Kevsmom California Kayaking

California Whitewater

Rafting the Kern River

The Kern River offers boaters every option from remote class IV-V Wild and Scenic runs to class II-IV roadside runs and a whitewater park located in the heart of Kernville. There are a plethora of runs on the Kern River, many of which are divided by dams and diversion tunnels. Most people divide the Kern into five main sections, consisting of numerous runs: The Headwaters, The Forks, The Upper Kern, The Lower Kern, and Cararacts. The Kernville Whitewater Park and popular tributaries, such as Brush Creek and Dry Meadow Creek, steep waterfall-filled kayak runs, make the Kern a playground for advanced kayakers.

The Headwaters (IV-V) begins near the base of Mt. Whitney, the highest peak in the continental U.S. The 37 mile run is rarely run due to the small window of time it flows at the optimum level and the difficult 20 plus mile hike to put-in.

Most people opt to run the Forks of the Kern if they are looking for a remote experience. This 2-day, 17-mile, class IV stretch is considered one of the best wilderness runs in California, and is definitely the best in the southern half of the state.

The Upper Kern provides 20 miles of road-accessed class III-V whitewater. Despite the road, the dams, and the diversion tunnel, this stretch of the Kern is Wild and Scenic, although most boaters run it for the whitewater, not the scenery. The Upper Kern is divided by a diversion tunnel, a portage (Salmon Falls), and class variations into eight sections: Limestone Run (III+, IV-), Fairview Run (III), Chamise Gorge (IV+), Ant Canyon (IV), Thunder Run (IV-V), Cable Run (IV), Powerhouse Run (II-III-), and the Whitewater Park (II). Expert boaters run all 20 miles continuously from the Johnsondale Bridge below the Forks to the Kernville Bridge in town, providing the diversion dam leaves enough water between Limestone and Fairview. This run is called the Bridge-to-Bridge Run.