Pigeon River Kayaking 2026 | New Rapids & I-40 Construction

The Pigeon River is looking a little different these days! We kicked off our Labor Day weekend kayaking trip on the Pigeon River, trying out the changing rapids, playboating a ton, and checking out the all the road work on I-40. The morning started off rainy and stormy, but once the weather cleared, it turned into a pretty good day on the water. With the river continuing to change following Hurricane Helene, it was interesting getting to paddle some of the newer features and see how things are shaping up. RIVER NOTE: This video shows the Pigeon River as it was during our Labor Day weekend 2026 trip. The river has changed significantly since Hurricane Helene, and ongoing I-40 reconstruction may continue to change rapids, river features, and hazards. River Chapters & Rapid Timestamps 00:00 — Introduction 01:06 — BFR 03:28 — The Storm 05:22 — Vegomatic 06:08 — Playspot 07:06 — Snapdragon 07:51 — Rollercoaster 08:51 — Lost Guide 11:24 — Double Reactionary 12:05 — Super Glue (Play Wave) 14:59 — Accelerator 15:43 — Simple Boogie 17:45 — End of the day I’ll be adding the rapid timestamps so you can jump around and check out different sections of the run. If you’ve paddled the Pigeon recently, I’d be interested to hear what you think of the changes. Subscribe for more whitewater kayaking, river trips, and the occasional questionable line. #WhitewaterKayaking #PigeonRiver #Playboating