The upper Pigeon River put-in marks the start of the Pigeon River gorge whitewater run. The gorge is one of the most popular commercial rafting corridors in the Southeast, running through Pisgah and Cherokee National Forests between the NC/TN state line. Water quality monitoring at the put-in captures conditions before paddlers enter the gorge, and results here help characterize inputs from the upper Pigeon watershed above the gorge.