Mud Run

A detailed description of this stream can be found in the 'Lehigh River Paddling Guide,' which can be purchased online at http://www.ggentile.com/nonfiction\_books.html. Scroll down to the appropriate title.

If you usually run the dam on far river left, there is a log which you cannot see until you are nearly committed. Use extreme caution and as always you should have a local show you down this run. Do not take this run for granted.

As of 11-26-11 the dam has been fixed and there is no danger. Either run the dam in the middle or portage.

The gauging is not accurate. To gauge from FE Walter to Lehighton dosen't take into account the inflow of the Sandy, Stony or Black creek in Weatherly, Indian Run in Rockport or a plethera of other tribs. The only true way to gauge it is to look at the gauge on the bridge at the put on. The access to the creek as kinda been kept a secret for years to keep the tourist out so we can continue to have this world class run. I have paddled the Lehigh and ALL of its trib's for almost 20 years, The Stony and Mud have been the last little refuges we have left on the Lehigh river basin. Respect it, respect the fishermen and clean up after yourself, leave only your foot prints. Thanx.

One of the earliest rapids has a big log stuffed in a toaster style slot. Slide down the right side of the middle boulder angling river left to avoid. Further downstream there is a log on river left in the must run line. We just charged right through the precarious branch sticking up with no problems.

Leave plenty of time for the portages, unless you know in advance that you're running the hair lines. The rapid below the double drop is at least a mandatory scout if not a mandatory portage depending on levels.

This reach was recently posted to AW. It had been kept quiet for a long time for good reason. While this is a great creek that offers a mix of class III ledges and a handful of challenging drops, access is a major issue. The put-in is questionable at best and nearby landowners are NOT at all pleased about the whitewater opportunities downstream. I have heard of concerns through the grapevine over 'New Jersey tourists' flocking to Mud Run to go creeking. Obviously these landowners don't realize the creek only runs a handful of times a year, but it is 'their' protected trout stream. While most of the gorge is very remote feeling, its really not that remote, so just be careful, an emergency could end our questionable paddling access to this reach.

Before reaching the Turnpike Bridge, you will see Hawk Run entering on river right. Hawk Falls is a clean 25-30 short slide to a free fall into a deep pool. To my knowledge it has not been run. The only legal access to the falls is to paddle down Mud from 903 and hike up Hawk Run to the falls (very short hike). The State Park prohibits accessing Mud Run via the Hawk Falls parking lot. The double drop below the Turnpike is runnable but certainly challenging. It is visually quite intimidating.

Take out either at Rockport or to avoid the terribly long shuttle to Rockport, take-out at Drake's Creek.

To judge if its running, take the gauge output for the dam in White Haven, subtract this value from the Lehighton guage. This gives you the total flow from the creeks that run into the Lehigh River gorge, of which there are maybe 6-8. The difference between the Lehighton gauge and the White Haven gauge should be at least 2,000 CFS. The put-in should look juicy (but not too juicy), not bony. It's a long day, and may take anywhere between 3 and 6 hours to get down to Drakes creek takeout depending on your skill, experience, and familiarity with the area.