Dan

River flowing through Virginia and North Carolina, USA; length 290 km/180 mi. It rises on the east side of the Appalachian Mountains in southwest Virginia, cascades over the Pinnacles of Dan (810 m/2,655 ft in height), and passes into the John H. Kerr Reservoir and Lake Gaston, from which it emerges as the Roanoke River.

The Pinnacles of Dan have been used for hydroelectricity since 1938, and the Dan River Mills at Danville harness the river's power.

Course From its source, the river flows south and southeast into Stokes County, North Carolina, and passes east of Hanging Rock State Park.. It then turns northeast past Madison and Eden, where the Smith River joins it from the north, and back into Virginia to Danville. It dips southeast into North Carolina again, then flows northeast to South Boston, Virginia, before entering the Kerr Reservoir.