Pigeon, Big East Fork
1. Graveyard Fields to Skinny Dip
| Difficulty | V+ |
| Length | 0.63 mi |
| Avg Gradient | 500 fpm |
| Gauge | East Fork Pigeon River Near Canton, Nc |
| Flow Rate as of 23 minutes | 97 cfsbelow recommended |
| Reach Info Last Updated | December 17, 2025 |
River Description
Leland Davis did a nice story on this one. It can be found here http://members-http-1.rwc1.sfba.home.net/lelandd/paddle/mouthfull.html
Expert sponsored hair/creek boaters have been putting on at Graveyard Fields, but advise against it. The recommended put-in is to use the Mountains to Sea trail. That said, rumors have been circulating of more runs from the top down. Usually done by the same crew that has multiple runs of Linville or Upper Raven Fork under thier belts. Take out where the Big East is crossed by the Hwy 276 bridge. You will portage more than you kayak on this one, and the portages are truely epic. There are two waterfalls that must be portaged, one of which that drops almost 200 feet. The other drops 100, and the top falls is sketchy at best. Subtract those out and you still have a handfull of unrunnable smaller portages. Basically, don't put in here.
Those running this section seem to make it a park & huck running Second Falls, however this is a serious undetaking.
River Features
Put In
Second Falls
Pretty large waterfall that should only be attempted by high level boaters
Yellowstone Falls
Very large slide into an almost vertical reconnect onto rock. Portage this one
Skinny Dip Falls
This area was pretty heavily impacted by Tropical Storm Fred & is completely unrecognizable. Any beta will have to be updated
Take Out
Trip Reports
Log in to add a reportPic was taken at about 130 cfs. This is below runnable levels.