Jim Thorpe River Adventures

Our group of 13 had a great time out on the river in the Intro to Whitewater trip. We had 8 kids, ranging in age from 9 to 16. Everyone had lots of fun. The rapids were exciting but not very big, which is what you’d expect in an Intro to Whitewater trip. We’re definitely going back for the bigger rapids next time. It was a lot of fun splashing and drenching the other boats in our group. The free hot dogs and birch beer at the end of the trip was a nice touch and a great way to end a fun day. Be sure to tip the guides! The hot dogs and birch beer alone is worth a few bucks per person.

Fun adventure whitewater rafting, the water pressure out of the dam was 850 so the rapids were not too crazy. Definitely a fun trip to take with at least 3 other people. Rafts can fit up to as much as 7 adults but doable with only 4 in a raft. The rafting trip takes up to 6 hours. Our trip time was supposed to start at 12pm and we got back to our car at around 715pm. Before the trip you get your supplies and meet with your «tour guide».
You also get two buckets. One with a lid for food and water you brought along and the second is to scoop out water from your raft.
At the end of the trip there is unlimited hot dogs and birchbeer to eat and drink. Definitely something to hold you over until you drive somewhere for dinner

Let me start this by saying what a wonderful experience my family had on this trip start to almost finish. We were a little late to the check in but we’re excepted with smiles. Listened to the very good orientation and was able to use most of the information given. Some just didn’t apply. I have more experience than most on the river, but my wife and two 8 year olds with me did not. That said we made it through 95% of the trip with smiles and we’re looking forward to our next trip. On the last rapid just before the end we were caught in a very bad spot. The leader of the trip always had an eye on our raft, because we were weak or just his nature I’m not sure. The other guide checked on us at least 5 times asking if we needed gear or just to give us a little pep, either way incredible crew. Our raft flips for lots of reasons, two little girls and a very nervous set of parents, and who comes within 10 seconds, Mike and Brett. Calm, professional, and absolutely sincere about what they were about to do… Save my families lives. No other way to put it. After the children were in the raft, they took my wife, then got me in. They then tied their kayaks to our raft and took us in. I can’t thank this outfit enough. They say it’s their job but it was our lives. If you take a rafting trip near Jim Thorpe, PA these are the people to use without a doubt. Next time, and there will be a next time, I just have at least one more experienced rower in the raft. Thank you guys forever and ever.
. Once again that’s Mike and Brett. Gentlemen.

I’m not a big fan of water sports, but this was fun. The rapids weren’t too much, the guides were very helpful and made sure your raft was okay.
When you get there, they first explain all the rules and teach you how to row and steer the raft. Then get get on the raft and just GO. They gave you buckets to hold your lunch in so it doesn’t get wet which was great.
In the middle they stop in an area to eat lunch for a half an hour.
My friends and I brought water guns so we were shooting water at rafts, so it was definitely ALOT of fun. And in the end you give you free hot dogs and birch beer which is kind of like root beer. The first time I ever went white water rafting was in Costa Rica so that was a totally different experience, but I would say this is up there as well.

I went this weekend with my boyfriend, and we drove in from New York City. This was a great escape from the noise and rush of the city. Things I liked: decent pricing, appropriate length of time for rafting, not too far from NY, great instructors, 5 minute drive from the cute main street of Jim Thorpe, and hotdogs and birch beer given after the ride. Things I did not like: long wait time to get everything all set. We were told to arrive at 9:30 which was 30 minutes before the set rafting time of 10 am. A college group of 15+ joined and they slowed the process down. We didn’t start getting ready until around 10:30. TIP: Ask staff what season is appropriate for you. End of summer is really slow if it hasn’t rained and is more of a lazy river ride. I wanted more excitement…

Bill and Jerry were awesome tour guides during our whitewater rafting experience. My group picked the Big Time Adventure. About 13 miles of pure excitement and adrenaline. Overall, the staff were welcoming and helpful. Safety procedures were explained thoroughly at the beginning of the trip. You have the option of renting a wet suit 12 $ and booties 6 $ for those who can’t handle cold temperatures of the river. You are given 2 buckets for each raft, 1 to place essential items such as snacks, SPF, ect. And the other to take out the water from the raft. One group photo is taken during your journey, you have the option of purchasing it for 12.75 $. Overall, my group had a such a blast during the Labor Day Weekend.
Oh before I forget, at the end of the trip there’s complimentary hot dogs, granola bars, and soda!

