A Summer Rafting Vacation in the Southern Sierra with Kern River Outfitters
It has been over 20 years since I stepped into a raft on the Payette River out of Boise and challenged the wild waters of an untamed river. My memory from that trip was falling out of the raft in class 4 rapid and the boat going over me in the rapids. No harm; I still remember it being a blast.
However, as I prepared to head down to the Kernville California this June to meet up with Kern River Outfitters and challenge the 2023 Snowmelt in the Kern River, I couldn’t help but be a little nervous about the flow of the mighty Kern. It seemed like everyone I knew could tell me stories of very unpleasant results of people falling into the Kern. Still, I was excited to meet the crew at Kern River Outfitters and experience this thrilling ride.
Kernville is about a six hour drive from our home base in Minden Nevada. So a pleasant Sunday afternoon drive down Highway 395 added plenty of opportunity for waterfall stops in June Lake and our very first visit to Alabama Hills in Lone Pine, before turning off onto the 14 to the 178. Route 178 became an important route this summer as the main section from Bakersfield was closed because of road damage sustained by the Kern river. this meant traffic to Kernville and from Kernville mainly would route the eastern route on the 178 to the 14. Lucky for us the mass of weekend visitors were heading out as we were arriving so stopping along the roadside toe view the Joshua trees and our first glimpses of Lake Isabella were enjoyable.
The Kernville Inn was our chosen destination for the stay in Kernville. A nice little lodge in the center of town, with cute clean rooms, a nice pool. we settled in quickly and headed to meet Matt for a dinner and a drink at the Kern River Brewery. The Brewery is a lively locals place serving great selection of food and brews. A great way to enjoy our first evening in town. After our meal I headed up the Kern River to enjoy the evening light in the Kern Canyon. A beautiful desert mountain landscape with additional waterfalls and greenery in 2023.
The morning of our half-day trip, I decided to first go on a quick morning hike in the Kernville area to get a better perspective of the area and burn off a little nervous energy. Matt, the owner of Kern River Outfitters, told me about the Lake Isabella Peak trail, so I headed out early to catch morning life near the lake.
Lake Isabella Peak Trail
Located just off the highway south of Kernville, the trailhead heads out at the Hungry Gulch campground south of Wofford Heights. The hike is a relatively easy trail with a couple of hundred feet of elevation over 1.5 miles. It climbs to two separate vista locations and gives a fantastic panoramic view of Lake Isabella. I suggest a morning or late afternoon hike on this trail as shade is limited, and the sun on that hillside, even on a cool day, is brutal Plenty of local grass and vegetation close to the path as well.
Time for a Raft Trip
After my hike and a quick lunch with my wife in our room at the Kernville Inn, it was time to meet the team at Kern River Outfitters and tackle the Kern River.
Upon arrival, I was greeted by the lead team and the owner Matt. Their contagious enthusiasm had me forgetting any fears quickly. Super stoked after a quick chat. We had roughly ten people joining me today from around California, so we all got in line for wet suits and safety gear. We learned a few safety items before we loaded the bus, and off we went.
Because of the high water and overall river flow, we learned that we would do a section of the river called the Cables twice for our half-day tour. This section is a common area for class III & IV rapids and gives the team the best exit spot from the river, right in town at Kernville Bridge.
Safety Crew in Tow
If I had any anxiety, it was pretty much wiped out when I saw that Kern River Outfitters provided us two Safety members for the river, Garret Galea rowed a solo raft outfit for rescue, and Zach Sippel a Kayaker who could get anyone from rough water, but ultimately was a lot of fun to watch him surf the river and do his rodeo tricks. Garret would take the lead in the Safety Raft. Our guides on this trip included Long time Team leads Miles Cole-Curtis and Bailey McCann.
Miles, a full-time adventure guide who guides guests on some of the world’s best waters, took the lead in my raft, and Bailey took the team in the opposite raft leading the way down the river.
Loading up for the first run at Powerhouse, the first run would be predominately Class II &III as the boats got their stroke patterns down, and everyone had a chance to settle in and learn how to ride the raft. Powerhouse rapid was a great way to start, everyone got wet, but it also gave us a chance to breathe and learn our guides call outs so we could tackle bigger rapids later in the day. We even practiced rescuing the crew out of the water. I gladly volunteered to get wet and fell into the river to be recovered in a smooth section. Glad I had a wet suit on because the water was cold and swift, even in the safer zones.
