Stand Up Paddleboarding at Morgan Falls Overlook Park

In an effort to squeeze just a few more fun outings from our summer, we decided to head out this weekend on an outdoor adventure. My husband’s co worker had done some stand up paddleboarding at Morgan Falls Overlook Park in Sandy Springs, Georgia (a northern metro Atlanta city) so we decided to give that a try. If you aren’t familiar with stand up paddle boarding, it is sort of a cross between kayaking and surfing. You are standing on a board with one oar in your hand that you use to navigate your way around a lake or slow moving river. It was honestly an amazing experience and one I hope we get to repeat soon. If you are looking for outdoor activities near Atlanta, I definitely recommend you give this a shot!

Posts feature partner companies & may be sponsored. Post contains affiliate links & I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Stand up paddleboarding at Morgan Falls Overlook Park

Stand Up Paddleboarding at Morgan Falls Overlook Park

If you think that stand up paddleboarding sounds like something you might enjoy, I thought I would provide a few tips that we learned from our own experience. This is a great family experience but probably best for older kids. It takes a fair amount of skill and balance to stay upright and navigate around using the oar. I’m not sure if younger kids would be able to do it successfully but all kids are different. So, here are a few things to keep in mind about stand up paddleboarding:

Stand Up Paddle Boarding what to bring

✯Don’t want to miss the next post?✯

Follow Turning the Clock Back on Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest

Or join the private Facebook group for simple tips on going green!

Pack appropriately for a day on the water:  That means sunscreen, towels, bathing suits under quick dry workout style clothes, sunglasses and hat attached with a string just in case you take a swim. Pack a cooler for when you get back to the car with snacks and water.

Stand up paddle boarding tips

Get a demo or make sure someone is there to instruct you.  Getting on and off  stand up paddleboards requires a very specific set of movements. Stay on your knees until you feel more steady on the board and you are far enough away from the dock that you won’t crack your skull open if you fall in. Listen to your instructor….they probably have some great tips!

Footwear for Stand up paddleboarding

Where the right footwear:  Do not attempt to master stand up paddle boarding in flip flops or bare feet. Obviously you don’t want to wear sneakers. We found that strap on, open weave shoes shown above worked great. You can find similar footwear at most outdoor adventure type shops.

Stand up paddle boarding with kids

It’s not as easy as it looks: When you watch people stand up paddleboarding, they look like they are just meandering around out there quite easily. It actually takes a fair amount of strength, coordination and balance to master that board and make it go where you want it to. The water at Morgan Falls Overlook Park that we were paddleboarding on is actually a damned up portion of the Chattahoochee River called Blue Sluice Lake. There is a light current that will very gently move you in a particular direction. That is great until you want to go AGAINST the current. Then you need to add a bit of muscle to your paddling! It isn’t really HARD but I was a touch sore the next day. Mainly those core muscles front and back that are helping you paddle against the current!

Stand Up Paddleboarding in Atlanta

 

Practice paddling before you stand up! Since we have a kayak and have done ‘paddling sports’ before, we were already familiar with the mechanics of paddling. Going forward is obviously fairly easy to master. However, when you want to TURN with a paddle you will need to learn a few tricks and have a slight understanding of the physics of motion to be successful. Ask your guide to instruct you or check out the Stand Up Paddleboarding pages on REI.com.

Stand Up Paddle Boarding in Atlanta

 

You very well may end up in the lake! Please excuse the very horrible photo up there but I was working with an iPhone from half way across the lake on a shaky paddleboard. You will probably get wet on your little adventure. My son ended up completely in the lake once and my daughter fell twice but managed to actually face plant right on the board both times. That will teach her to try stand up paddleboarding YOGA! Yes, people actually do yoga on stand up paddleboards. Crazy, huh? There is a class offered at Morgan Falls Overlook Park if that is your thing, however I am nowhere NEAR that agile!

Since you will probably end up wet, take care with electronics! My iPhone stayed in a plastic bag most of the journey, only to come out occasionally for a photo op when I felt very secure on my feet!

Stand Up Paddleboarding at Stand Up Paddleboarding at Morgan Falls Overlook Park

Overall, our stand up paddleboarding experience was amazing. The lake was gorgeous, the paddling was fun with just a hint of exercise, and both kids really had an awesome time. This is definitely an adventure I will be doing again. If you find yourself in Georgia and are looking for things to do in Atlanta I recommend you check out stand up paddleboarding!

Have you ever been stand up paddleboarding?

8 thoughts on “Stand Up Paddleboarding at Morgan Falls Overlook Park”

  1. Everyone looks like they’re having a great time! I love stand up paddleboarding too and agree that it helps to know some tricks before getting out there!

    Reply

Leave a Comment