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

Tulare county, Kennedy Meadows to Long Valley section whitewater kayaking, rafting, and paddling information.

 

CLASS III-V+     22 miles
  The beautiful scenery of California and the playfulness of the water are reasons enough to come here and paddle. This stretch of Kern River - South Fork in California is 22 miles long and it is classified as a class III-V+ section by American Whitewater. If you've been whitewater rafting and kayaking outside California you might find the rivers here a bit more challenging, so if you're visiting here do keep in mind that a large number of rivers in this state are not easy. There aren’t any hotels right nearby but if you're willing to drive a short distance
    then no problem but do book a room before you come because it is a very popular destination. You can enjoy this section more if you take your time, so why not pack your sleeping bag too. This is not the only paddling section in this river system, there are others too. There are
campgrounds quite near the river where you can camp. No matter if you're whitewater rafting or kayaking around here you'll find a large number of good spots. Getting a good workout and just being out on the river for a while have people coming from far and near. The beautiful Southern Sierra Nevada scenery is an added bonus.

Briefly about the general area:
Kern River - South Fork gets very little rain; January is the wettest month with most rain; June meanwhile is the driest month.
For the duration of the summer at Kern River - South Fork highs
 
are regularly in the 90's with overnight lows in the 60's. Throughout the wintertime highs are generally in the 50's while the cold winter nights at Kern River - South Fork are in the 30's.

Kern River - South Fork, Kennedy Meadows to Long Valley road map
Printable road map with the put-in and take-out locations clearly marked.

QUICK STATS
AW Class: III-V+
Length: 22 miles
Average Gradient: 65 fpm
  
Putin Location Coordinates:
Latitude: 35.99919
Longitude: -118.1429

Takeout Location Coordinates:
Latitude: 35.8333
Longitude: -118.21521

Paddler input for Kern River - South Fork, California:

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

Local climate location: KERN RIVER P H 25 miles away


RAFTING TRIP OUTFITTERS

There are no whitewater outfitters currently listed for this river.

Heritage Inn And Suites, Ridgecrest
38 miles away
Heritage Inn and Suites offer two styles of comfort. The Inn is a 2 story interior hotel with oversized rooms that include refrigerator, microwave, iron and board, in room coffee, computer ports, voi...

Comfort Inn Lone Pine, Lone Pine
38 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...

Econo Lodge Ridgecrest, Ridgecrest
38 miles away
The award-winning Econo Lodge Inn & Suites hotel is conveniently located on Highway 178, one block from the China Lake Naval Weapons Center and the gateway to Death Valley. This Ridgecrest hotel is a ...



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 - South Fork, California
List of books from Amazon.com that cover whitewater paddling on Kern River - South Fork, 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 Bakersfield, California
Very comprehensive list of a variety of outdoors recreation in the vicinity of Bakersfield, California, the metro area neareast to Kern River - South Fork. Find info on campgrounds, hiking trails, ski resorts, lakes, beaches, parks, whitewater and more.
 

   

OUTDOORS
These outdoors activities are available near Kern River - South Fork.
 Whitewater Near Kern River - South Fork:
Kern River - South Fork, Tulare County , 10 miles away, Class V - 17 miles long (Monache Meadows to Kennedy Meadows)
Brush Creek, tulare County , 20 miles away, Class V - 1.5 miles long (Rincon Camp to Kern River)
Kern River, Tulare/ Kern County , 20 miles away, Class III-V - 17 miles long (Johnsondale Bridge to Powerhouse #3)
Dry Meadow Creek, Kern County , 20 miles away, Class V - 1.5 miles long (to North Fork Kern)
Kern River, Tulare County , 21 miles away, Class III-V - 16.8 miles long (Forks of Kern to Johnsondale Bridge)
Kern River, Kern County , 29 miles away, Class II-III - 7 miles long (Lake Isabella to Sandy Flat)
Kern River, Tulare County , 30 miles away, Class II-V+ - 37 miles long (Junction Meadow to Forks of Kern)
 Ski Areas Near Kern River - South Fork:
Shirley Meadow, California , 29 miles away, 600 vertical feet
Mt Waterman, California , 91 miles away, 1300 vertical feet
Mountain High, California , 93 miles away, 1600 vertical feet
Ski Sunrise, California , 93 miles away, 816 vertical feet
Mt. Baldy, California , 100 miles away, 2100 vertical feet
Sierra Summit, California , 100 miles away, 1600 vertical feet
Mammoth Mountain, California , 112 miles away, 3100 vertical feet
June Mountain, California , 121 miles away, 2590 vertical feet
Snow Valley, California , 123 miles away, 1041 vertical feet
Snow Summit, California , 130 miles away, 1200 vertical feet
 Hotels Near Kern River - South Fork:
Heritage Inn And Suites, Ridgecrest , 38 miles away
Comfort Inn Lone Pine, Lone Pine , 38 miles away
Econo Lodge Ridgecrest, Ridgecrest , 38 miles away
SpringHill Suites Ridgecrest, Ridgecrest , 38 miles away
Carriage Inn, Ridgecrest , 39 miles away
 Camp Grounds Near Kern River - South Fork:
Kennedy Meadows Campground, Tulare County, 8 miles away
Troy Meadow Campground, Tulare County, 9 miles away
Horse Meadow Campground, Tulare County, 13 miles away
 Trails Near Kern River - South Fork:
Cannell Meadow Trail, Kern County , 15 miles away,  21.4 hiking miles, 5112 feet elevation difference
 National Parks Near Kern River - South Fork:
Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Park, Three Rivers - CA , 57 miles away

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