California whitewater - Kern River, Southern Sierra Nevada, Tulare County

Tulare county, Junction Meadow to Forks of Kern section whitewater kayaking, rafting, and paddling information.

 

CLASS II-V+     37 miles
  The average whitewater rafting or kayaking river tends to be a bit harder to master in this state than those in other states, so you'd better keep in mind that many of the rivers here are not very forgiving. Since you're on this site you are probably into whitewater rafting or kayaking, either way this is an area with plenty of spots for that. Getting a good workout and just hanging out with mother nature are great attractions for lots of people. There are so many stretches to paddle in this river system, the Junction Meadow to Forks of Kern stretch
    is just one of many. A section like this is is of course not run in a single day, so better bring your camping gear along. The nature scenery of Tulare County and the playfulness of the water beats anything. The Junction Meadow to Forks of Kern stretch of Kern River in Tulare County
is 37 miles long and is rated by American Whitewater as a class II-V+ section. You can pitch a tent or park your RV at a nearby campground. There aren’t any hotels right nearby but if you're willing to drive a short distance then no problem but if you don’t have reservations you might end up sleeping in your car. Whitewater paddling here in the Southern Sierra Nevada is a great experience.

Briefly about the general area:
An average amount of rainfall falls at Kern River; throughout the month of January you get the most rain around here; the
 
driest month of the year is July. The warmest time of the year at Kern River arrives with high temperatures in the 90's with nighttime lows in the 60's. For the period of the wintertime highs are ordinarily in the 50's, and after the sun is down through the wintertime temperatures at Kern River drop into the 30's.
Soda Spring is a nice local attraction.

Kern River, Junction Meadow to Forks of Kern road map
Printable road map with the put-in and take-out locations clearly marked.

QUICK STATS
AW Class: II-V+
Length: 37 miles
  
Putin Location Coordinates:
Latitude: 36.5814
Longitude: -118.41691

Takeout Location Coordinates:
Latitude: 36.1306
Longitude: -118.4375

Paddler input for Kern River, California:

Submit Input:
Your Name:
Write or Paste Input here:

Upload picture:      Input Submission Guidelines




Current weather conditions at Kern River, Southern Sierra Nevada, California
WXPort

Local climate location: ASH MOUNTAIN 6 miles away


RAFTING TRIP OUTFITTERS

There are no whitewater outfitters currently listed for this river.

Comfort Inn Lone Pine, Lone Pine
28 miles away
Located at the base of the Eastern Sierra Nevada Mountains and home to Mt Whitney, Lone Pine is your gateway to adventure. Hotel looks directly at Mt Whitney and is your base camp for exploring some o...

Best Western Frontier Motel, Lone Pine
29 miles away
Stay at this Lone Pine, California hotel which is conveniently situated between the Sierra Nevada Mountains and Death Valley. Situated in Eastern California's beautiful Owens Valley, the Best Western...

Comfort Inn & Suites Sequoia Kings Canyon, Three Rivers
34 miles away
Hotel offers free high-speed Internet access, fitness room with sauna, seasonal outdoor pool/hot tub, picnic area, conference room and business center. Hot tub and fireplace in some rooms. National Pa...



OTHER_INFO
  Southern Sierra Nevada Whitewater
Complete list of all the whitewater kayaking and rafting spots in the Southern Sierra Nevada.

Southern Sierra Nevada Outdoors Info
Complete outdoors info for the Southern Sierra Nevada.

All California Whitewater
Complete list of all the whitewater paddling spots in California.
Books about whitewater paddling on Kern River, California
List of books from Amazon.com that cover whitewater paddling on Kern River, California.
Find a whitewater outfitter in California

Whitewater Basics
If you're new to whitewater paddling please take a look at this basic whitewater info.
Outdoors Recreation Near Bishop, California
Very comprehensive list of a variety of outdoors recreation in the vicinity of Bishop, California, the metro area neareast to Kern River. Find info on campgrounds, hiking trails, ski resorts, lakes, beaches, parks, whitewater and more.
 

   

OUTDOORS
These outdoors activities are available near Kern River.
 Whitewater Near Kern River:
Kern River, Tulare County , 17 miles away, Class III-V - 16.8 miles long (Forks of Kern to Johnsondale Bridge)
Dry Meadow Creek, Kern County , 20 miles away, Class V - 1.5 miles long (to North Fork Kern)
Brush Creek, tulare County , 22 miles away, Class V - 1.5 miles long (Rincon Camp to Kern River)
Kern River - South Fork, Tulare County , 24 miles away, Class V - 17 miles long (Monache Meadows to Kennedy Meadows)
Kern River, Tulare/ Kern County , 26 miles away, Class III-V - 17 miles long (Johnsondale Bridge to Powerhouse #3)
Kaweah River - Middle Fork, Tulare County , 27 miles away, Class V - 4.8 miles long (Hospital Rock)
Kern River - South Fork, Tulare County , 30 miles away, Class III-V+ - 22 miles long (Kennedy Meadows to Long Valley)
 Ski Areas Near Kern River:
Shirley Meadow, California , 37 miles away, 600 vertical feet
Sierra Summit, California , 70 miles away, 1679 vertical feet
Mammoth Mountain, California , 82 miles away, 3100 vertical feet
June Mountain, California , 91 miles away, 2580 vertical feet
 Hotels Near Kern River:
Comfort Inn Lone Pine, Lone Pine , 28 miles away
Best Western Frontier Motel, Lone Pine , 29 miles away
Comfort Inn & Suites Sequoia Kings Canyon, Three Rivers , 34 miles away
Americas Best Value Lazy J Ranch Three Rivers, Three Rivers , 34 miles away
Best Western Porterville Inn, Porterville , 45 miles away
 Camp Grounds Near Kern River:
Willow Meadows Campground, Tulare County, 7 miles away
Cold Spring Campground, Tulare County, 14 miles away
Campground Guard Station, Tulare County, 15 miles away
 Trails Near Kern River:
Sawtooth Pass Trail, Tulare County , 11 miles away,  20.4 hiking miles, 4737 feet elevation difference
Mount Whitney Trail, Inyo County , 16 miles away,  13.2 hiking miles, 6687 feet elevation difference
Hockett Meadows Trail, Tulare County , 17 miles away,  20.2 hiking miles, 1421 feet elevation difference
Atwell Hockett Trail, Tulare County , 17 miles away,  17.2 hiking miles, 3021 feet elevation difference
 National Parks Near Kern River:
Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Park, Three Rivers - CA , 32 miles away
 Lakes Near Kern River

Outdoors related information copyright © Stratus-Pikpuk, Inc. - Detailed hotel information copyright © Interactive Hotel Solutions
Some content, including Reach Name, Class, and Length, comes from American Whitewater