What a great 2 days this was! Unfortunately, we have to reschedule the river run because the river was too high, but that means we got a whole extra day of practice! Really looking forward to hitting the river later this month. The instructors were great! They were experienced, knowledgable, patient, and funny. I highly recommend this course for anyone interested in kayaking. Keep up the good work guys!! read more

Northeast PA Kayak School - Rafting/Kayaking Near Me - Lehighton, Pennsylvania

Took the 2 day white water kayak class. Had a great time! Instructors were awesome. Well organized. Beautiful scenery. Plenty of practice time. Highly recommend. read more

Had a great course over the weekend! Heather, and Larry were incredibly knowledgeable, positive and patient from beginning to end. They made sure everyone was challenged to the level they were willing to be challenged and improving the whole way down the river. If you're interested in kayaking give them a shout! read more

Our thanks go out to Northeast PA Kayak School. We had the best weekend ever in our 2 day whitewater kayak classes. Our instructor, Doug, was talented, funny, patient, and eased any concerns or fears. He made us feel we would be successful, and step by step showed us how to make it happen! We had so much fun, and learned so much, we are addicted and can't wait to go again. Customer service and office staff are exceptional. River days, here we come! Highly recommended. read more

This course was as good as it gets!! The instructors are friendly and know 100% what they are doing. You can use your own gear if you have it, or you can use the gear they supply which is top notch! We will definitely be back for more that they offer because you can never stop learning and if you are serious about whitewater kayaking.. This is your ticket into an exciting, adventurous new world! Thanks to everyone at Northeast PA kayak school, thanks to everyone that was in our class, and most importantly.. Thanks to Doug, Rich and Joel ,our instructors, you guys are no doubt the best and you will be seeing us again!!! read more

The Northeast PA Kayak School is a fantastic way to learn the ropes of whitewater kayaking, and we had an absolute blast in the two-day whitewater kayak clinic. Jerry and his fellow instructors are eager to share their love of paddling, and the teaching methods and class structure (first day learning skills on the lake, second day river trip on easy class I-II rapids) make it ideal for kayaking beginners like ourselves, as well as people with some experience looking to sharpen their skills on the river. My boyfriend and I couldn't have had a better weekend or introduction to this exciting sport. I've always wanted to try whitewater kayaking since flatwater kayaking frankly seems rather boring. And not knowing what we're doing, renting kayaks and hurtling down rapids ourselves seemed like a bad idea. In comes 2-day clinic with the kayak school. The first day we learned all of the basic skills and strokes including wet exit (key skill to ensure you can get out of an upside down boat hence avoiding drowning), various paddle strokes, turning, carving, paddling straight (harder than you think!), and bracing to stabilize the boat. There were 8 people in our class with 3 instructors, ensuring that everyone got plenty of practice and personal attention. Jerry, Lisa, and Bill all did a great job of teaching/demonstrating the skills and correcting our techniques. And of course making the day fun. The last hour of the first day we had the chance to learn to eskimo roll (optional, but really fun!). Unfortunately by that time, my arms, hips, legs, and core were beyond exhausted making the roll even more difficult to pull off, but I almost got it! They use a four step assisted process to teach it, and no one in the class was completely successful, but it was a lot of fun and something to work on for next time. The second day is the main event - they lead you down an 8-mile stretch of the Lehigh starting in Jim Thorpe and winding through a series of mostly class I rapids. We started out paddling around on a calm section to practice all the skills from the day before and get re-acclimated to the kayaks. (I needed this, as I had spent probably about 2 hours total in a kayak prior to this class.) Then we headed down the river! Paddling through the easy rapids and riding the wave trains was a blast. Jerry also had us try things like ferrying across the current, carving into the current, eddying out, etc. in areas where it was safe and ideal. Everyone flipped at least once trying new things, and the record was around 7 flips! (That wet exit really came in handy.) The final rapid was the most fun of the day. All of the rapids we went through (~10) were fun but not too tricky - perfect for trying out our new skills and having a good time without being fearful for life and limb. And an instructor was always right there anytime anyone flipped to guide them to shore. However, this class isn't "let's go down the river on fun boats and play in the rapids" - this is "you better get comfortable with being upside stuck in a boat underwater and freeing yourself, and you'll get frustrated fairly quickly if you don't have the right mindset to learn challenging skills and apply them in a potentially risky environment." Just thought I'd throw that disclaimer out there - as an example, I may never have kayaked before, but I'm an avid rock climber and snowboarder and love new adventure sports. Plenty of information is also on their website and facebook page, so I'll just finish up with saying we had a fantastic two days and can't wait to go back for the 1-day river trips you can do once you've taken 2-day clinic. (You skip the first day and just do the river trip.) I'll also have to work on my roll! read more

This was a great experience!! I had just recently got into the sport of kayaking and was in need of some pro advice. This is the place to go! My girlfriend and I were instructed by Doug and his jr. instructor Sam, who were both great at building confidence, while teaching the basic technical skills of whitewater paddling. Dougs' many years of experience and teaching abilities shine through as he shows you step by intricate step, the art of paddling. Day one on the lake is where you learn (it's a lot to take in) Day two; put it to action on the river. You are in good hands and it's a lot of fun! I have a lot of new knowledge to process and practice in the coming months and can't wait to get back on the river with these guys again in the spring!!! read more

Had the best time ever, I am hooked thanks to our instructors Doug, Tom, and Rich. I will be back

White water Kayaking has been an adventure I've toyed with for several years. Well, this was finally going to be the year. Almost nothing was going to stop me. Finally my wife said, yes! My daughter also wanted to learn how to Kayak the safe & correct way. From the time I made the decision to signup to finally arriving at Beltzville State park my anxiety was high. The instructor Doug was so calm and the instructor in training Paul had the same calm about himself. I was thinking come on hurry up, I want to lean how to Kayak. Not sure when it happen but while Doug and Paul were explained the the gear and what we plan to learn that first day I was suddenly calm. Doug's 20+ years of experience really shows in his instructions. That first day on/ in the lake was an eye opening experience for me. I didn't realize how much I didn't know and what goes into making a kayaking trip fun, by fun I mean safe and challenging. Day two, the Lehigh river we were joined by previous students that wanted to hone their skills and have fun. Jim another great calm instructor also joined us on the river. Jim has so much experience I couldn't remember it all. I will give you a few hints; get a good nights rest, get water shoes and a nose clip all sold at the store except the sleep. The entire experience was excellent. Can't wait to go back for more instructional fun. My final take away, I will always be learning and challenged at this sport. Oh yea! The company is excellent to deal with. WAHOO!! read more