The furthest south of any Sierra river, the Lower Kern River roars down a narrow canyon with more Class III - IV rapids than you'll find on California whitewater rivers twice as long. The water comes from Lake Isabella and the flows are reliable all summer long. The water temperature gets close to 70 degrees in the summer time.
Put-in for the Lower Kern is located 1/2 mile below the Highway 155 bridge. The first real rapid to encounter is .8 of a mile downstream, Wallow Rock (class III+). For the remainder of the run (18 miles) the river drops at a consistent 28 feet per mile. Shorter runs are possible as Highway 155 parallels the river for its entirety.
Because of the portage at the Royal Flush (class V-VI) bringing lots of gear is not recommended. But, because of road access, it is possible to do overnight trips with vehicle support.
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Photo courtesy of Kern River Outfitters.
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The 18 mile run is mainly class III+, punctuated with the occasional IV. White Maidens' Walkaway (mile 8.9), Dead Man's Curve (mile 10.6), False Flush (mile 11.5), Hari-Kari (mile 15.1), Horseshoe Falls (mile 15.4), and Pinball (mile 17.6) should all be scouted and are considered class IV drops. As mentioned above, the Royal Flush should be portaged by most parties. While scouting the False Flush, it is a good idea to determine where to pull over so you do not accidently drop into Royal Flush, .2 miles downstream. At higher water (above 2,800 CFS), set up safety (or portage) so that potential swimmers in the False Flush do not get swept into Royal Flush.
CaliRiver.com has additional information about rafting the Lower Kern. Click here to check it out. |
