Lackawanna River - 5/27/2000
Contributed by: Phil
Location of put in: Forest City, PA
Approximate class: Class III to IV
Estimated length: 8

Lackawanna River ... 30 minutes north of Scranton PA and about 1hr 10 min from Binghamton NY Its worth a 2+ hour drive if the level doesn't go below 3.6. One hour drive down to 3.2 feet. If you want to come and camp, party and paddle check out Chets for the camping and partying part. Its located about 15 minutes from Forest City.

Its on a dirt road!! A good put in is either at the water treatment plant just a little north of Forest City or anywhere along the D&H Rail bed. Access the Rail bed by taking route 171 to the Turkey Hill Market in Forest City. Take route 247 east for about 200 yds (The Turkey Hill is at the intersection of 171 and 247), then make a right and drive by the sewer treatment plant. go about 100 yds and turn onto the rail bed. The river is on the left...just look for an easy place to get down to the water.

Take out directions: Take route 171 south into Simpson( Just before Carbondale). Go over a high bridge in town. After the bridge and about 150 yards make a right and go over an old RR bridge.(Just before the Vintage Cafe) Go left after the bridge into a pot holed mess for 100 yds then into an industrial park. Park anywhere. Take out about 200yrs below the cul-d-sac at a river wide hole. There is a sluice pipe emptying in on river left at this take out. Just walk along the bank and you should see it. The bank looks bad from above but there sort of a path to get you back up from the river if you look for it.

Camping at Chets Place (http://www.chetsplace.com)
Lackawanna Gauge [ Click here for link... ]

This river is not suitable for beginners. As soon as you see homes on river right look for any eddy and take out on river left ASAP and go scout Hole 10. The right side is choked with strainers and the left is runable but should be looked at. Its a class 4 drop.

The #10 hole (its a fishing hole after the following) is about a 6' waterfall on river right (with a nasty undercut on the left of falls) and a sluice on river left. Both are runable, but must be scouted due to how easily they clogs with strainers. When you start to see homes on river right its time to get out and scout from river left.

My personal guess is that the river is a class II - IV depending on the level. This river changes drastically at higher water. The town section in Simpson is great for park and surfing at 3.2 and above. White Rock is a wave/hole, Typewriter, and The Tuna Hole are all located in town.

- Disclaimer -
This information may be inaccurate and all paddlers are advised to consult guide books and river gauges before paddling any river. All the information is gathered from other sources and I cannot guarantee its accuracy. Remember that even an easy Class II river can be a nasty class V when running at flood stage. Your best defense is lots of common sense. Never paddle above your ability.

Good luck and Happy Paddling.