Upper/Mid Etowah: take out at McGraw Ford?

[RamblinWreck]

I've done a fair bit of canoeing on the Etowah, the tunnel stretch from Castleberry Bridge to 136, also Hwy 9 River Park (Cumming) to River Bend Gun Club (I'm a RBGC member and can leave my truck safely there for take out).

I want to canoe the section between River Bend and 372/McGraw-Ford WMA just to check it out. Is there parking/River access at the 372 bridge? Looking for a fairly safe place to park the take out vehicle.

Also, has anyone done this section of river? Any hazards or notable features?

Thanks, my paddling friends.

EDIT:
Still looking for a take out - just drove to McF WMA, and there is no parking or easy access to the river at the 372 bridge, if toting a 16' canoe. Banks are a bit too steep. I guess you could park at the gate but would have to ask WRD is this is OK... still not sure I would want to leave a vehicle there all day.

Per etowahwatertrail.org there is a spot farther toward Ball Ground "Gober beach" to go check out.

I could use Eagle Beak Park, Forsyth Co has river access there off Old Federal, actually just found that, but I want to go farther downstream than that, or use it as a put-in. At least on the gun club there is limited access, and I know no one is going to fool with my vehicle.

 

[RamblinWreck]

Fishing must be bad on this stretch of the Etowah... Putting in at Kelly Mill Rd, then take out at Eagles Beak Park looks like an easy 6 miles of river. I've actually never been downstream of RBGC since I usually take out there after putting in at Hwy 9, but if the wife is dropping me off, and she don't like mud on her RX350, so KM Rd.

Now if it would just stop raining... I do need to work on my canoe rigging a little, got some NRS air bags to lash in bow and stern. My tandem river canoe is super-light and strong composite, but barely has positive buoyancy when totally dumped and full of water (like last time we "shot the tunnel", a spectacular wipe-out right at the middle section). If I got dumped in deep water by myself it would be heck to deal with solo.