The
Lehigh River, a
tributaryA tributary is a stream or river which flows into a main stem river. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea. Tributaries and the mainstem river serve to drain the surrounding drainage basin of its surface water and groundwater by leading the water out into an ocean or some other large body...
of the
Delaware RiverThe Delaware River is a major river on the Atlantic coast of the United States.The Delaware was explored by Adriaen Block as part of the New Netherlands Colony, and was named the South River to mark the southernmost reach of that colony....
, is a 103 mile (166 km) long river located in eastern
PennsylvaniaThe Commonwealth of Pennsylvania , often colloquially referred to as PA by natives and Northeasterners, is a state located in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States...
, in the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Part of the Lehigh, along with a number of its tributaries, is designated a
Pennsylvania Scenic RiverPennsylvania Scenic Rivers are rivers that are designated "scenic" according to the criteria of the Pennsylvania Scenic Rivers Act . The scenic rivers are managed by a variety of State agencies and local conservancies...
by the state's Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. "Lehigh" is an Anglicization of the
LenapeThe "Lenape", pronounced IPA: , , or in English, means "the people." Sometimes the name is spelled Lenape or Lenapi. Also known as the Lenni Lenape, the "true people", or as the "Delaware Indians", they are organized bands of Native American peoples with shared cultural and linguistic...
name for the river, "Lechewuekink," meaning "where there are forks."
The river flows in a highly winding course through valleys between ridges of the
Appalachian MountainsThe Appalachian Mountains , often called the Appalachians, are a vast system of mountains in eastern North America. Definitions vary on the precise boundaries of the Appalachians...
.
The
Lehigh River, a
tributaryA tributary is a stream or river which flows into a main stem river. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea. Tributaries and the mainstem river serve to drain the surrounding drainage basin of its surface water and groundwater by leading the water out into an ocean or some other large body...
of the
Delaware RiverThe Delaware River is a major river on the Atlantic coast of the United States.The Delaware was explored by Adriaen Block as part of the New Netherlands Colony, and was named the South River to mark the southernmost reach of that colony....
, is a 103 mile (166 km) long river located in eastern
PennsylvaniaThe Commonwealth of Pennsylvania , often colloquially referred to as PA by natives and Northeasterners, is a state located in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States...
, in the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Part of the Lehigh, along with a number of its tributaries, is designated a
Pennsylvania Scenic RiverPennsylvania Scenic Rivers are rivers that are designated "scenic" according to the criteria of the Pennsylvania Scenic Rivers Act . The scenic rivers are managed by a variety of State agencies and local conservancies...
by the state's Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. "Lehigh" is an Anglicization of the
LenapeThe "Lenape", pronounced IPA: , , or in English, means "the people." Sometimes the name is spelled Lenape or Lenapi. Also known as the Lenni Lenape, the "true people", or as the "Delaware Indians", they are organized bands of Native American peoples with shared cultural and linguistic...
name for the river, "Lechewuekink," meaning "where there are forks."
The river flows in a highly winding course through valleys between ridges of the
Appalachian MountainsThe Appalachian Mountains , often called the Appalachians, are a vast system of mountains in eastern North America. Definitions vary on the precise boundaries of the Appalachians...
. Its upper course is characterized by numerous whitewater rapids and supports a broad range of recreational pursuits including whitewater rafting, kayaking and canoeing. Its lower course forms the heart of the
Lehigh ValleyThe Lehigh Valley, also known as the Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ metropolitan area and referred to locally as The Valley, is an official metropolitan region consisting of Lehigh, Northampton and Carbon counties in eastern Pennsylvania and Warren county on the western edge of New Jersey, in...
, an historically important anthracite
coalCoal is a readily combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock normally occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
and
steelSteel is an alloy consisting mostly of iron, with a carbon content between 0.2% and 2.1% by weight, depending on the grade. Carbon is the most cost-effective alloying material for iron, but various other alloying elements are used such as manganese, chromium, vanadium, and tungsten...
-producing region of Pennsylvania.
The river rises in the
Pocono MountainsThe Pocono Mountains region is a mountainous region of about 2,400 square miles located in northeastern Pennsylvania.The Pocono Mountains is a popular recreational destination for local and regional visitors...
of northeastern Pennsylvania, in several ponds in southwestern
Wayne CountyWayne County is a county located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. As of 2000, the population was 47,722. Its county seat is Honesdale. The county was named for the Revolutionary War General Anthony Wayne.-Geography:According to the U.S...
