Pocono Whitewater

Oh boy it was a super fun day water rafting. On arrival we were instructed where to park to conserve space and by the time we left the lot was full.
There is rentals here for a wetsuit, but not needed. They have souvenirs from t shirts, swim shorts, water shoes and they even have waterproof phone pouches incase you decide to bring your phone to take pictures during rafting.
We had to sign a waiver upon arrival before we had put on our lifevests. They also serve food which are mostly burgers fries and hot dogs the usual attraction stuffs.
We took a yellow school bus to the rafting location which is about a 15 minute drive there and back.
We were given brief instructions on rafting and safety. Rafting was about 4 – 5 hours long with a huge group of other rafters. We get a lunch break mid way, be prepared to bring your own food. It gets tiring and definitely need to recharge for another 2 hours in the water.
Hold on tight and have fun!

This was my second day rafting with Pocono Whitewater. First time was 2 years ago and this time I felt like I had enough experience to write a good review.
I went on dam release weekend, so rapids are more intense and a little more expensive, but 10 times better and definitely worth it! The entire trip from start to end involved check in, life jacket fitting, briefing, bus ride, short hiking, rafting, stop for lunch break/​swim, bus ride, changing into clean clothes, leaving. The entire trip takes 7 hrs, you’ll raft 12 miles on Leigh Gorge for 4 – 5 hrs over Class II and III rapids and have the best time of your life!
Each raft fits at least 4 people, up to 7 people. So Its best to go with 4 – 7 friends so you won’t end up rafting with strangers. The 10 minute briefing was very detailed, and everything they said would happen, happened, such as getting stuck on rocks, people falling out. So do paid attention, they really do everything to ensure you have a safe yet fun trip. Honesty, getting stuck and failing out of raft just makes the experience more memorable :)
The bus ride to Leigh Gorge State Park was 15−20mins. Then you take a short gorgeous hike through the park, walk across a stream and get your rafts. There were at least 4 guides with the group. They were very friendly, helpful and got everyone excited! Even though the rapids were intense and a lot of people did fall out, one raft even got flipped, my friends and I felt safe and the bigger the rapid, the more fun we had. We hit at least 10 rapids. Leigh Gorge is just stunningly beautiful, so be sure to enjoy the view as you paddle down the river.
Tips :
— Wear water shoes, or old sneakers you don’t mind throwing away, no open toe shoes!
— Pack individual lunches in Ziploc bags
— There are two buckets for every raft, TAKE BOTH! Big bucket with cover is for lunches, small bucket with no cover is to scoop water out of raft
— Bring towel and extra change of clothes, your rafting clothes will be soaked
— DO NOT bring phones on raft no matter how safe you think it is
— Wear sunscreen, can wear hats and sunglasses, but high risk of losing it
— GO on dam release weekend! If with young children, opt for family style or regular weekend rafting
— Book the trip early to get early check in times
The facility is great as well! They sell lunch sandwiches if you didn’t bring any. The bathroom is clean. There is a place in the gift shop to put your car keys in so they don’t get lost during rafting. They sell professional photos taken during the trip for $ 10, but you can find your picture on their website if you don’t want to buy it. They also have other activities such as Skirmish Paint-​balling, zip-​lining, hiking and biking tours.
Overall, I would give Pocono Whitewaters 6 stars!

I would just like to give this company 5 starts for dedication toward their customers! About mid August, we went white water rafting for my birthday! I can definitely say it brought a huge smile to my face. Where we did the «family fun» rapids and the rapids weren’t mass, it was just fun being in a group splashing and laughing with others. In addition we got an amazing catered lunch and a funny guide!
Anyway, the reason they display great dedication toward their customers is because my sister lost her GoPro in the river during the ride. We knew there was no hope in looking. Well… about a week ago (three weeks after we went rafting) we got a phone call about a missing GoPro. This company took the time to figure out if the GoPro they found in the shallow water was one of their customers. In doing so they compared their pictures to the pictures on the GoPro. That is how they found out! Now if that is not an amazing story and dedication toward your customers, I’m not sure what is! 5*Stars*

