California whitewater, Kern River - South Fork Tulare county, Monache Meadows to Kennedy Meadows section whitewater kayaking, rafting, and paddling information.   CLASS V     17 miles   This stretch of Kern River - South Fork in Tulare County is 17 miles long and it is classified as a class V section by American Whitewater. The natural beauty of California and the sparkling of the sunlight on the water beats anything. Getting your paddling muscles activated and just being out on the river for a while are great reasons to come. The average California whitewater rafting or kayaking river tends to be harder to run than those     in other states, so better not forget that a lot of the rivers here are not suitable for beginners. This is not the only paddling section in this river system, there are others too. 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. There are campgrounds quite near the river where you can camp. This section is long enough for an overnight trip if you take your time, so why not pack your camping stuff too. The starting location is a reasonable drive from Bishop, as you can see on the road map further down. Since you're on this site you are   probably into whitewater rafting or kayaking, either way there are lots of good rivers for that around here. The Southern Sierra Nevada scenery is wonderful. Briefly about the general area: At Kern River - South Fork through the summer months highs are in the 90's while night lows are generally in the 60's. Throughout the wintertime this place gets highs in the 50's, and through the dark hours in the winter at Kern River - South Fork temperatures plunge to the 20's. Kern River - South Fork is a location that is rather dried up regularly. Of all the months in a year January is the one with the most rain, and the driest month of the year is October. Kern River - South Fork, Monache Meadows to Kennedy Meadows road map Printable road map with the put-in and take-out locations clearly marked.     Map Detailed Map Stats Stats for this river stretch Weather Local weather forecast These outdoors activities are available near Kern River - South Fork.   Whitewater Near Kern River - South Fork: Kern River - South Fork, Tulare County, 5 miles away       Class V - 17 miles long (Monache Meadows to Kennedy Meadows) Kern River - South Fork, Tulare County, 5 miles away       Class III-V+ - 22 miles long (Kennedy Meadows to Long Valley) Kern River, Tulare County, 20 miles away       Class III-V - 16.8 miles long (Forks of Kern to Johnsondale Bridge) Brush Creek, tulare County, 22 miles away       Class V - 1.5 miles long (Rincon Camp to Kern River) Kern River, Tulare/ Kern County, 24 miles away       Class III-V - 17 miles long (Johnsondale Bridge to Powerhouse #3) Dry Meadow Creek, Kern County, 25 miles away       Class V - 1.5 miles long (to North Fork Kern) Whitewater Outfitter - Eagle Rafting, Kern County, 26 miles away       Whitewater outfitter Whitewater Outfitter - Sierra South MT Sports, Kern County, 26 miles away       Whitewater outfitter Whitewater Outfitter - Hyside Inflatables River Trips, Kern County, 27 miles away       Whitewater outfitter   Ski Areas Near Kern River - South Fork: Shirley Meadow, California , 35 miles away, 600 foot drop, 3 lifts, 7 runs Sierra Summit, California , 95 miles away, 1679 foot drop, 11 lifts, 45 runs Mt Waterman, California , 99 miles away, 1300 foot drop, 3 lifts, 10 runs   Hotels Near Kern River - South Fork: Comfort Inn Lone Pine, Lone Pine , 28 miles away Best Western Plus Frontier Motel, Lone Pine , 29 miles away Passport Inn Inyokern, Inyokern , 34 miles away Econo Lodge Inn & Suites Near China Lake Naval Station, Ridgecrest , 41 miles away Rodeway Inn & Suites Heritage, Ridgecrest , 41 miles away   Campgrounds Near Kern River - South Fork: Pacific Crest Trail Trailcamp 709.5, Olancha, 2 miles away Kennedy Meadows Campground, Tulare County, 2 miles away Pacific Crest Trail Trailcamp 713.4, Olancha, 4 miles away   Public Lands Near Kern River - South Fork: Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Park, Three Rivers - CA , 55 miles away Sequoia National Forest, California , 19 miles away