, approximately 15 miles (24 km) southeast of
ScrantonScranton is a city in the northeastern part of Pennsylvania, United States. It is the county seat of Lackawanna County and the largest principal city in the Scranton-Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania Metropolitan Statistical Area. According to figures released by the United States Census Bureau in 2000,...
. It flows initially southwest, through southern
Lackawanna CountyLackawanna County is a county in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. It lies at the northern edge of the Coal Region, northwest of the Poconos. It was created on August 13, 1878, from part of Luzerne County and is Pennsylvania's most recently established county. It is named for the Lackawanna River...
, through Francis E. Walter Reservoir. Near
White HavenWhite Haven is a borough in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, United States. White Haven was created in 1824 by industrialist Josiah White. It is located along the Lehigh River which connects White Haven to Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania. The population was 1,182 at the 2000 census...
,
MiddleburgMiddleburg is a borough in Snyder County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 1,382 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Snyder County.-History:...
, it turns south, following a zigzag
whitewaterWhitewater is formed in a rapid, when a river's gradient increases enough to disturb its laminar flow and create turbulence, i.e. form a bubbly, or aerated and unstable current; the frothy water appears white...
course through
Lehigh Gorge State ParkLehigh Gorge State Park is a Pennsylvania state park in Luzerne and Carbon Counties, Pennsylvania in the United States. The park encompasses the Lehigh Gorge, which stretches along the Lehigh River from a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers flood control dam in Luzerne County to Jim Thorpe in Carbon County...
to
Jim ThorpeJim Thorpe is a borough in Carbon County, Pennsylvania, USA. The population was 4,804 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Carbon County...
, then southeast, past
LehightonLehighton is a borough in Carbon County, Pennsylvania, 86 miles north by west of Philadelphia. In the past, it was the site of silk and lace mills, a meat-packing house, shirt factory, automatic-press works, car shops, stoneworks, foundries, etc. In 1900, 4,629 people lived here; in 1910,...
. Southeast of Lehighton, it passes through
Blue MountainBlue Mountain is a ridge that forms the eastern edge of the Appalachian mountain range in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. It cuts across the eastern half of the state from New Jersey to Maryland, providing a distinct boundary between a number of Pennsylvania's geographical and cultural regions...
in a narrow opening called the
Lehigh GapThe Lehigh Gap, near the village of Weiders Crossing, is a water gap formed by the Lehigh River where it cuts through Blue Mountain in the state of Pennsylvania in the United States. The gap allows easy travel between Carbon County to the north and Lehigh and Northampton counties to the south of...
.
From the Lehigh Gap, the river flows southeast to
AllentownAllentown is a city located in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. It is Pennsylvania's third most populous city, after Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 106,632...
, where it is joined by the
Little Lehigh CreekThe Little Lehigh Creek is a tributary of Jordan Creek, approximately long, in eastern Pennsylvania, in the United States. It is also sometimes referred to as the Little Lehigh River....
, then northeast past
BethlehemBethlehem is a city in Lehigh and Northampton Counties in the Lehigh Valley region of eastern Pennsylvania, in the United States. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 71,329 , making it the sixth largest city in Pennsylvania, after Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Allentown, Erie, and...
, where it joins the Delaware River in
EastonEaston is a city in Northampton County, located on the eastern Pennsylvania side of the Delaware River, in the Northeastern United States. The population was 26,263 as of the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Northampton County....
, along Pennsylvania's border with
New JerseyNew Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It is bordered on the north by New York, and to the east by the Hudson River, Upper New York Bay, the Kill Van Kull, Newark Bay, the Arthur Kill, Raritan Bay, Sandy Hook Bay, Westchester County, New York City, Long Island, and...
.
See also
- Lehigh Canal
The Lehigh Canal was constructed to carry anthracite from the upper Lehigh Valley to the urban markets of the northeast, especially Philadelphia...
- List of Pennsylvania rivers
- Pennsylvania Real Time River Flows from the USGShttp://waterdata.usgs.gov/pa/nwis/rt
- Rafting
Rafting or whitewater rafting is a challenging recreational activity using an inflatable raft to navigate a river or other bodies of water. This is usually done on whitewater or different degrees of rough water, in order to thrill and excite the raft passengers...
External links