Jim Thorpe, PA: Parks

Covering a substantially wide area of exactly 4,548 acres, the Lehigh Gorge State Park is classified as a Pennsylvania state park shared by Carbon and Luzerne Counties in the state of Pennsylvania, United States. It encompasses the Lehigh Gorge, which actually extends along the Lehigh River from the original U.S. Army Corps of Engineers flood control dam built in Luzerne County up to Jim Thorpe in Carbon County. While it has many recreational activities as with most other parks in the state and the Lehigh Valley area, the highlight is still white water rafting. In fact, it is the most popular activity in the park that tourists and visitors expect to try when they visit.

How to Get In

There are currently three major access areas in order to get to the park. First, the northern access point is located at White Haven or off exit 273 off Interstate 80 and on Pennsylvania Route 940. This very same access point was the important northern entrance into the river cut gap between the highlands. It also served as a critical barge loading transshipment point for the upper Lehigh Canal, which happens to be previously fed by a short line of railroad from Mountain Top yard in 1837.

The central access point meanwhile is near Rockport, which is a couple of miles off Pennsylvania Route 93. It is near the borough of Weatherly where there’s a transitional mountainous terrain, which in turn creates a relatively shallow sloped flat. The area is historically significant with respect to regional rail transportation.

Furthermore, the southern access point can be reached off exit 74 off Interstate 476 and via U.S. Route 209 through the borough of Jim Thorpe, PA 18229 and then across the bridge to the north bank of Pennsylvania Route 903, through Glen Onoko (neighborhood) or the northern part of Jim Thorpe.

Course

The Lehigh River produces the border between two counties: Carbon and Luzerne in the northern portion of the park. The northern end meanwhile of the same park is found just below the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Francis E. Walter Dam and in Bear Creek Township on the right bank. You will find Kidder Township on the left bank. The Lehigh River flows south and will enter Dennison Township, going to the borough of White Haven. It will eventually enter the borough of East Side which is opposite White Haven. As soon as it leaves the boroughs, the river will now enter Foster Township on the right bank and then returns to Kidder Township on the left bank while passing Hickory Run State Park.