Virtual tour of the upper Lehigh gorge.	Virtual tour of the lower Lehigh gorge.
Street Atlas map of the upper Lehigh. (70k)	Street Atlas map of the lower Lehigh. (70k)
	Topo Map of Lower  with GPS Waypoints for Rapids Marked

River Levels

Recorded level gauges:
(717) 443-0400 - Hickory Run Park Office
(215) 656-6680 – Frank Cook of the Army Corp of Engineers – call to find dam status and to voice the concerns of private boaters.
On-line level gauges:

• Lehigh River at Stoddartsville (above dam)
• Lehigh River at White Haven (gauge 0.7 miles below dam)
• Lehigh River at Lehighton (5 miles below lower take-out)
• Lehigh River at Walnutport (600 min cfs to run the ledges)

• Dam Level Inflow and Outflow
• Lehigh River Basin Summary
  
• Yearly Target Whitewater Release Schedule
• Weekend Release Info
• Reservoir Level and Precipitation
• Water Control Graphs
  

Lehigh River Water Quality Monitor

• Telog Water Quality Monitoring
• User Name: Lehigh River
• Password: LRSA
  

Location

The Lehigh is located in northeast PA, about 2 hours from NYC and 1 1/2 from Philadelphia. White Haven (the put-in to the upper secion is about 45 miles west of the NJ border on Route 80.
Click for a overview map. The area is rich in history, and in the 19th century the river had a lock system installed for the transportation of coal.

Where to Stay

There is a large state park campground near the upper section, and a smaller private campground (Lehigh Gorge Campground) on Route 940 about a mile from the put-in of the upper section. You can also stay at the rafting outfitter campgrounds, although they tend to be noisy at night.

There is an upscale inn near Tannery rapid on the upper. Sleep in, stroll down to Tannery bridge and watch the action, and still have time to run the river with some fly fishing in the evening. The Pocono Mountains Visitor Bureau also has some lodging ideas.

Water Levels

• Below 150 - Run Section III from Lehighton / Weissport / Packerton
  
• Below 400 - Run Section III from Glen Onoko
  
• 400 cfs on the White Haven gauge is the minimum flow to get down the river without dragging your boat in some sections. Even at this level the lower can be a long, scratchy day.
• 1000 cfs is more of a fun run, with most of the nastier rocks covered (Wilhoyt's, Battleship Rock).
• 4000 has a lot of nice surfing waves and some sticky holes (Chiller and Thriller in Little Swimmers, Amy's Hole below Eye of the Needle).
• 10,000 has great wave trains, and any hole will let you out eventually (well maybe not Perculator at Z).
• Don't think the Army Corps will ever let it get above 13,000 though - can't have everything.

River Description

The Lehigh River has 2 whitewater sections classed as an easy III (easier than the lower Yough, but much harder than the Delaware (see the Monocacy's river ranking), with guided raft trips, raft rentals, or great trips for private boaters. The river can get crowded during weekends (particularly release weekends) with raft trips and clubs. Detailed descriptions of the rapids are given in the virtual tours for the upper and lower sections.

Section I (the upper) is a 9 mile run from White Haven (at Rt 80) to Rockport.

Section II (the lower) is a 14 mile section from Rockport to Jim Thorpe (or you can use the Glen Onoko take out which cuts out 2 miles of mostly flatwater and Class II down to Thorpe). 

Section III is a summer Class II 'family float' trip running from Jim Thorpe to Bowmanstown. Not as pristine and scenic as the first two sections, but nice on those hot summer days.  Sections that can be run include:

• Glen Okoko to Jim Thorpe - about 2 miles and some interesting class II rapids.  Take-out at the township parking lot at Jim Thorpe.
• Jim Thorpe to Weissport / Lehighton - about 4 miles with Beartrap Rapid (class II) just south of Jim Thorpe and Dunbar's surfing wave at Lehighton.  Take-out river left at the 209 bridge near the Weissport playground. A bike trail goes from the Weissport canal park up to the Jim Thorpe wastewater treatment plant at Beartrap Rapids.
  
