Davidson River
1. Forest Service Road 475-A @ Cove Creek to Low Head Dam(Upper Davidson)
| Difficulty | III-IV |
| Length | 1.8 mi |
| Avg Gradient | 120 fpm |
| Gauge | Davidson River Near Brevard, Nc |
| Flow Rate as of 59 minutes | 0.60 ftbelow recommended |
| Reach Info Last Updated | January 12, 2026 |
An alt. put-in .8 mile above Cove Creek where three forks come together. This adds .8 mile and 80 ft. or so of gradient.
There is a well used and maintained trail running the length of the river on the left side, which is often high above the creek on a steep bank.
This run starts off with its largest rapids right at the start and has numerous class III-IV rapids within this section. Shortly downstream of Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner there is a new sieve on river left where the main flow pours under a flat rock with a chockstone also blocking the exit. It is fairly obvious at low water with careful boat scouting.
With its non-stop boogie and beautiful setting within the rhododendron undergrowth you'll want to do a few quick laps of this section, and with a riverside trail it is also possible to get your mountain biking fix for the week running the shuttles. But while blasting down keep in mind that wood is a frequent visitor of this stream bed.
Put-in just above Cove Creek and just below a river wide tree if you are planing to run Whalesback. If you are not going to, park below Cove Creek and putin just below the large rock on river left of Whalesback.
A 7ft. drop with funky cross currents up top and a big hole at bottom backed up by an underwater undercut rock.
A three stage drop. The first of the three drops begins under an overhanging rock.
This rapid significantly changed during Hurricane Fred in 2021, and now a significant new sieve exists in the main flow encompassing the left half of the river. This can be seen at lower flows via careful boat scouting. The main flow compresses under a flat rock on the right side of the slot with a chock stone blocking the small exit from the slot. The far right slot provides reasonably safe passage around the sieve. Take home: do not run the main left line in this location.
There is a small low head dam that doesn't pose a threat at low water but can become a mean hole at higher level. This also where you park your car and another takeout point.
Ample public parking and a decent take-out.
Jan 1, 2011
Ran this back three weeks ago at around 3 ft. Was very fun and I recommend putting up at the Trailhead...around the bridge I think. It's fun little boogie water and some drops and ledges.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LEPvrWc5kM8
http://www.youtube.com/user/stownplayer#p/u/12/D-OEPEkn7ow
Dec 2, 2009
Today Nick I., Ryan I., and myself decided to check out the Top Davidson, Upper Upper, or whatever the section above the normal put in should be called. Our only beta was that there was a clean 20 something foot cascade up in those hills. Long story short the beta did not disappoint. Today the Davidson peaked at 3.2, and we read a level of 2.0 feet on the Top Davidson gauge, which is by the bridge a few hundred feet from the trail head. Hiking upstream 1.5 hours yielded an excellent micro creek run, on par with the Big East of the Pigeon in quality but easier in every way and short, not counting the hike. The trail is pretty good till the end when it splits up a trib. Cross this trib and keep hiking upstream off trail. Scout well for wood on you're way up. We only had to portage twice, but there's plenty in play. Be aware of the wood in the cl.II rapid downstream of the bridge as well, you will not see it on you're hike up.
We put in just downstream of where the creek forks almost equally. With more water you could go up higher. The level we had today seemed like a good medium-low. Aside from some great bedrock drops there is one spot where an old diversion dam poses a problem. Currently this is runnable but very sketchy due to wood, and a big concrete cave in the dam. We all walked this one.
After running out on the upper we had the good fortune to meet some of the folks who helped groom this stream over the summer. Again, nice work fellas, it was effort well invested.
Charley B.