A Day on the Lehigh River. A Week in Full Camp Community.
Youth Blast: Whitewater Rafting is built for teens who want their week to end with an adventure they cannot get anywhere else. The signature day is a full trip to Pocono Whitewater Rafting on the Lehigh River in Jim Thorpe, PA, with experienced guides, top-notch safety protocols, and views of Lehigh Gorge State Park from the raft. It is one of the best day-trip rafting experiences in the northeast, run by the people who do it for a living.
Before and after the Lehigh, campers live the full Youth Blast experience. Worship, service, community, and the kind of camp conversations that only happen when a group of teens has paddled a river together. A service project closes the week and gives the whole trip a direction beyond the thrill.
River Day. Camp Days. Teen Community.
A signature off-site rafting trip, four days of the full Youth Blast experience, and a service project to close.
Lehigh River Rafting
A full day on the Lehigh River with Pocono Whitewater Rafting. Experienced guides, real rapids, top-tier safety protocols, and the kind of water that lets teens earn something they did not know they could do.
Full Camp Days
Swimming, boating, fishing, hiking, archery, sports, campfires, and worship fill the on-site days. The rhythm is camp, not classroom, and the cabin crew becomes the raft crew.
Service Project
One day of the week is given to a service project that puts faith into motion. It is the grounding element of the week, the thing that keeps the rafting day in context.
Worship Built for Teens
Meaningful worship woven through the week, designed for teens who want honest conversations about faith after a day on the river, not a canned program for younger kids.
Why the Lehigh Matters
Pocono Whitewater Rafting runs the Lehigh River through Lehigh Gorge State Park, a stretch of water with real rapids and real scenery. It is one of the most respected whitewater operations in the northeast, which means the safety protocols, guides, and equipment are best-in-class.
For teens, the day lands differently than any other camp activity. You paddle. You listen to your guide. You and your raftmates actually have to work together, or the river makes that obvious. It is the kind of experience that becomes a permanent reference point.
Built for the Teen Who Wants the Flagship Trip
Youth Blast is a flagship Gretna Glen program because teens who attend tell us what they needed was a week that treated them as capable and sent them somewhere real. The Whitewater edition is the highest-intensity off-site trip in the summer. Not because it is dangerous (the operation is run professionally) but because the experience itself demands something from the camper in the raft.
The service project at the end of the week pulls everything back into perspective. The rafting day is a gift. The service day is where the week earns its shape.
WHERE YOU'LL STAY
Campers stay in cabins on Gretna Glen's main campus. Cabins feature bunk beds, a changing area, and a modern shower house built in 2018. Youth Blast is a mainsite program. Meals are in the Dining Hall, and the cabin crew becomes the raft crew on the Lehigh.
WHAT PARENTS SHOULD KNOW
Drop-off is Sunday, 3-4 PM. Pick-up is Friday, 5-6 PM. The rafting day is led by Pocono Whitewater Rafting's certified guides, with Gretna Glen staff present for full-day supervision. Helmets and PFDs are required and provided.
Gretna Glen is ACA-accredited, meeting over 300 health, safety, and quality standards. Staff are Ministry Safe and UMC Risk Management trained. Campers should be comfortable in water and able to follow guide instruction. No prior rafting experience is required.
Off-Site Transportation
Gretna Glen staff transport campers to and from the Pocono Whitewater Rafting base in Jim Thorpe. All transportation is included in the program cost.
WHO THIS PROGRAM IS FOR
- Teens 13 to 17 who want a real off-site adventure as the week's signature
- Returning Youth Blast campers ready for the highest-intensity trip on the calendar
- Teens who love water and group outdoor challenge
- Youth group members looking for a week that builds real community and real story