Raleigh’s secrets are plentiful, but I’m not sure any are bigger than this one.  Did you know there is a hidden waterway running through Downtown Raleigh?  Raleigh NC is part of a small number of major cities in the United States to not be built around a body of water, but that’s not because there aren’t any waterways near Downtown Raleigh.

The Pigeon House Branch runs from the Village District just north of Peace street, turns north along West St, and follows Capital Blvd until it intersects Crabtree Creek.  It was culverted and piped many years ago to allow for more development in the area, as it now runs undetected below many business’ operating in the Glenwood South district of Downtown Raleigh.  

So naturally, we went to go find it!

Studying Google Maps, we found the best place to start was along West street, just north of Peace St and right next to the current Raleigh maintenance yard.  

We had to climb down some rather steep embankments where we began to hear the water flowing out of the exit to the underground tunnel.  At the bottom, there is a small outcropping of concrete to carefully climb around, and once you turn the corner, the underground tunnel is revealed!

There was more water flow than we expected, as there was an audible rushing of the water as it made it’s way down a series of small waterfalls.  The opening to the underground tunnel was filled with a variety of graffiti, and there were only small portions along the edges of the opening to safely walk into the tunnel.

The tunnel itself was pretty large considering the water was only about a foot deep when we went.  It was square in design with smooth concrete ceilings and sidewalls made of rock.  Various openings of pipes, assumed to be stormwater pipes, could be seen along the sidewalls as we made our way in.  

This first tunnel was around a football field in length, as you could see daylight on either side throughout the tunnel.  After emerging from this first tunnel, the waterway continues towards Peace Street.

The bottom and sides of the waterway remained the same, but now it was open to daylight.  The walls were about 12-15’ high and there was no real easy way to get in or out safely, and various pipes could still be seen along the wall along with spotty graffiti. 

Once at Peace Street, the waterway splits into two tunnels going underneath the street.  Unlike the first tunnel, these were pitch black with the water seemingly deeper, so we did not choose to go in as we would have wanted tall rainbows or weighters to both minimize getting wet as well as avoid spending too much time in the likely contaminated water.  

From there, we followed it to the next point where it daylights on the west side of West street, across from Smoky Hollow.  To get to this location, it had to of gone underneath Smoky Hollow and the Peace Raleigh Apartments with the new Publix.

We weren’t able to safely enter here, but we were able to get drone footage.  This location was underneath the railroad tracks, and the waterway and resembled a typical creek.  The waterway continued upstream underneath the McLaurin Parking deck and Vidrio, then across Glenwood and underneath Glenwood Towers.

Between Glenwood Towers and Boylan Ave, you can see hill that indicates the top of the tunnel, and the storm drain that empties into the waterway.

It then goes underneath the next block, likely under the parking lots bordering the back of the business’s along Johnson St, and daylights again behind some private residences on the west side of St Marys St.  Then waterway then goes upstream to Edna Metz Wells Park.  

So bottom line, Raleigh does have a waterway that used to run along the northern edge of downtown, but an underground tunnel was constructed to allow developments to overbuild it.

Looking back, how cool would it be if Raleigh preserved the Pigeon House Branch and actually had a waterway flowing through it!  

Well, we are about to find out very soon, as it will be brought back to life with the new Smoky Hollow Park located in the old Devereux Meadow site at the intersection of Capital Blvd and Peace Street.  

The site is currently a yard to store City of Raleigh maintenance equipment, but between the 1930s and 1970s, it was actually a baseball field!  Devereux Meadow park was home to the Raleigh Capitals, and players like Ted Williams and Jackie Robinson are believed to have played here.  

Source: https://raleighnc.gov/projects/smoky-hollow-park-project

The park’s main feature will be the Pigeon House Branch, that will be revitalized and redirected to meander throughout the park.  There will be a “boardwalk” following the waterway, and various of walking paths and fields.  The theme to the park will involve a more natural design, which will be a welcome sight next to all of the construction underway in the area.  

The Smoky Hollow Park is in its’ final planning and approval stages, and construction is expected to take place roughly between 2025 and 2027.

There’s so much more Raleigh content on our website, come check it out!  And check out our blog on the top things to do in Raleigh NC.

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