the International Scale of River Difficulty, making it a famiy-friendly trip and an ideal journey for first-time kayakers. The river passes through heavily-wooded state land as well as private property on its course from your drop-off point back to Slow Water's take-out point.
Choose Your Journey
- Beginners and families with younger kids can enjoy a two- to four-hour trip covering four miles. To make a day of it, bring a picnic lunch and go for the eight-mile trip. The sit-on-top kayaks are easy to maneuver and you won't have to worry about mastering Eskimo rolls or other techniques to steer them down the Broad. Slow Water Kayaking also has canoes for those who wish to share a boat as well as two-hour inner tubing trips. Reserve your trip seven days a week between the hours of 10 a.m. and 5 p.m.
Overnight Accommodations
- Extend the adventure for days on end with on-site camping at Slow Water Kayak's primitive campground. Ptich a tent or park your RV at a campsite with river frontage where you can access the river from your site. You'll be close to conveniently situated bathrooms and outdoor showers where you can rinse away evidence of the day's adventure. Build a campfire using wood available onsite. If you bring your own firewood, make sure it originates no more than 50 miles away to prevent spreading tree-destroying pests.
Play by the Rules
- While Slow Water provides all your basic equipment, you'll want to bring your own snacks and drinks. Don't bring a polystyrene foam cooler, as broken coolers become pieces of trash impossible to fully remove from the environment. Bring straps to lash it to one of the storage areas on your canoe or kayak. Inner-tubers can rent a canvas-covered tube with a bottom in which to strap your plastic cooler. Slow Water's regulations prohibit opening your cooler while actively floating down the river. Bring a mesh sack with a drawstring closure -- such as a laundry sack -- to strap to your watercraft to deposit your trash for disposal when you exit the river.