We returned to Pocono Whitewater this year, this time for a bigger challenge. We decided to take on «The Gorge» which consisted on Class II and III rapids. Lucky for us, the Saturday we went was a double dam release morning, so the water was plentiful and FAST. Our instructors were Yoo, Linda, Rich and one other guy who I can’t remember. They were helpful, telling us when to pull over to wait for the rest of the group, and stopping their kayaks to help when my everyone but me fell out of the boat. It was an awesome trip, just a little too frightening for my group. Each time we hit a rock one of us would go overboard, it was HELLA funny but also life-​threatening at the same time, considering there were rocks all around us. We had a lot of fun, our lived flashed in front of our eyes at least 6 times, but it was honestly a great day. Maybe I’ll stick with the family style rafting from now on…
Facilities are great too! My recommendation is to take an early morning rafting trip, you get first dibs on clean bathrooms and changing areas as well.

I took my family for a «family style» whitewater rafting day out at Pocono Whitewater in late August 2015. We went on a Friday so it was not crowded. The weather was perfect — highs in the low 80s and sunny with some clouds. We were in the 11:15am group, which meant we arrived at 10:45am and had about 30 to 45 minutes to check-​in, fill out waivers, pay our bill, get fitted for life jackets and get all the kids into the bathroom one last time before our safety briefing at ~11:25am.
We then packed up our paddles, lunches and people in a few buses then were getting into our rafts by 12:00pm or 12:15pm. The guides were terrific — knowledgeable, experienced, friendly and attentive. They even kept us entertained on the bus trip to the rafts with a little talk about the area.
It was a great first rafting experience for my wife and I — we have a teenager and three younger ones from 6 to 4. We would stop along the way to take a quick swim in shallow waters. There was a simple picnic lunch provided halfway through the trip with hot dogs, bananas, chips, macaroni salad, lemonade and water (optional PBJ sandwiches). Back in the rafts for the second half of the trip.
Pocono Whitewater provided a «pirate ship» complete with mock-​up pirates for fun with the kids. Our littlest even got a ride on the pirate ship and was helping the pirates shoot water guns at other boats. Lots of random water gun fights and little swims throughout the beautiful day. The «pirates» were great with the kids — very tame, friendly and focused on fun.
The bus trip back was entertaining again and informative about Jim Thorpe, PA and its history. There was a large campfire back at Pocono Whitewater when we arrived. Changed into warm clothes and then checked out our family picture that was taken at the beginning of the trip while we navigated our first set of rapids. Of course we bought our photo for $ 10 as a memento of our day.
Pocono Whitewater clearly has worked hard at creating a first rate experience for those looking for a fun day on the Lehigh River. Thank you, Pocono Whitewater! We will be back!

This is the second summer that I’ve come here with a group of friends and I absolutely love it! This is an all-​day activity, so be prepared for that. The day starts out with a hangover. Wait, I’m sorry… that’s only if you stayed at our cabin the night before. Ok, so, for the rest of you. The day starts off with renting or purchasing your rafting gear. I have found it extremely useful to purchase water shoes, because you cannot wear flip flops or open toed shoes, and these can be used over again. This will cost about $ 12. You can also rent shoes, but I prefer to buy for 6 bucks more. You have the option to rent water pants, a long sleeved water shirt, water proof windbreaker, and/​or a waterproof vest. Each item will run you between 10 and 15 dollars. The first time I went I got the full suit (pants and top) and was so thankful because the water was freezing. My second time, last weekend, I got the top and I regret it because I was sweating and wound up taking it off because it was too hot. Be sure to check the weather and ask about the temp of the water before renting! After renting you need to fill out a waver. You then get a lifejacket and paddle. After, you sit down for a lecture with everyone leaving at your time and you get into groups with friends to determine who will be on which boat. Boats can fit between four and eight. We had two groups of eight. The lecture is extremely thorough and the guides go over every single thing you need to know. After this, you take a bus to the rapids.
I’m a complete scaredy cat when it comes to these activities. However, both times I went I felt COMPLETELY SAFE! It’s fun, mildly exhilarating, and you will get WET! Each raft gets a bail bucket, a big bucket to keep lunch in, and you can rent water guns as well. My favorite part are the water fights between our two groups of friends, and sometimes other boats join in. I deeply appreciate that the guides care so much about safety and stop frequently to explain what will happen next, offer tips, and keep everyone together. The water is mostly very calm, there are maybe 4 – 5 rapids that are actually rapid-​like. Extremely professional company and I’m so happy that I tried this activity, I love it! Memories to last a lifetime!
After your trip, you are transported back to the base. There is food for sale, beer, snow cones, souvenir items and clothes, and a big bonfire where everyone can stand around, dry off, and warm up! Excellent place, highly recommend it!

