President's Message

Welcome! Whether you actively searched for us or found us through a link from another site we’re glad you decided to check us out.

The Friends of Chattahoochee Bend State Park is a 501(c) (3) non-profit organization of dedicated volunteers. We work in partnership with park staff, the Parks and Historic Sites division of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, and our parent organization, Friends of Georgia State Parks and Historic Sites, to promote, enhance, and maintain Chattahoochee Bend State Park.

A large part of our time is spent on trail work – both construction and maintenance. Have you hiked any of the trails at “The Bend”? All of the hiking trails were built by folks with a passion for the outdoors. But that’s not all we do. Do you know of a child who has participated in Junior Ranger Camp? Several of our volunteers assist the park Naturalist with this program and share their love of nature with our younger guests. We also assist the Naturalist with other events such as campfire building, archery, and the Build Your Own Hiking Staff program. Additionally, we host independent programs like Geocaching 101 and our Summer Hike and Paddle trips (easily our most popular program). Some of the enhancements we’ve done are planted flowers at the front gate and in two pollinator beds at the Visitor Center, purchased and installed a new swing at the river overlook in our Day Use area, and spread several dump-truck loads of mulch around the Visitor Center.

As you can imagine, all of this takes a lot of volunteer manpower and we are always looking for folks who want to join us, whether long term or just for a day. The list of projects above is by no means comprehensive and we welcome folks with any and all skills. Maybe you don’t have any carpentry skills but you love plants and gardening; maybe you don’t hike but are into astronomy; whatever your area of interest I can assure you that we have a place for you.

Now that you’ve found us and know a little more about us we hope that you’ll join us soon. We would love to have you. And if you want to think about it for a while that’s okay. Jump over to the CONTACT US tab and shoot us an email. We’ll add you to our list and keep you updated about our projects and happenings.

We hope you enjoy Chattahoochee Bend and will join us soon!

Phil LaRue

President, Friends of Chattahoochee Bend State Park

About Friends

Chapter History

In 2008, as Coweta County moved forward on improving the main access road to the park, a group of citizens formed a Steering Committee that set the foundations for the Friends chapter.
In January 2009 the Friends of Chattahoochee Bend State Park was officially chartered — the first chapter in Georgia history to form before construction even started!

2025 Board of Directors

Philip LaRue, President

Steve St Laurent, Vice President & Founding Chapter Member

Jan Pierce, Treasurer

Cheryl Reed, Secretary

Volunteers

It's certainly not obligatory that you volunteer, but when you do it changes your perspective. You get to know the folks who work at the park, you get to know the park itself, you see what needs improvement from an insider's point-of-view, and you have the ability to make the park better. There are as many different volunteer opportunities as there are different species of trees. Here at Chattahoochee Bend, we have the unique experience of actually building our park! How exciting is that!?

Friends of GA State Parks

When you become a Friend of Georgia State Parks, you become more than just a park visitor. Being a Friends member has a "price" beyond the dollars you hand over for membership, and that little bit extra -- volunteering -- carries rewards greater than the discounts and perks .

Gift memberships to the Friends of GA State Parks can give your friends and family unlimited access to all GA State Parks and Historic Sites, opening a whole new world of adventures!

Be sure to select Chattahoochee Bend as your Home Park!

Friends of Ga State Parks Membership