Kern, California, US |
|
| Usual Difficulty | III-V (for normal flows) |
|---|---|
| Length | 17 Miles |
| Name | Range | Difficulty | Updated | Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| KERN R AT KERNVILLE | ||||
| cdec-KKV | 400 - 3000 cfs | III-V | 02h26m | 417 cfs (rc= 0.0 ) |
There is a wide variety of excellent whitewater below Johnsondale bridge. Some of it
easily rivals the forks in quality and difficulty, but with near roadside access. The
forks beats this area for scenery but not by a lot, and when you are staring at the next horizon
line, who needs scenery! The river is commonly considered as several
distinct sections, especially since Fairview dam forces a portage and then diverts up to 600 cfs
of the flow from the river.
Permits are Required by Sequoia National Forest year round. There is no limit on
the number of private boaters allowed on the river in this section, but only 18 people are
allowed per group. Boaters must sign in and pick up a permit at one of several forest
service offices. River Permit
information
Getting There: Johnsondale Bridge is about 25 minutes north of Kernville and about one
hour and 40 minutes from Bakersfield. If coming from the north it is faster to turn off of
highway 99 at Earlimart to go through Ducor and California Hot Springs. Allow about one hour and
20 minutes from Earlimart. Sometimes people drive through Springville and up through the Tule
River Canyon, but this is a slow drive due to the narrow, windy road. Allow an hour and a half
just from Springville, not counting stops for gawking at the Tule canyon.
Put in: Johnsondale bridge. There is a large parking area on the west side of the bridge (river right). google map.
Other Information Sources:
http://www.sierrasouth.com/conservation.htm#KR3
Camping
Wikipedia
Kern River Festival
Kern River Alliance
Kern Valley River Council
Audubon, Kern River Preserve
Wild and Scenic Kern
Sequoia National Forest Kernville
office phone # 760-376-3781
Sierra South store
Cacreeks.com
FERC license info:
Search for FERC documents related to Kern River No. 3 Hydroelectric Project, FERC Project No.
2290, at http://elibrary.ferc.gov/idmws/search/fercgensearch.asp
In the Docket Number box, write P-2290-* to do a wild card search.
Cassady & Calhoun, Holbek & Stanley, Martin, Alan Baty
Daily Flows Realtime Flows Dreamflows Home |
 |
| Show 30 Days |
| Show 3 Years |
| Name | Range | Difficulty | Updated | Level | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| KERN R AT KERNVILLE | ||||||||||||
| cdec-KKV | 400 - 3000 cfs | III-V | 02h26m | 417 cfs (rc= 0.0 ) | ||||||||
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| When | River/Gauge | Subject | Level | Reporter |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3y262d05h39m | NF Kern [CA] |
Keith Kishayama, Lower Salmon Falls, NF Kern
|
1200 | Ian Buckley |
| 8y285d13h39m | Kern [CA] |
Limestone Rapid
|
1200 | Andrew and Dorian Goldstein |
| 9y81d13h39m | Kern River [CA] |
Brush Creek Rapid
|
399 cfs | Andrew and Dorian Goldstein |
No Comments
Users can submit comments.| Mile | Rapid Name | Class | Features (Legend) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.0 | Limestone Run | IV | |
| 0.7 | Brush Creek | III |  |
| 1.0 | Limestone | IV | |
| 1.2 | Joe's Diner | IV | |
| 2.4 | Fairview take out | N/A |  |
| 2.6 | Fairview Dam | N/A |  |
| 2.9 | Calkins Flat section | III | |
| 5.7 | Calkins Flat | N/A | |
| 8.0 | Salmon Falls | V |  |
From the Johnsondale Bridge to the Fairview diversion lake, is about 2.5 miles. There is a large parking area and developed river access on river right at the bridge. The take out has less parking. The main rapids are Brush Creek (3), Limestone (4), Joe's Diner (4), and Betty's Bakery (3). The scenery is excellent with numerous limestone walls with small caves and dripping water.
Brush Creek enters from the left near the end of a class 3 rapid. There is also a very large parking area and river access here.
A long class 4 rapid with numerous obstacles has a particularly big, wide hole waiting near the bottom. Limestone campground is on river left.
Many boaters have been "lunch" at Joe's Diner. At most flows, a ledge hole extends out from the right and draws boaters in like lobsters to a pot. The river is always hungry, so just drop on in!
There is roadside parking and river access at the upper end of the Fairview impoundment.
Marks the end of the Limestone section. Southern California Edison diverts up to 600 cfs from the river for the powerhouse near Kernville. All the runs between Fairview and the powerhouse, have shorter seasons and lower flows because of the diversion. Since relicensing, Edison reduces the diversion on weekends under certain conditions to benefit whitewater recreation.
From below Fairview dam to Calkins Flat is a bit less than 3 miles. This one of easiest sections to float on the upper Kern. Put in below the diversion structures.
Note that there is a class 5 rapid, "Bombs Away", imediately below the dam. Put in below this rapid. If you really want to run Bombs Away, then it takes some extra work to launch above it.
Use this primitive camping area as a take out for the easier upstream run or as a put in for the very pretty, but difficult Chemise Gorge section.
Upper and lower Salmon Falls are very steep and congested rapids. They are comparable to rapids found on the Cataracts of the Kern. Expert paddlers do run Salmon falls if they feel like it, but they are mostly portaged. The consequences of mistakes in these rapids are lost boats and bodily injury.
reach
state
reachlink
3) Johnsondale Bridge to Powerhouse #3, Kern California, US (mobile)