I came here for last minute water rafting trip of the summer. All the later time slots were booked. So I could only book the extremely early trip — 7:30am.
This early departure time was actually not bad. We were the first group to hit the rapids in the morning. So we don’t have to run into other groups later on. The water was a little cold since it was so early, but halfway down, as the sun started to get high above us, the water was very cool. It was refreshing to have some of the river water poured over you to stop you from sweating.
The guides were very nice and instructive. I would come back here again to try class 5 rapids.

I took my brother and his girlfriend on the Gorge trip for their high school graduation present. We had a blast! The river is beautiful and the guides were a lot of fun while also being incredibly helpful. The center if very well organized. I felt like the trip had a ton of people on it, which meant longer wait times for people to catch up, but that was only annoying the first stop. It’s kind of comforting when it’s your first time!

This place was great, the staff was very professional and knowledgeable. If you’re in the Pocono Mountains and looking for adventure, look no further.

Had a great time rafting with my 10yr old twin girls on the Lehigh River. We did the family trip with a complimentary bbq lunch midway. Austin, Kayla, & Hawkeye were great… sorry but don’t remember the names of the others in charge, but they were all terrific. We definitely felt like we were in good hands. They are very professional and extremely nice & friendly.
Highly recommend this trip to all families.
What a great day!!!
Tomorrow we bike…

Go on a dam release day for more fun Rapids. Wear biking gloves, your palms will thank you since the paddles will hurt after a while. Bring a good lunch in watertight ziploc bag with extra water bottles. They give u a water resistant bucket to store your foods but water might get in a bit. The staff are very knowledgeable and organized. Ratio is 4 staff per 2 buses full of people. NO SHOWERS! They only have changing rooms. If you want to shower after, try White Water Challengers instead

Really good experience and would recommend to friends.
Staff was friendly, funny and helpful.
The adventure was really fun, and a bit of challenge sometimes (due to the people on the raft). Kids seem to have a lot of fun (get them the water guns, theyll thank you for it).
If you are considering going:
Go with a group of 4 – 8 so you can be on a raft on your own. If your group is smaller, get chatty quick, since you will most likely be paired with other until the boat is 6 – 8 people capacity. In my opinion, for these kind of activities you either end up having a lot of fun with the new acquaintances or a not so great time.
In our case, the trip was worth it, landscape was amazing, and the rapids were fun. I went with my wife, and we were paired with 4 other people (2 groups of 2). 2 of the people were mostly useless and would make the rest spend unnecessary energy keeping the raft straight. And no matter what the assigned captain said these people would do whatever. (So it was amazing when they went overboard)

