0.7 Iron Duff to Fines Creek

The Hepco Section of the Pigeon River is most often accessed via paddling Jonathan's Creek, but mainstem put-ins are also an option. Expect some nice class II and III whitewater with a handful of Class III and III+ rapids at the end. This run is more technical and a bit more challenging than the dam-release Lower Pigeon, somewhat akin to Section 9 of the French Broad. The Hepco run has play that is better than either of these runs at 900cfs or above, with several very nice eddy-accessible surf waves. At flows over 1,500 Island Rapid and especially the rapid below the dam grow in difficulty and are more in the III+/IV- range. The reasons that the Hepco run has not become an Asheville area classic are probably three-fold, all of which merit revisiting. First and foremost the water quality has historically been significantly compromised by the upstream paper mill and livestock waste. With the 2023 closure of the mill, the river is much cleaner, and reports are that the fisheries have rebounded dramatically. Paddlers saw four bald eagles on a trip in the fall of 2023. Second, the access for the run is not ideal for many river users. Access is informal at the top and requires a bit of a paddle-in when Jonathan's Creek is too low or not your jam, and the take-out requires a hike up a rough trail that would not be fun with a raft. Lastly, while the run generally has good flows all winter and spring, lower and summer flows are often less fun than on other rivers with larger watersheds or dam releases. With all of this said, this run is underappreciated given its great playboating, pretty scenery, and close proximity to so many paddlers. With the water quality now so much better, give the run a chance! Note that Hurricane Helene had only very minor effects on the Hepco Run. The noteworthy one exception is that the broken dam rapid is now much better and has been broken into a two stage rapid with nice eddies.