The Kern River Canyon
Floating down the Kern in June 2023 was like riding a boat in the ocean on a slightly windy day: Non-stop motion and rocking action. But doing a lighter section of the river at the start of our trip gave you time to look around and admire the beauty of the Kern Canyon. So different from the High Sierra Canyons’ new Tahoe. The granite here is golden in color and full of minerals, the rugged terrain covered with golden California grasses and sky echoed loadly as fighter jets screamed by on test runs through the canyon. In 2023, every little canyon looked like it had water running into the river and the tree-lined shores of the river made the nearby highway nearly invisible.
The Wall, Tombstone and Tequilla Chutes
After a fun two-mile stretch of river on our first run, it was time to load back onto the bus and head back up the river further for a bit of class IV action on the Kern. We exited the river at the Kern River bridge and park, loaded the rafts and made our way up the canyon to The Wall Put-in.
Our instructions were clear. The team would put a little more air in the boats, and then we would enter the fast-moving waters above a class IV called the wall.
Padding upstream for a five count, we aligned our raft to hit the wall on the left side; the speed of the water picked up quickly, and we were set for a long series of class IV rapids. On this trip, I would sit front Left side of the boat and found myself focused as we paddled into the larger waves. We seemed to crash right through the water several times, the boat filling as our speed and force smashed into the curling wave in the river. The Wall, then Tombstone and finally Tequila Chutes. Three ClassIV sections were ultimately thrilling in the high and fast Kern River, filled with snow melt from the day before in the high Sierra.
Tombstone was an excellent section to run in the high water. We got smashed once after flying by a place they call “Keeper Hole,” it looked like a 10-foot sinkhole in the middle of the river next to a large boulder. Our boat flew right by the edge. This quick moment on the river got my adrenaline pumping.
We would take a few alternative waves on the way back down the river, adding excitement to the trip when doing the Powerhouse section again. Of course, we ended the trip with two crew riding Rodeo on the nose for the final rapid shots before town.
Overall 3.5 hours of pure adrenalin and a lot of smiles.
“I can’t say enough about how safe and fun the crew at Kern River made me feel. I can’t wait to return for a two-day trip on the Lower Kern. ”
A Guides life
One of the fascinating parts of this journey was learning about the guides and their passion for guiding or adventure sports. I was a little surprised that our guides often traveled off-season to South America to raft in places like Chile and Peru. Speaking with Matt and Miles, it was obvious their obsession with living a life full of passionate adventure and that guiding services have become a part of who they are as much as their job.
Moving from place to place for a season and living primarily on the generosity of guests’ tips and raved reviews from past trips, guides often come off the mountains in winter as ski guides directly back to the water. It would take a unique personality and skill set to live a daily routine where being at your best for the public while charging forth into the adventure every day. The crew I met at the Kern River Outfitters I found to be an inspiring team.
A week after our visit, news broke on the Kern of a tragic accident claiming the life of a kayaker in a party of five that unfortunately lost a battle with the mighty Kern. As I reached out to Matt, hopeful that no one from his team was involved, Matt added clarity to the life of the river guide community. No one on Kern Rivers crew was involved in the accident, but as is in most small passionate outdoor communities, the circle of friends brings everyone into the tragic circumstances pretty quick.
I imagine the crews on outfitters on rivers like the Kern are thankful daily for the opportunity to serve guests on these beautiful and mighty rivers, yet walk into their daily lives knowing they a choosing to work in a place that they do not control and could do them harm if they do not respect and prepare appropriately for the river.
Sequoia National Forest
A final shout-out to the crew stationed in Kernville for the Sequoia National Forest. The Sequoia National Forest covers 1.1 million acres and three counties in the southern Sierra. I would spend most of the next three days exploring the sites within their district. A quick stop by the office for information was beneficial and filled with local knowledge. The young lady who greeted me could share trail updates and provide me with area maps. If you are headed to the region and wondering where it is safe to play, stop just past the Kern River in Kernville and meet the team at the Sequoia National Forest field office.
