This review will focus on the overall experience and the Intro to Whitewater experience. First off, ANYONE can do this trip, do not bother with the beginner trip down the river. Unless you are medically unfit, you can do this. Exceptional customer service sums up the team at Jim Thorpe River Adventures (aka LOC). They are extremely well organized which makes for a great trip. Everyone from the moment you enter LOC until the very end was polite, professional and wanted to make sure you have a great time. Some tips to follow: you only need to arrive 15 minutes before your group time, this allows ample time to get situated. Buy their pre-made lunch, it is well worth the 10 bucks, bring extra water on the raft (especially in the summer). Use the bathroom before you get on the bus (and be quick). They give you a dry bucket for your lunch and items, yes you can bring your phone in a dry pouch. Wear a hat and a sun shirt, it is hot and sunny, without much shade. Jump in the water when you have the chance !! If you are a "full figured" person it will be difficult to re-enter the raft, be aware. The trip down river is very safe and well organized. The guides are VERY safety aware ! If you are nervous and listen to them, the team will get you down the river without a hitch ! A few suggestions: don't go on a busy holiday weekend, it can get crowded on the river, the safety briefing takes a long time and you a sitting in the sun (remove your vest and drink water), during July and August I would imagine the water is very low and slow (if it is a dry summer)...best only if you want to have a relaxing rafting trip. Overall, a bunch of fun. The entire family had a great time. read more

Jim Thorpe River Adventures - Having fun in the Class II (and yes buy the photo) - Tours Near Me - Lehighton, Pennsylvania

Went there this past Sunday. Was the 11:20 group. Monica, Penny, Justin aka Jesus, and two other people were our guides. We all are in horrible shape. These guides were so sweet and so professional. At one point we accidentally ran over Monica with our raft. She just smiled and said to be more careful. Then, we can her over again. It was not intentional. That woman needs to be canonized as a saint after putting up with our group. The trip was awesome. Just about anyone could do it. There is this one part where someone comes and takes your picture as you're paddling. Made sure to get a copy of that. Can't wait until it arrives in the mail. Am extremely impressed with this place, in particular with Justin aka Jesus. That kid is so sweet and helped our little raft out so much. JustinSaves read more

We booked the Intro to whitewater for my son's birthday, it was so much fun!! We were out for over about 4 hours. It was so much fun! There was 6 of us and we had our own boat. We will definitely Be back. Staff was amazing! My son said Lindsay was the best and made the adventure that much better. Would highly recommend! read more

They were terrific, provided a comfortable bus drive, and drove us all the way to White Haven. The store was complete with everything you could ever want with Pocono Bikes on it. read more

My husband and I had a reservation with another company that fell through at the last minute due to mechanical issues with their shuttle. We didn't want to waste such a beautiful day, so we called Jim Thorpe River adventures to see if we could book something comparable...they rose to the occasion and literally saved the day for us and the other couple that was affected. Quality equipment and professional advice! I would recommend them to anyone looking to explore the D&L trail!! read more

Jim Thorpe River Adventures - Stopping for a rest at Buttermilk Falls - Tours Near Me - Lehighton, Pennsylvania

I highly recommend the JTRA team who guided us for our white water river adventure. We were able to experience four level three rapids which is the highest available on the river. Penny was our guide and was so experienced and personable. JTRA really did a good job with pandemic precautions. They limited the number of people per raft with a minimum of 4 and a maximum of 6, though they seemed to have made an exception for one group and allowed 7. They only took about 10 rafts onto the water so it was a very manageable group for Penny. There were three guides. Penny in the front, another guy in the middle, and one more guy at the back. The gentleman at the caboose functions to help you if you fall in. We had two people in our group fall in and we were able to safely get them back in as we were properly trained by JTRA. At the end of the river trip, there was a group that couldn't get it together to dock their raft and started drifting past the dock area. One of the staff that came with us jumped in the river, swam like a beast, climbed aboard their raft, and brought them back to shore. It was a sight. For the 2020 summer season, they limited the number of rafters by the bus capacity as a pandemic precaution. They take you in 3 busses for a 45 minute drive up the river. Upon completion, the ride back to your car parked in the lot by the registration facility is only 10 minutes. They also have a third party entity take a couple high quality photo during one of the rapids for purchase. We had a choice of 2 or 3 photos at about $12 per photo. read more

Went on a family rafting trip. The guides were excellent. It was easy for all ages with a few small rapids. Not really rapid more like faster areas. The terrain is gorgeous. They have more advanced trips we will take next time. read more

When in the Poconos, you must visit Jim Thorpe River Adventures. It was the first time my family and I went river rafting. As a first timer, I was terrified of doing this activity. The staff at Jim Thorpe helped me face my fears after their very clear explanations of how to perform this activity. Throughout the entire experience there were several kayaks guiding the rafts and making sure no one was left behind. The staff members were extremely organized which is important especially for an activity like this. It was a hot summer day perfect for water rafting. read more

Jim Thorpe River Adventures - Tours Near Me - Lehighton, Pennsylvania

No customer service. He gets agitated and starts yelling at you and calls you name if you ask a question.