I love pocono white water. It’s that perfect mix of adventure without ever feeling like you’re in any real danger. At least that’s how it was for me.
Both times I’ve gone rafting through Pocono white water I had complete confidence in their staff. Our last guide was Yo and he definitely knew his stuff and made sure everyone was properly prepared, or at least as prepared as a raft full of random tourists can be.
Neither group I’ve gone with had much experience and both times we had people full in (I’ve managed to somehow avoid it myself). But it wasn’t the end of the world. We were told what to do and guides were there to help.
It isn’t even the rapids that I like the most, it’s the beauty of floating down a river surrounded by mountains and trees on both sides. In between the excitement and adrenaline of crashing through rapids and dodging rocks white water rafting in Jim Thorpe is definitely one of the most the peaceful and relaxing things I’ve done.
Before you leave they have anything you could want. I’m always over prepared, but if you forget lunch there’s several sandwiches and snacks to choose from. Last time I went it was a cool rainy morning so I rented a half wet suit. I’d never worn one before so that was interesting… and really the $ 10 is pretty reasonable.
I say check them out if you haven’t. It’s a lot of fun and if you get enough people to join you you’ll get a free coupon for the next time! Don’t be intimidated, you’ll love it.

I always have fun here! There are crazy deals and activities always lined up. Water rafting at night. Doing a dam release. Or the big day out tour. I have been here many times and I like them all! I enjoy coming all the time. The staff is nice and friendly and well educated about the town Jim Thorpe, PA.
Many times I even come down on my own for a little hiking and biking trip!

This place definitely exceeded my expectations. I came here with a group of 8 on a Saturday. We made reservations beforehand. If you’re on a tight schedule this might not be the best option for you. We had like a 9:15 reservation but we ended up waiting a while for everybody in our group (of like 100) to be ready. And I don’t know probably didn’t get started until like 10
Anyways we all got a brief run through of rules, how to paddle, etc. then took a 5 min bus ride and hiked 10 min to the rafting spot.
Rafting was super amazing. There were parts that were super calm and you just float, relax, and have water fights. Other parts had whitewater rapids where you can get stuck on rocks or get bashed by waves. If you really get stuck a guide was always quickly there on a kayak to help you (we had 4 guides). So it was a good mix of calm and adrenaline
Tips:
–wear closed toe shoes
–if cold wear a rash guard/​dry for shirt
–expect at least everything waist down to get wet at some point
–Bring your own lunch-​pack it in zip locked bags although my lunch still got wet but then again our lunch container was floating in 5 inches of water at some point
–wear a cap for a sunny day bc there’s no shade
–sunglasses would be nice but it might get lost in the water
–come in a weekday if you can, smaller groups
Overall it was a fun and adventurous experience for beginners. I would come back!

So much fun! Will was one of our tour guides who came on the raft with us. He was the BEST! He created a fun and safe atmosphere making our entire group laugh over and over again. LOVE him! Houser and brofie were our other tour guides who were also great. They were all super friendly and helpful. Next time I come back, I will try to ensure I have them again!

My group recently rented bikes from Pocono Whitewater in Jim Thorpe to ride north through the Lehigh Gorge Rail-​Trail.
We arrived around 12:30/1pm and the shop seemed pretty busy. We spoke with a gentleman who technically worked there but didn’t really work there (yea, I know pretty confusing), so was therefore pretty useless to us. The girl working the store finished up with her previous customers and was then able to help us. She was pretty helpful in her recommendation of a hybrid bike for the rail-​trail, since the trail was generally pretty smooth. I would have preferred a little more customized of a fitting for a bike. It wasn’t quite my size and it took me about 10 miles into my 30 mile ride to become comfortable on the bike. I didn’t injure myself so no harm was done.
The trail itself was phenomenal and you can’t beat the convenience of this rental service. For $ 10, they offer a shuttle option and will bring you to another point on the trail. My group was happy to hop on our bikes at Jim Thorpe and ride to Rockport and back.
The cost for a daily rental was $ 29.99 before tax. I thought the cost was pretty step but it seemed to be around the market rate. The hourly rate is $ 9.99 with the max rate being $ 29.99. I liked that you didn’t need to commit to a certain length of trip upfront.

