Mud Run

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.