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. read more

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! read more

Jim Thorpe River Adventures - Tours Near Me - Lehighton, Pennsylvania

Brought my son and daughter ages 5 & 7. First time white water rafting for all of us. We were there on 7/31/19. Our guides in the raft with us were a mother and daughter team, Annie and Ivy. They were so patient, professional and a pleasure and joy to be around for the 5 hour trip. As a matter of fact all of the staff on our tour were fantastic! I definitely plan on going again and will definitely be going back with this company. Thank you so much everyone!! read more

See all

Tour guides were awesome. We were disappointed with the lunch. We had gone on other white water adventures through other companies and the nice part about purchasing the lunch was you didn't have to bring it. We spent 10 dollars each on the lunches that were mediocre and we had to carry in the raft. Thankfully they didn't get wet. There was also nowhere to eat for lunch. No picnic tables were at the lunch area and no restrooms. Other companies offered this. On the website, it said minimum of 4 people and that families were not permitted to mix. We almost didn't go because we had to wait for two more family members to be willing to com along. Then, they had another family squish in our boat. Which was ok but why say that on your website and turn around and mix families. If you are a person who doesn't feel comfortable with that, be aware. Again, the tour guides were fun and really nice people. We had a good time but will probably choose another company next time. read more

This was my first rafting trip ever. Jim Thorpe River Adventures have definitely made it so memorable. They were extremely organized. The representatives were very friendly and patient. The restrooms and changing rooms were very clean. We were 5 people on the raft and there were guides in the kayak to guide us. We also had a brief session on how to paddle before we got on to the raft. It was a perfect summer day on the water with amazing views around. read more

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 read more

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. read more

I have rafted with many other companies in the area. This is by far the best company. The customer service is top notch. You can see before you even get out of your car how organized they are. A few things that I thought stood out. So close to 476. Brand new Supper clean faculty. Bathroom and changing room where very clean. This rafter will be back very soon. read more

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... read more

Hands down the best in the area. Unlike other companies, they are taking social distancing very seriously and that was so comforting to see. Our main river guide, Sam, was wonderful. She was friendly and chatty but always kept a watchful eye for us and our two younger kids (9 & 6). Her experience as a guide was obvious which made us feel safe and able to enjoy ourselves more. Jerry the owner is wonderful. You can tell how much he cares about everyone's experience with the company - from rafting to biking. We liked the facility so much from the rafting that we went back the following weekend without the kids for biking. Jerry personally chatted with us and lent us some amazing bikes to try out. His bike shop is a Specialized distributor and their staff are all so friendly and extremely knowledgeable. I highly recommend this place. read more

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. read more

So much fun!! It was a quick ride up the turnpike to their beautiful new building in Lehighton. The staff and owner are super nice and helpful. And the river guides are skilled....got our raft out of a jam and kept us on track. The changing facilities are excellent, too. Will be scheduling a return trip soon. read more

Took the Intro to Whitewater rafting trip. Good - Nice people, plenty of parking. Bad - Had a 30 minute delay before starting waiting for rafts to be inflated. Not a good way to start. About 20 rafts with 4 guides in kayaks so the trip moved slowly (several stops to wait for straggler rafts). 1045a arrival time, didn't break for lunch until 3:30p!!! Who has lunch at 3:30p? Waited a while on bus for everyone to finish. read more

Had a great time today at Jim Thorpe River Adventures! We were a group of four and had our own raft on the Intro to Whitewater Rafting. Spent hours on the beautiful river enjoying moments of rough water and some easy flowing time too. Definitely recommend to family and friends and will return before the end of summer at least 2 more times. The staff was great and did an awesome job of herding us newbies down the river. read more

Jim Thorpe River Adventures - Tours Near Me - Lehighton, Pennsylvania

My husband had reservations about going down the river, but based on our first time experience with Jim Thorpe River Adventures, we are going again next week! It was the most exhilarating experience. The staff and other rafters were so much fun. Definitely a must see, do, swim when you visit the Poconos. read more

Great staff and tour! Well woth the money. Staff is professional and knowledgeable about the river. Kid friendly. Highly recommended!

Maybe I'm spoiled by real rivers in Maine and Colorado but this was not exactly the greatest rafting trip I've been on. A few things to think about if you're going to book a trip with JT River Adventures: 1 - You will wait in line to register, for life jackets, the bus, the rafts, totalling about 2 hours before you even get on the water. Just be prepared to do a lot of sitting around before you actually start rafting. They are very unorganized. 2 - The actual rafting trip says its 4 hours on the website but it really takes more like 5 to 7, depending on the conditions. Every time someone falls out of their raft, EVERYONE has to wait for them to catch up. This wastes hours. I saw children crying that they wanted to go home by hour 6. Just be prepared that this may happen. I asked the guides and they said our trip was pretty typical. Its no 4 hour excursion like the website says - you will spend ALL DAY in a raft. Our group registered for the 12:00 noon trip and we didn't get back to shore until 7:30. 3 - Staff is very friendly and they did their best to make it fun so no complaints there. 4 - Ask ahead of time to see what the conditions are like. We barely hit any rapids and it was so shallow that most of the trip we were just trying to get off the rocks - and our group has done class 4 and 5 rapids, so we knew what we were doing. Its A LOT of paddling so probably not great for the elderly or young children. I'd say we did seriously hard, consistent paddling for at least 3 hours of the trip. If you're looking for a fun and leisurely ride with lots of waves this probably isn't the place. At least not when we went. read more