3.5 stars. Jim Thorpe River Adventures provided a fun day of whitewater rafting while we were camping in the area.
They really focus on safety here so it’s suitable for beginners and families with young kids. Before you begin, life jackets are handed out and wearing them is mandatory when you’re on the water. A safety orientation is also given to emphasize the dos and don’ts.
After all this is said and done, you are given paddles and shuttled up the river to begin the 5 – 6 hour journey back down. This is a full day of rafting so be prepared with sunscreen and snacks! A brief stop is also made about halfway through you can rest and eat lunch.
The valley is gorgeous and breathtakingly scenic as you paddle through. At the roughest spots, the white water was a Class 3, but there are many calmer stretches of the river for picture perfect Instagramming opportunities.
At the end, dinner is provided (unlimited hot dogs & birch beer!) and you’re free to take your time and leave as you please. I don’t know how the other rafting companies at Jim Thorpe compare, but I enjoyed my day here!
*PRO-​TIP: Arm yourselves with waterguns before you get on board…

I had an absolute blast with 15 of my friends and they’re wives. We rented a house and planned the trip around the Jim throp rafting trip and it didn’t disappoint. You get to the rafting place and they give you life jackets and one oar. That’s all your responsible for, heads up, you MUST wear water shoes, toe shoes or old sneakers, it’s apparently a state law. Not to worry they have cheap rentals available. No carrying rafts they take care of all the heavy lifting! They also have helmets and water guns to rent. Every raft comes with a dry bucket for food and stuff, «it worked well for me but don’t trust it with you phones and cameras and stuff «
And it comes w a bucket to bail some water that might get in. The trip was long it lasted about 5 ½ hours from start to finish. Bring a lunch !!! And lots of bottled water. So that rapids are pretty sweet. There’s not an over abundance of rapids but there are a good amount, your raft will get stuck and you’ll have to use team work to free yourself, and there’s lazy river parts where you can take a dip and if it’s a fun group there’s a lot of splashing and water throwing from bailing buckets. Out if the whole trip there’s probably 6 really crazy rapid spots, and maybe like 10 other medium spots and like 20 fast ripple water spots and a good amount of just floating. People will get thrown from their rafts and it can be dangerous but all in all it’s pretty safe. The guides are all in kayaks and they are awesome at saving people and helping, they know the river like the back of their hand. The river is pretty good but it’s not the Colorado river, so for what it has to offer and what the company does to make your trip the best it can be gets them a 5 star!!! Bring a hat, crappy sunglasses, sunscreen and you’ll be fine !

Had a great time over the 4^th of July weekend. Went with some friends — we were two rafts of about a dozen. With that came four, active, helpful, and friendly river guides who «rode herd» in kayaks. They were clear about directions, but not overbearing. We had a great time.
My family were ‘first timers’, and we elected to take the easiest tour [3 hours, Class 1 – 2 rapids, kids under 8 are allowed … though, none of mine are that young]. Despite this, and being the overachievers that we are, we managed to pin our raft on a decent-​sized rock jutting out of the river, within the first couple hundred yards of the start. «Ohh, that left …» Joking aside, this led to an uncomfortable situation, which required two guides to come over and help us out. Long story short. We all survived … thanks to the guides.
Light paddling required. Had a great time in water gun battles with our friends in the other boats. Made friends with other visitors. I was surprised how many people from other countries made this part of their vacation to the US — surprised as in, how did they find this place. Not surprised by what they received by participating in the activity. Lots of fun!
Facilities are rustic. Boats seemed to be very durable and in good condition. It is not an amusement park ride — problems can happen, and I’m not sure that I’d bring kids under 8 — though, the staff are very helpful. You will get wet. There are showers, but these are like camp showers.

I came here with 14 other friends. We had a large group, but luckily, they told us that we would be able to make three boats of five.
They were very kind when making the reservation and walked me through the entire process and gave clear instructions on what to do when we got there and when to get there and what to bring.
When we arrived, the guides were extremely friendly and though the tutorial to get on the river was long and boring, was definitely necessary information and they made it as interesting as possible.
We did the class 1 and 2 rapids and we had a lot of fun. They provide buckets for you to bail out your boat, or to splash water at other boats. It’s definitely great coming with friends and having water fights. You could also rent water guns for $ 6, which is a little steep, but those guns were pretty strong.
The river was pretty nice, but the group ahead of us was pretty slow (people from a different company) so we often had to wait for them and stopped in the middle of the river.
At the end they let us get a free picture, since we came in a large group, but only one picture for our three boats which kind of sucked, but was still something I was not expecting. They also let us get $ 15 worth of stuff from the gift shop.
Also at the end they had free hot dogs and birch beer. The hot dogs looked all kinds of weird, but it tasted delicious. The birch beer was on point as well.
Overall a great trip and very nice guides. My friend got hurt (my fault, long story short, I accidentally punched him in the face) and they were there to help and make fun of the situation immediately. They were also cool about starting water fights and getting splashed back.

