3. Glen Onoko to East Penn Boat Ramp, Bowmanstown, Pa

A easy family float trip at low to moderate levels (up to 2 or 3000 cfs). A good place to train beginning kayakers. Wide river with some surfing waves, eddy lines and easy drops. Can get pushy with rescue difficult at higher levels when the river overflows into the trees, and the waves at the last rapid (Carnage) can get big and irregular. River access at Glen Onoko, or at the town of Jim Thorpe (pay the fee at the township parking lot, and put in at the access at the north end of the lot), Dunbar's Bottling in Lehighton (go past the buildings to the river - be careful of leaving your car there), Weissport (park at the playground and put on under the 209 bridge), Parryville (park at the turnpike building - a difficult carry down to the river), and Bowmanstown (take-out on river right at the 895 bridge - park at the access road to the turnaround at the river). There is a new public access 3/4 mile down from the Bowmanstown bridge at Riverside Park on river right.  Off street parking for 200 cars, and a  bike trail south to Slatington and beyond to Whitehall, and north to Weissport, Jim Thorpe (with a new pedestrian bridge to cross the river), White Haven and beyond.  A nature center is about 3 miles south on the trail at Lehigh gap, with a large walking trail network. The main rapids are at the start and end of the trip - Deaton's Demise below Glen Onoko, Bear Trap in Jim Thorpe (start in the middle and run to the right, avoiding the rocks along river right at the bottom), and Carnage in Bowmanstown (start left and follow the main flow to the right avoiding the large rocks in the middle of the channel about 1/3 of the way down), or sneak to the right of a small island after you pass the old dam location. The remainder of the river is pretty much riffles with flatwater and some small wave trains. A nice surfing wave is under the left arch of the railroad bridge just above Lehighton at Dunbars. Just beyond the PA Turnpike bridge is a rather trashy surfing hole on river left, and just below that was is a small regular surfing wave (the Perfect Wave) that appears to have been washed out permanently. The 2006 flood washed out most of the remains of an old log dam just above Carnage. It also washed a channel to the right of an island just above where the dam was. The entrance chute to the right of that island is rather forceful and pushes you against the river right bank where there are some tree root snags and strainers. This is where a rafter was pinned underwater before being rescued in 2006, but recently the strainers have been washed out.