Did not have a good experience. The river is filled with rocks, many you can not see, even if you are a super athlete you can hurt yourself big time. The guides were a bunch of stoners, absolutely no help and one in particular "Sandy" was a condescending bitch, nasty, obnoxious and rude. I could not believe the way she spoke to us, it was disgusting. read more

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. read more

We go white water rafting annually. This is the first time we chose this company to book our weekend with. A majority of the staff consists of elder man, not that that's a problem until all the yelling began. The staff would non stop yell about how to sit in the bus and would start yelling if even half a foot was in the aisle. Despite that, we had to stop a ridiculous amount of times during rafting because they couldn't handle the group and keep up. We barely got any rafting experience. After one of the workers fell out of his own canoe and hopped into our boat he started yelling at the females in the boat so rudely to paddle harder and faster and just decided to take over our boat for the rest of the way. The facilities were so dirty. I would never book with them again. read more

We had a wonderful experience when we called they took the time to explain everything. Once we arrived we were welcomed and did not feel like a just another customer. The guides were awesome. They got to know you on the trip and would direct you so you could get the most out of the rapids and the cheer you on. Last, lost some $, not much, but I asked them if anyone found about $45 in cash ( yea, right). They call me back, found it and mailed it back to me. That's integrity. Can't wait till next year. read more

First time raft go'er and now I am addicted. I believe I have found the new hobby that I was looking for. This trip was at the spur of the moment. After calling around looking for the best place to go it was a simple choice after with the pleasant greetings from the phone reps of the company. I also had the privilege to speaking with the owner Jerry in my process to getting my reservation. When I arrived I was greeted with all smiles. It was very welcoming. I had a feeling that the crew really enjoyed working there. That really helps because it shows in the product when it is presented. I believe Mitch was giving the safety briefing. He went over a lot of information but he made it funny and enjoyable. There was a older lady there and I feel so bad because her name slipped my mind she was all over the place I don't think there is anything that she could not do she was amazing. The other guides for my trip was Matt, Bernie and I believe Susan but she wore a purple Helmet with the name vixen on it. They were great and very professional. I had a great time out with them I recommend them all. The overall trip experience was awesome. I decided to go on the class one and two course due to my lack of experience. About half way through the trip I was eager to come back for a dam release to fulfill my need of adrenaline rush fever. I definitely recommend this place over any rafting company in the area because there service seems consistent all the way through. They are professionals but most importantly they do it with a smile all the way through. read more

A good trip for a family, it's pretty controlled and guided. If you want something thrilling that would not be a place to go to. We went for an adventure but it was pretty boring. This is great for first timers. read more

Don't expect to have a prompt departure time (expect to wait at least an hour past your "check in time") ... But that said the views, water and rafting experience were incredible. (although it's not like they made the land or the water...) All in all I'd recommend going with this company. read more

Went here last summer, it was fun & boring both at the same time. It was a great and tiring experience! Paddled 8 miles and got stuck so many times lol read more

This outfit has had a recent change of ownership, which brought in a whole new attitude and sense of customer service. They are now the best rafting outfit on the Lehigh, IMO. They hire only the best people, train them well, and expect great things of them. And it pays off. Plus they give customers a longer ride on the river than the big outfit (PocWW), and are just as professional. They are a little more expensive than everyone else, but for many people, the experience will be worth it. read more

This has to be one of my favorite adventures. The guides are knowledgeable of these waters and direct you safely along the course, mid way through you stop along the side for a bring your own lunch. The tour guides directed you towards where you want to seek your thrill , a little ripple to the roaring waters. We had a hiccup on our raft, and I was ejected from our raft like a cork being popped, it was the male testosterone of 2 guys jocking to be the captain of our SHIP-raft. I had to laugh at myself. We all had a great time, and usually can't wait for our yearly trip. read more

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 1/2 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 ! read more

My family and I had an incredible day rafting with this group. Friendly customer service and outstanding, and often funny, river guides, made for an unforgetable trip. Cant wait to go back. read more

This was the worst rafting experience of my life. Our 1 pm start time didn't begin til nearly 3pm after over an hour of nonsense instruction from a guy my group of 12 collectively called "buzzkill jerry". After starting 2 hours late and finally rafting for maybe 10 minutes we immediately stopped for a lunch. The groups you go out with are way too large so you're constantly being told to stop and wait for the group to regather. We literally stopped for 15 minutes at one point to let another rafting company pass us. Never going with this company again it was awful. read more

Went this past summer. I'm so happy I did! Had a great experience and the staff was friendly. We even got a chance to chat with the owner while we waited for our raft tour to begin. read more