I went to Jim Thorpe last summer w/​a couple of friends and had a BLAST! We got there late because of major traffic and missed the last trip of the day but the manager made an exception and drove us directly to the rafts where we just made it to the rest of the group.
The service was SO FRIENDLY!!! I would definitely go here again!

We recently went with a group of 18 and I must say I had a great time. It was my first time rafting and I would like to do it again. The guides answer every question you have and they’re always around all I have to add is expect to be sore the next day. Really sore :)

I’m just back from a great weekend in Jim Thorpe, PA to which JTRA has contributed a great deal.
First time I was out with them was on a company outing in September 2011. We had time constrains, so only took the smaller rafting trip which has only class 2 rapids. It is true that you have to wait a bit but with a larger group of people that is to be expected. We had some beginners among us, so JTRA arranged for a guide to be in every raft. The guides were very friendly and knowledgeable and everyone really had a good time. The tour took only about 2h, we didn’t have to paddle much and none of us fell off the raft. The water was flowing quickly due to a dam release since they have still a lot of the water stored from Irene and Lee. I have been on a larger tour with a different rafting company in 2010 and the water level was very low then causing us to get stuck on every rock and most of us leaving the raft at least once.
So, this weekend I came back spontaneously because the weather was so nice and I really like the water. JTRA also offers trips on an inflatable kayak which I wanted to try this time. This is however only possible on the smaller section. Since it is already October, there were not many people and on Saturday they only had the larger rafting tour which includes class 2 and 3 rapids. So I joined one of the rafts for the tour I did a year ago and it was such a difference regarding water speed and rocks. The tour took about 4h. It really all depends on the conditions and it is way quicker and more fun with loads of water compared to low water. To my surprise this time all the guides were in a kayak and people were allowed to be on their own in the rafts. However, there were no first timers, everyone had experience, so this is a good judgement call. I think if you ask them or if they think you need a guide they join you in the raft. Just let them know before. Because there were not much people around, there was not much waiting either. I showed up as walk-​in 20min before the tour started and had just enough time to change clothes and get my life-​jacked. Afterwards they offered birch beer and hot dogs. Good thing as I was starving :) I also learned that the next day they had a tour on the smaller section were I could go on the inflatable kayak, so I decided to stay in the area and come back for more the next day. The staff was so friendly, they even helped me find a place to stay which was not an easy task given the fact that there was a fall festival in Jim Thorpe this weekend.
The next day, they had two tours, one on the larger section and another one on the smaller section which I could take the kayak on. The tour consists of one raft (a mother with two kids) and myself on the kayak. Our guide, Linda, decided to join the raft since the kids were a bit scared at first. Linda made me feel special since she let me go in her kayak instead of the one from JTRA. This is rare, so don’t count on it ;). The kayak trip itself was a blast. OMG, I couldn’t stop smiling. You feel the river and the rapids way harder than on a raft. I somehow managed not to fall out of the kayak but got soaked on every rapid. You definitely want to rent the bottom of a wet suit when going on a kayak. The top is not needed on a warm day like this. If you have some kayak experience and want more excitement than in the raft I would definitely suggest going on the inflatable kayak. I’m sure I will be back when I can make some time and the weather looks great again.

I must start by saying that our group definitely had a good time rafting. I don’t know how much of that was due to anything that JTRA did other than rent our equiptment to us.
They schedule you in groups of about 3 schoolbus loads of people. That means that our group of 12 was in with other families, large groups of kids, the odd group of young adults like us… etc. JTRA considers everyone together by reservation time. That definitely makes sense. The problem arrises when JRTA has to corral all of these people in their individual groups and into one cohesive rafting trip. There is WAY to much time just waiting around. You wait to sign in. You wait to get a vest, you wait to hear instructions, after instructions (we’ll get there, too), you wait on the bus. At the river, you wait in your boats. In your boats, you wait at the meeting point. It’s just a lot of waiting when all you want to do is get in a boat and go.
About those instructions… This is class II rapids with maybe some class III thrown in. Anyone who went to summer camp, was a boyscout or has any sense of basic boating knowledge and some athletisism will be just fine here. The almost 45 minutes of instruction and safety briefing was torturous. Keep in mind by the time the briefing had started, we had been there for a good hour. Yeah.
The guides were ok. Our guide was this fiesty little thing of a woman who was not shy in telling our bus her intentions to quit this bitch after our session. I guess it hadn’t been such a fun summer. Fortunately for her, our two boats were funny and sarcastic and we made her laugh, but I could definitely see someone else not appreciating her overall prickly demeanor. That said, the other guides sucked. They didn’t say anything and didn’t do anything. They paddled in their kayaks. That was about it.
The truth is, they didn’t need to do much. This is a step above tubing on the excitement scale and with tubing, you usually have beer. There is no beer here. No beer = sad.
And while JTRA can’t really do anything about this, literally every other boat in our trip was full of either moronic kids acting like idiots, or dorky parents overly obsessed with their children’s saftey and thus, acting like dorks. Our two boats were faster and more accomplished and we felt that without some of the other boats to avoid and go around, we would have been able to do more at our pace.
Listen, value for the money this place is cool. The boats are in OK shape, likewise for paddles, vests, etc. They have hot dogs and soda for everyone afterwords and you can use their showers if you don’t want your car to smell like river (my car was made to smell like river). But for me, next time, I’m finding a place that is geared less towards families and rookies and more towards people looking for some challenge.