• Weissport to Bowmanstown - about 4 miles with 'The Perfect Wave' just south of the turnpike bridge and a nice rapid (Carnage) just before takeout below the old dam.  Take-out on right side at Bowmanstown bridge.  There is a new public takeout with parking for 200 cars at the Riverside park, 3/4 mile below the Bowmanstown bridge on river right.  It also has a trail down to Slatington with a nature center halfway down the trail. See the Lehigh Gap Nature Center's website.
  

The upper has more play spots (including enders at Wilhoyts and Beaver Hole, squirts at Lunch Rock and Eddy Turn Rock, and great surfing waves at Ledges) than the lower, but is not as pretty as the gorge area of the lower. The biggest rapids in the lower (Little Swimmers, Oxbow, Tower) are longer and bouncier than anything on the upper. But then the lower has more flatwater stretches, and can have a pretty stiff headwind near Bear Creek.

A bike trail follows the river along an old railroad bed from Jim Thorpe to Glen Onoko to White Haven as part of the state park, with bike rentals available locally. The river is administered by the PA Dept of Conservation and Natural Resources. There is a steep trail starting at the parking area at Glen Onoko that goes up to the top of a multi level water fall. The park administers access to the river as well as the bike trail. The eastern shore of the upper section borders Hickory Run state park, with some hiking trails down to the river. The whole White Haven to Thorpe area has a long history of coal mining and tourism. Water levels are dependent on the releases from the Francis Walters dam, operated by the Army Corps of Engineers, planned weekend releases (see FEW Dam Info links above) are usually announced on Wednesday and finalized by Friday. There is usually enough natural flow water for regular releases in the spring, thru the end of May. The Army Corps recently rerouted the road across the Francis Walters Dam to allow the dam level to be raised without flooding the road.  They are testing raising the dam level in the spring and giving more whitewater releases during the summer, and a higher minimum release to build a better trout fishery on the Lehigh. 

The Wildlands Conservancy's web page contains some information about the Lehigh, and coordinates a paddling sojourn on the Lehigh, and river reach maps.

The upper section of the Lehigh is stocked with trout down to about Hickory Run at Eddy Turn Rock. From the Francis Walter Dam down to White Haven is also a popular fishing stretch. A non-profit association stocks the river from Jim Thorpe down to Allentown. Mud Run near the Northeast Turnpike Extension overpass is fly fishing only. This area is one of the best for fishing in Carbon County. No boating is allowed on the Lehigh's upper section from White Haven to Rockport during the first weekend of Pennsylvania's trout season (early April).

Safety

Even the most playful rivers can be unforgiving, so be prepared (the AWA incident  report was for an unguided family group not familiar with the river using plastic department store 'toy' rafts) . The park rangers will inspect your canoe to be sure that you have adequate flotation (i.e. air bags in canoes- too many wrapped Grummans in the past, or that your rafts are adequate with multiple chambers), protective flotation devices (i.e. life jackets - to be worn at all times while on the river), and won't let you on the river without them. Helmets for kayakers and strapped-in open boaters is also a good idea, as are throw bags, biners, and 1st aid kits, ducttape (you get the idea). Boat access (put-in and take-out) within the park boundaries is allowed only at White Haven, Rockport, and Glen Onoko. The rangers patrol the bike path (release weekends) on the river right side in case you get in trouble or have to hike out. Back-boards are located at intervals down the river along that roadway. Don't boat alone unless you and your next of kin are prepared to accept the vagaries of mother nature. Rescue people first, equipment second. Float with your feet on the surface. Watch out for rattlesnakes. Don't walk on the railroad tracks. (I sound like somebody's mother). State park rules apply: no alcoholic beverages on the river, life jackets on at all times on the river, no swimming, no fires, no parking at the bottom, etc., etc., etc. Have fun out there...