Outfitter makes TripAdvisor list Whitewater Challengers puts Weatherly on the map

A website respected among travelers and foodies has tabbed the town of Weatherly as one of the top whitewater rafting destinations in the country.

TripAdvisor recently compiled a list of 20 locations — ranging from Maine to Montana — representing the best opportunities for tourists to go whitewater rafting.

Lehigh Gorge State Park and its whitewater rapids were represented on the list. TripAdvisor chose Weatherly to sit alongside locations like Ohiopyle; Flagstaff, Arizona; and Jackson, Wyoming.

In its description of the whitewater rafting available near Weatherly, the site said: “The Lehigh River once powered mills and foundries, but now it’s a great spot for white-water rafting trips in the Pocono Mountains. Book a weekend rafting adventure that’s timed to the dam release, and your white-water experience will be powered by energetic rapids. On other days, Class I and Class II white water make for family-family rafting.”

For each city, TripAdvisor listed a nearby rafting outfitter. In the case of Weatherly, they chose Whitewater Challengers, whose campground is located a short distance from the river. TripAdvisor users gave the outfitter 4.5 out of 5 stars.

Sarah Binder, Whitewater Challengers’ Digital Marketing Director, said the Lehigh is different from some of the others on the list because it’s great for families and located not far from the city in the beautiful scenery of northeast Pennsylvania.

“It’s slightly calmer, not as much high adventure,” she said. “It gives families a great chance to get out in nature and have their first experience white-water rafting.”

The outfitter regularly uses TripAdvisor to monitor reviews and sell trips. On top of that, she uses it herself for travel recommendations.

“I use it personally. I know how important it is to know what other people are saying about travel locations,” she said. “I think our ranking on there and positive reviews definitely helped get us on that list.”

The website recommends that people looking for “energetic rapids” time their visit with one of the dam release weekends at Francis E. Walter Dam.

According to TripAdvisor, the idea for a whitewater rafting list came about because it’s a way to get a different perspective of natural beauty across the country, with views of animals and scenery that can’t be seen from the road.

“That’s why some of America’s best white water can be found in these small towns and mountain wildernesses — it’s a taste of the country at its most pristine,” the list reads.

Local officials like Kathy Henderson of the Carbon County Chamber and Economic Development Corporation said they are proud of all of the whitewater companies that call Carbon County Home. A report out this year found that outdoor recreation generates $108,840,265 each year for the county and is responsible for creating 800 jobs.

While the list singled out Whitewater Challengers, there are a handful of other outfitters which guide trips through the Lehigh Gorge, and are based in the towns surrounding it.

Located south of Weatherly on the west side of the gorge is Whitewater Rafting Adventures, Nesquehoning; and Jim Thorpe River Adventures, which recently moved to Lehighton. On the other side of the gorge, in Penn Forest Township, there’s Pocono Whitewater.

A link to the full list is available at http://www.tnonline.com.