We went with a group of 8 men, 55 yrs. old and older. I have been whitewater rafting once before in Whistler, Canada. I was expecting it to be similar.
First of all, I expected a guide to be in the back of each raft. We had about 20 or more rafts and 5 guides in kayaks. I asked one of the guides how come they are wearing helmets and we weren’t. He said something like they had a more dangerous job since they had to jump in after us if we needed to be rescued.
I saw many people with young children, and I would urge anyone with young children, if you want to risk your health-that’s your problem-​but don’t subject a young child to the danger.
Many people fell out of a raft (that’s part of the fun)-but they fell out backwards very close to rocks without helmets. They were lucky that they did not get severely injured.
White water rafting is fun-​but only if you do it the right way. Go with a company that puts a guide in each raft and insist on helmets.

A professionally-​guided tour. JTRA takes care of your boat, paddle, and bus trip to the top of the river; all you have to do is enjoy.
CLASS 2 – 3 RAPIDS:
After arriving at the time specified you Register/​Sign-​In. Place your car keys on the pegboard, recieve your life jacket, and then wait for everyone else to arrive. You will be split up into groups in order to fill the boats evenly. After a briefing session there is a 45-​minute bus ride to the top of the river. Hop in the raft, wait for everyone else, and then you are ready to go. Be aware that the bottom of the raft is a thick layer of lining and that is it. As you encounter rocks, the bottom of the raft will not protect you, and your feet, knees, or butt will get banged up.
Guides are ahead, between, and behind the group. Before approaching a section of rapids, the group must all be together. Single file you go through the rapids and then re-​group again before the next section of rapids.
It’s a long trip (5 hours on the river itself), bring sunblock, water, and food. They provide bucket and lid to store your items in the boat. If you purchase one of their lunches or bring your own, don’t forget to also bring an ice pack. The lunch is in a bucket for at least 4 hours in the sun.
The whole trip may take 9 hours or more and you will be sore and worn out if not used to this type of activity.
Most of the trip is rock dodging with few moments of rapids. Don’t expect a wild adventure full of crazy rapids. Most of the time you’ll just be enjoying a leisurely ride down the river. It’s slow and you may feel trapped after 4 – 5 hours on the river.
Overall, it’s something everyone should do at least once. It’s a lot of hard work and there is a lot of stop and go along the way as you wait for other rafters, but that is to be expected. The water level was particularly low the day our group went and most of the trip was having to worry about getting stuck on the rocky river floor. I advise you to plan a trip after it has been raining for a few days or something.
Enjoy hot dogs and birch beer on Saturdays after your trip.
Extra Info: This is how our trip broke down.
$ 63.00 per person (includes tax)
$ 16.00 river access fee
Of course if you decide to rent extra equipment (wetsuit, gloves, etc), it will cost more. Lunches add more to the bill if you decide to purchase lunches from them.
My review is 3-​stars due to the waiting for everything. We arrived at the time specified, but it wasn’t until a couple of hours later we finally left. Then there was a 45 minute bus ride. Then more waiting for everyone to get in their rafts. Then the constant stop and go on the river in order to keep the group together. I know this is how it is, but it just brought down the fun factor A LOT. Many people just wanted to go the heck home. Our raft only had 3 people in it and after that many hours trying to control a raft with only 3 people, we were exhausted.

I have been rafting a few times over the years and from my time on the Lehigh JTRA seems to be the best.
JTRA is for the people who enjoy an afternoon of rafting and appreciate the sport and do not need extra things like buckets of water and squirt guns to have a good time. They are very organized and have a down to earth professional staff.
They also are not the big guys, so the people who work there enjoy what they are doing.