Lehigh Gorge Trib Question

Probably. But the river is moving quick, even in the parts where it looks like on the surface it isn’t. It’s tough to explain, but it’s some sort of illusion your brain plays on you when you’re looking for the slowest moving water you can. The slowest moving spots on the Lehigh are still pushing good. You’d have to gauge how much it would carry you downstream. And if you miss, walking the bank on the Lehigh in the Gorge isn’t a whole lot of fun. I’d have a PFD on. And I consider myself a good swimmer. Our swim team coach in HS coincidentally was also the PE instructor. We did swimming for a whole quarter of the year for PE. He asked me to join the swim team - I was committed to a different Winter sport and couldn’t, but for reference. The Lehigh regular guys (if they see this) will probably tell you the same, or worse.

Edit: I don’t remember what the water right at the mouth looked like, but the time I tried to cross on foot, I attempted to cross just upstream of the mouth in what I thought was the calmest water I could find, in reasonable distance to Bear’s mouth. I thought it was a relatively slow flowing tailout and it was, for the Lehigh. At 200 cfs (super low) it was capable of dumping me at knee depth, and maybe 1/3 of the way across. The push was like nothing else I’ve fished of similar size in PA. I’m 6’0 185. I turned back. So you’d be swimming in knee deep fast flowing boulder strewn tannic water on a whitewater rafting river.
Yea thats evident on my few trips to the Lehigh it really does push even at this low cfs..the bowling balls and holes don’t help. Yet I’ve crossed a few times this winter wading at spots. Also wading in the Tully after a couple Lehigh trips a few weeks ago I was wading a riff and thought why is this not pushing me over it feels so soft lol.

I’ve had my eye on a particular Lehigh trib not far off but just waiting it out for some favorable conditions to make the trek
 
Isn't there a tiny trib on the west side of the Lehigh that passes under the bike trail, that's listed as an UNT on most maps, that's actually named Black Creek? That's the creek I mentioned much earlier (and deleted) that I had fished for a short distance and only caught one very small native.
 
This looks too easy! But on a serious note, if i had someone to do it with, just tell me the day!

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Sure it is. Just don't forget the three mile trek down the bike trail before your river crossing. 😉
It'll be the easiest bike you ever did, no pedaling required. I'll supply them you guide me! 😁
 

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For the East side, it looks like you are moving along the bank up to Bear Creek. I don't believe that will be easy going or bike-able.
 
For the East side, it looks like you are moving along the bank up to Bear Creek. I don't believe that will be easy going or bike-able.

It’s not bike-able on the east side. The rail trail (which is bike-able) is on the west side of the river the whole way from Jim Thorpe up to the mouth of Bear, which means crossing the river somehow.
 
FWIW there are some airbnb camping options right on Bear, could be a cool basecamp for someone looking to fish the watershed... Obviously more expensive than a state camp site, but the options there nonetheless.
Are you referring to Bear Creek Lake? Don't see that being an option on Bear Creek proper.
 
That's interesting. Wouldn't that have to be where Little Bear flows into Bear Creek?
I'd have to look further into the tax maps to see where things land, but from a high level view, yes. Maybe not the most ideal way to gain access to Bear, but it exists at the very least. Definitely a cool spot for a weekend trip.
 
Something I was thinking about after Swattie mentioned Bear being brookie heavy, which it is, would be it being the type of stream to give up a wild tiger trout, or two. I just love the fact it's pretty well protected by geography, as are a lot of the other really good wild trout streams in Pa.
 
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Bear Creek Airbnb's

Looks like this host has a collection of tents on platforms abutting to the public land per their listing(s)
This intrigued me. And then I went to the link and saw $200/night with a 2 night minimum in May. That's 2 new fly rods for me with some leftover for backing.

Unless there's 8 of us that want to chip in on a platform and split time over 2 days 🤣

I did go back and look through my stream plan tracks and I do think there's an overland track on public land that would get you to the mouth mostly on old logging roads.
 
I did go back and look through my stream plan tracks and I do think there's an overland track on public land that would get you to the mouth mostly on old logging roads.
Good luck with that. 😉I'd guess at least some of those old logging roads have been grown over and indiscernible.
 
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