Carbon Co. Wilderness Stream

[Rainier42]

If you try to cross the Lehigh with a raft, I believe the only legal launch points are White Haven, Rockport, and Glen Onoko. If the rangers see you launch anyway else, you may have to explain yourself. If the dam is higher than 300cfs, you'll need a raft designed for whitewater use or the rangers will definitely be interested. In my experience, the rangers seem to prioritize people who seem like they might drown (non whitewater boat and >300cfs) first.

If I were trying to get to the left bank near the mouth of Bear Creek, I'd try to go down from Tank Hollow. I've never done it. I'd imagine it's steep, remote, and full of the usual dangers in this area. It should be very possible though.

Buzzards Point/PennHaven Express trails would put one closer I believe. However, walking the bank is never easy on the Lehigh, especially when you factor in flood debris.

 

[Swattie87]

They may have changed the name of road. If you come up Rt 903 from Jim Thorpe make left on Beherens road go a few miles till you get to little bridge that's Big bear creek. Make left park along that road. If you follow creek back few miles you will come to huge waterfall. It's. Untouched there are some giant trout hidden back there. It's a haul but worth it

Based on the last time I was up there, five or six years ago now, this route (without private landowner permission) would have to involve at least some trespassing. Unless there’s been a major change in landowner mindset up there in the meantime. Those are private communities, some of them gated, with towing rights for unauthorized vehicles. A vehicle parked at that bridge would be a dead giveaway IMO that someone is fishing. As you walked downstream along the creek, you’d likely be crossing the lines of numerous posted properties, as literally everything up there is posted. You’d need permission from every single one of them individually.

I’m not the police, and I don’t own any land up there, and everyone is free to do as they like and accept the risks of the decisions they make when accessing land to fish, I just didn’t want someone new to the thread to not know what I and some others have learned about accessing that area. If you own property up there, or have friends that do, there may be some kind of gentleman’s agreement among the owners that they and their guests can access and fish, but they may not apply to the public at large.

Understanding that this thread is several years old, I’ll say this…I’ve since fished this stream exactly once. Accessed the hard way from public land at the mouth, and I stayed within public land the whole time. It was good, but not good enough to get me to go back yet based on the work required to get to it through public land. FWIW.