Alabama whitewater, Cahaba River Jefferson county, Lovick Bridge to Grants Mill section whitewater kayaking, rafting, and paddling information.   CLASS II     5.9 miles   I have a picture of the Lovick Bridge when it was opened in 1916. Is it a common photo or did I find something new? Says Dve Phillips We paddled this section of the CAHABA (11.17.14) after a night of hard rain (USGS gauge said 2400CFS.) We had a blast. As described in the other report there are only 4, (real sets of WW) but at this level they are very fun, lots of surfable waves that are too small at the minimum levels. It was 41'degrees     out, so winter gear was required. But all in all a fun little local run. Says CJ I recently paddled this part of the Cahaba and had a blast. Although it does have a class II rating I only encountered four areas where the river produced what I would call true rapids. Most of these areas were short two to three foot falls followed by a run produced by the current. And one was just a long series of wide wave trains. I did enjoy the rapids but even a novice paddler with a few trips under their belt could handle this section. The only bad part was the long flats inbetween the rapids. I was lucky in that I timed my trip two days after a heavy rain so the current   was nice and steady. If not for that I would have been exhausted from paddling across the flats. Luckily the scenery is good and there is plenty of wildlife to enjoy. The put in at Lovic bridge is tricky. Its a pretty steep grade and full of mud and sand. I ended up just getting in my canoe and slidding down the hill into the water. Thats a good way to flip so take a friend and you could rope your boat down much easier. The take out at Grants Mill is alot nicer. It has a nice gravel parking lot and a concrete ramp down to the river with a concrete docking pad in the water. You NEED to go look at the take out before you go on your trip though. The take out is nice but its positioned weirdly. You come down river to it after your last rapid and if the water is up or moving along well then you really have to back paddle to make the docking pad. Also if you miss the pad the current picks up dead even with the pad and will take you on down river before you realize it. Just check the weather and the USGS sites for the water level and better yet go look at it at the put in and the take out to get a better idea if you can. The Cahaba is a great river to paddle it just isnt forgiving if its high or low! Says Big Mick Cahaba River, Lovick Bridge to Grants Mill road map Printable road map with the put-in and take-out locations clearly marked.     Map Detailed Map Stats Stats for this river stretch Weather Local weather forecast These outdoors activities are available near Cahaba River.   Whitewater Near Cahaba River: Cahaba River, Jefferson County, 4 miles away       Class II - 5.9 miles long (Lovick Bridge to Grants Mill) Whitewater Outfitter - Mountain High Outfitters, -blank- County, 7 miles away       Whitewater outfitter Cahaba River, Jefferson County, 7 miles away       Class I-II - 7 miles long (US Route 11 to County Route 10) Yellowleaf Creek - North Fork, -blank- County, 9 miles away       Class III+ - 1.5 miles long (Ivy Branch to Old Highway 280) Gurley Creek, Blount / Jefferson County, 15 miles away       Class II-III - 3.5 miles long (Narrows Road to State Route 79) Warrior River - Blackburn Fork, Blount County, 21 miles away       Class I-III(V) - 4.5 miles long (Dirt Road off Route 15 to Route 1) Chitwood Creek, Blount County, 25 miles away       Class III-IV - 3.2 miles long (CR 1 to CR 33) Mill Creek, Blount County, 25 miles away       Class III - 0.5 miles long (Rt. 31 to Dirt Road off CR 5) Warrior River - Calvert Prong of the Locust Fork, Blount County, 25 miles away       Class II-III - 2.2 miles long (CR 33 to Deavers Town Road) Mulberry Fork, Cullman/Blount County, 28 miles away       Class I-II - 10.8 miles long (Old US Route 31 to bridge above I-65)   Hotels Near Cahaba River: Hampton Inn - Suites Birmingham Airport Area AL, Birmingham , 2 miles away Quality Inn Airport - Southeast, Birmingham , 2 miles away Holiday Inn Express & Suites BIRMINGHAM-IRONDALE (EAST), Birmingham , 2 miles away Red Roof PLUS+ Birmingham East-Irondale, Irondale , 3 miles away Hilton Garden Inn Birmingham SE-Liberty Park, Vestavia Hills , 4 miles away   Campgrounds Near Cahaba River: Holiday Travel Park, Leeds, 7 miles away Oak Mountain State Park, Birmingham, 11 miles away Hoover RV Park, Hoover, 17 miles away   Public Lands Near Cahaba River: Oak Mountain State Park, Alabama , 11 miles away Rickwood Caverns State Park, Alabama , 25 miles away   Golf Courses Near Cahaba River: Greystone Golf Club, Birmingham , 5 miles away Eagle Point Golf Club, Birmingham , 7 miles away Altadena Valley Country Club, Birmingham , 8 miles away   Lakes Near Cahaba River Ketona Lakes, Jefferson , 8 miles away