Kern River Whitewater Boating

GET WET, GET WILD, EXPLORE

The Kern River lies a short three-hour drive from Southern California and offers a range of whitewater experiences from a few hours, to 2-day overnight trips! We have lots of choices for you. The 78-mile long river flows through the Sequoia National Forest for 51 miles (21 miles within wilderness), mostly in a precipitous gorge. The Kern River includes every level of river rafting rapids imaginable (Class I-V). There are over 60-miles of commercially-run whitewater. Only the lower 17 miles are accessible by road. Outstanding features include recreation, scenery, geology, wildlife and fisheries.

Choose your Trip:
The season begins in April as the snow pack from Mt. Whitney (14,505 ft.) the highest peak in the continental United States, begins to melt. The Sequoia National Forest offers five whitewater river companies (link to page) to help you plan the whitewater experience of a lifetime for you, your family and friends. You can also stay informed by checking out the rivers flow at (link to flow rate), or following the river rafting companies individual Facebooks, Blogs and Twitter pages.

North Fork Kern River (Also known as "the Forks", Class IV and V rapids)
Class IV and V rapids have names like Thunder Run which offer the best class V experiences in the state of California. The Forks run is not to be experienced by the beginner because it includes large waves, continuous rapids, and large rocks which require an individual skills of precise whitewater maneuvering. The skill level: advanced whitewater experience.

View map of North Fork Kern River - 443k PDF
Map courtesy of Kern River Outfitters

Read more about Forks Run...

Upper Kern River (Class III and IV rapids)
The Upper Kern river experience is very popular with several runs of Class II - IV rapids. The powerful Upper Kern offers fast-moving thrills and white water that allow you to run the premium rapids, sometimes more than once.

View map of Upper Kern River - 412k PDF
Map courtesy of Kern River Outfitters

Read more about Upper Kern Run...

Lower Kern River (Class III, and IV rapids)
The Lower Kern River experience is also very popular with several runs of Class II - IV rapids. The powerful Lower Kern River flows out of Lake Isabella and offers fast-moving thrills and white water that allow you to run the premium rapids, sometimes more than once. Many parts of the river are accessible by road.

View map of Lower Kern River - 432k PDF
Map courtesy of Kern River Outfitters

Read more about Lower Kern Run...

COMMERCIAL OUTFITTING COMPANIES
There are five commercial outfitting companies that operate under special use permits providing guided trips on either the Lower, Upper or Forks of the Kern Wild and Scenic River. Please contact these companies for details of trips offered.

KERN RIVER TOURS, INC.
Kenny Bushling
PO Box 3444
Lake Isabella, CA 93240
800-844-7238
FAX 760-379-2103

MOUNTAIN AND RIVER ADVENTURES
John Stallone
PO Box 858
Kernville, CA 93238
800-861-6553
FAX 760-376-1267

OUTDOOR ADVENTURES, INC./KERN RIVER OUTFITTERS
Jim Ritter
PO Box 1207
Wofford Heights, CA 93285
800-323-4234
FAX 760-376-8830

SIERRA SOUTH, INC.
Tom Moore
PO Box 1909
Kernville, CA 93238
800-457-2082
FAX 760-376-1706

WHITEWATER VOYAGES
Bill McGinnis
5225 San Pablo Dam Road
El Sobrante, CA 94803-3309
800-400-7238
FAX 510-758-7238