I went with a group of friends to the Moonlight Rafting event. It was a lot of fun and I would come back again, which is saying something because I am not a big outdoors woman at all.
Before coming here, bring a swimsuit to wear under the wet suit. This was the biggest mistake I made and I was rather uncomfortable. The other option is to strip to your underwear and sitting in wet underwear is really gross!
Anyway. The office provides wetsuit, booties, and life jacket rental so don’t worry if you didn’t bring yours (but seriously bring a swimsuit). You get on a bus and it takes you to the starting point for the rafting.
Now, our guide was the stereotypical frat boy who was a lot of fun. Some of the other guides were really tame but not ours. He told a lot of great hilarious stories and even encouraged us to splash neighboring boats.
The course they took us on was not too terrible since it was at night and doing a level 3 at night would be ridiculous. The course is like 8 miles long though, but the whole entire group can vote if they want to quit halfway through or not.
Each boat is equipped with a few buckets to empty out the water. Or, if you’re my group of friends, splash neighboring boats.
Anyway this trip was a lot of fun. But seriously, I cannot emphasize the swimsuit any more.

I had a great experience rafting here last Saturday. My group had 4 adults and 1 child. We booked for the 1:00 trip, got their late at 1:30, quickly filled out the cards and got fitted for our life jackets, and went on our way for a quick orientation where we were given a waterproof bucket and a bucket. Here, you will hear the safety guide lines, and learn the hand signals of left and right. We were led onto a school bus, for a 15 min. ride to the park. After a 10 scenic hike (where there is a small waterfall), and then you will wait in line to get your raft. which is being thrown down to the workers from a top a hill. You then drag your boat single file, into the river and set off on your cold wet adventure!
The moment you step into the river, you will scream! ITS FREEZING! Also, watch out for the left hand side where there will be a photographer capturing a moment of your life. [Pictures are only $ 10 if you want to buy] The trip then takes about 5 hours to complete. We did the water gorge trip, which was level 3 rapids, and there were 3 rapids. We are all a bunch of newbs, and we didn’t care how crazy it might get. After the 1^st rapid, we took a lunch break on the shore where we saw a deer walking by. You will get stuck on rocks, you will fly off your seat, you will get crazy wet. It will be fun.
The guides are knowledgeable and humorous, sarcastic even, but that is good. We got some cheese jokes on our ride back.
BEST PART: WATER FIGHT! bring your own water guns, super soakers. anything for vengeance because you will be fighting strangers, young and old, with water. That little bucket you get, it’s not only for scooping out water from your raft, it is also for WATER FIGHT! Be careful, some people including myself, threw the bucket along with the water and then everyone will try to take your bucket so they can wet you some more. We saw people being pushed out of their raft by their group members.
WORST PART: no bathroom. I’m guessing everyone else just pees in the river because I was the only one running to the bathroom after we reached the check in station at 7PM.
I brought my own food for lunch, and went straight to a buffet after the trip. I didn’t get any all you can eat lunch/​dinner there… that I see people complaining about.

Pocono Whitewater is one of the biggest outdoor outfits in the area. We mostly come for rafting, but they have a huge paintball area that we have yet to try. Their welcome/​check-​in center is very well run by the well trained staff with quick check-​ins and answers to all your questions. There’s a snack bar where you can relax, have a nice breakfast and pick up lunch for your trip as well.
Our last trip on the upper Lehigh RIver was great with a dozen people from the office and their kids. I recommend only for teenagers & up and there was a Boy Scout troop that joined our group also. Pocono does a large but organized trip and a group usually heads out every hour after a brief orientation and safety talk. You then board a bus through historic Jim Thorpe and a short hike down down to the river to pick up your raft.
That mountain runoff water is COLD!!! If you get cold easily, you might want to rent a wet suit top and/​or bottom back at the center (though some are a little icky). Wear some old sneakers or beach shoes and you’ll be fine. Follow your guides, toss water at your friends and you’ll have a great time! Just don’t throw your bucket out with the water ’cause we’re not giving it back.
When you reach the takeout point, hop on the bus and head back to the center. PWW is great that they have a nice changing hut with some curtained off changing rooms. Afterward, unwind in front of the fire & relate some good water stories. Oh yeah and check out your picture at the Welcome center.