Columbus kayakers embark on 500-mile Chattahoochee River trip from Helen to the Gulf
The Chattahoochee River Conservancy has a new program director, and he means business.
Stephen Burden, 26, originally from Forsyth County, is on a mission to complete a 500-mile kayak trip from the headwaters of the Chattahoochee River in Helen, Georgia, all the way to the Gulf of Mexico to raise $50,000 for the conservancy in Columbus.
He isn’t alone. His paddling partner, Jarod Horne, 27, who hails from Phenix City, is an outdoor adventure enthusiast.
Since their trip started March 1, Burden and Horne plan to average about 10 miles of kayaking per day to reach the Gulf by March 30 to reverse the stigma that the Chattahoochee held decades ago for being unhealthy and unsafe to paddle.
They call their fundraising adventure ”Rediscover the Chattahoochee”.
“We’re showcasing the river, trying to change hearts about the river’s gross reputation,” said Burden, who became interim director of the CRC in October.
The conservancy needs funding to execute some of their catalog of crucial river restoration work.
Since 2010, the nonprofit has made significant improvements to habitat restoration from the dams that have impacted the river’s health, planting native shoal lilies every season. The CRC tests water during the summer season to educate the public about parts of the river near Columbus that might not be healthy for swimming. Last summer, their tests concluded seriously high levels of e. Coli from the Phenix City tributary Mill Creek.
They also have added trash traps to the river and created waste bins designed to collect and recycle fishing lines between West Point and Columbus. The conservancy provides classroom learning opportunities, educating students about river health across the Chattahoochee Valley.
Burden and Horne will have to go around a series of dams either by foot or car.
“There are so many dams, at least five or six,” Burden said.
Buford Dam at Lake Lanier will require a car pickup because it would be several miles to get out of the water and walk around the dam.
Burden has done this trip before and said he is an expert kayaker with “a lot of whitewater experience.”
Some days they will have to do a 24-mile kayak day to keep up with their goal of reaching the Gulf by the March 30. Burden said the two are averaging around 3 miles per hour on his kayak.
The last time the trip was done in a fundraising form was by Joe and Monica Cook in the late 1990s. according to Burden.
Burden and Horne expect to be in Columbus on March 15 and spend a day out of the water March 16. They hope people will join them and spend time in the whitewater portion of the river. The entire trip is mapped out on the CRC’s website to help people follow these kayakers throughout the month or donate to the cause. As of March 5, they are already halfway toward their fundraising goal.
An Instagram page also is dedicated to their adventure: @chattriver2026.
The Ledger-Enquirer will join the paddlers during a portion of their voyage to get an inside look into the experience and share more about their reflections as they paddle down the Peach State.
This story was originally published March 5, 2026 at 10:41 AM.
