River Notes Archive
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longer be correct. Products referenced in the archives may no longer
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Immersion
Research Comp LX Dry Top
River Notes for Thursday, April 29, 2010
Important information about River Notes.
Download
our Rafting & Kayaking Adventures brochure (PDF).
May 1 Snow Course measurements are starting to come in. The first four of fourteen courses scheduled for measurement in the Kern River basin have been recorded. Based on these initial measurements, it looks like snowpack should be in the neighborhood of 140% -- the best May 1 Kern snowpack since the big years of 2005 and 2006! What kind of flows will all that snow produce? In its latest Short Term Snowmelt Forecast, the California-Nevada River Forecast Center projects the 24 hour inflow into Lake Isabella will peak May 29, with an average flow of about 6000 cfs. The peak hourly flow for the Kern at Riverside Park is usually about 10%-20% higher. The flow at 8:00 this morning at Riverside Park was 2008 cfs.
Our
world-famous Lickety-Split and Lickety-Blaster raft
trips are far and away the two most popular and most affordable
Class 2-3 whitewater rafting runs available on the Kern River.
Both are full of enough excitement to challenge just about everyone
from young tikes to grandmas and grandpas. Looking for more adrenalin?
Try our new Upper Kern and Forks trips. Reserve
your 2010 trip now! Moms
go on any trip for half-price on Mother's Day. Call 800-457-2082
for more info!
Learn to kayak! Our proven teaching method takes you through a gradual progression that maximizes the fun. We've designed our beginning class for those who have never river kayaked before, or who have played around with kayaking some, but have not had formal instruction in the fundamentals of river kayaking. We also offer a 5-day total immersion learn-to-kayak class. Our Kayaking School page has all the details on these, and other whitewater and lake touring kayak classes! With the great outlook for the boating season, take advantage of our Early Bird and midweek pricing, and reserve a Kayaking 101 or Kayaking 201 class now!
The 46th Kern River Festival had the best combination of weather and water the event has seen for several years. Brush Creek was around 2 on the gauge, and high enough to make for some exciting moves in the Extreme Slalom. The Kern River was at a nearly ideal level for the Tom Johnson Slalom at Riverside Park, ranging from about 1350 cfs on Saturday to 1500 cfs on Sunday.
Eric Giddens experienced some long boat envy, finishing second in the Brush Creek Downriver to Jason Hale. But no worries, he had the top time in both the Brush Creek Extreme Slalom , and Classic Slalom at Riverside Park, and for the second consecutive year finished first overall in the "Kern Triple Crown." Liz Brackbill took first in the Women's division, and nine year old paddling phenom Sage Donnely was first among the Junior Women. Sierra South's Evan Moore finished first in the Junior Men's division.
The Hooligan Boat Race was a spectator and participant favorite. Inspired by the event at the FIBArk River Festival, paddlers constructed their own boats out of "non-boat" materials and attempted to paddle their creations from upstream of the bridge in Kernville, down through the class II rapids in Riverside Park.
In the T.J. Slalom on Sunday, Eric Giddens took first in the Men's Expert Elite class, and Lynne Siodmak was first in the Women's division. Preparing for the Junior/Senior Slalom Team Trials at Wausau, U.S. National Junior Team member Nick Wilkening paddled the course "on sight" without practicing the moves, and still had one of the top times.
Many thanks to the paddlers, spectators, sponsors and all the volunteers that help put on the event. An extra special "Thank You!" goes to Terry Valle who, for more than a decade, has handled the innumerable tasks associated with the organization and setup of the Kern River Festival; and Eric & Rebecca Giddens who run the Brush Creek races and set the slalom course. Festival results and photos will be posted on the KVRC web site, and linked here when available.
We have great prices on new and used kayaks, and all the gear you need for the 2010 boating season. Many items, including boats, are on sale! Need help? Our river guides, instructors, and store employees actually use the products we sell. Call 800-376-7303, and you'll talk to a knowledgeable person that can answer your gear questions.
The new 2010 Jackson boats are in! Check them out in the New Boat Barn. We think the new elite versions of the boats are the best ever made by Jackson and worth every penny. With the Sweet Cheeks and Happy Feet system, you also get the best outfitting ever. It takes just a minute or so to understand the process to get the correct fit. It is not hard to master and we will be happy to show you how. Cross-linked plastic and a composite beam support make these hulls the stiffest and most durable on the market. The come with a 2 yr. double warranty. Check out these Jackson videos of the Star Series in action and the Elite outfitting. We usually have the new Star Series, Funs, and Heroes in stock. The new creek boat, the Villain, isn't in production yet, but we are anxiously waiting.
Because of the El Niño, Brush Creek was runnable in October! Here's a Brett Duxbury video of Liz Brackbill, Geno Hacker, Marc Vernon, and Rebecca & Eric Giddens paddling a sudsy Brush Creek. (Some browser/plug-in/connection combinations are slow to start.)
Want to check on the Kern snowpack and see where the snow sensors and snow courses are located? We've put together a Kern River Basin Snow Courses & Sensors Google Earth KMZ file mashup that shows the station locations in Google Earth and links to the California Data Exchange Center (CDEC) data page for each station.
The ICF Freestyle World Championships were held in Thun, Switzerland in September 2009, capping a great freestyle paddling season with our good friends at “Team Jackson” mopping up in nearly all categories.
The new Jackson All-Star 2010 was “the” boat of the competition, that’s for sure. Eric Jackson and the “family” were medalist in nearly every category. Now is a great time to order the 2010 Jackson Star of your choice: The Star, All-Star, Super-Star, and the new Mon-Star. The Mon-Star is the 1st truly playful big guy’s play boat for paddlers over 200lbs. If we don’t have a boat in stock, Jackson is not only fast on the water, they are fast in shipping and production.
With the excellent flows on the Lower Kern last season, Evan Moore and Spencer Josif gave their new 2010 All Stars a good workout at the KRT and Royal Flush playspots. Check out their Lower Kern Playboating video on YouTube.
Describing the numerous on-river and off-river recreation options, the July/August 2008 issue of Paddler Magazine selected Kernville as one of the 'Best Paddling Towns' in the U.S. The article rated Kernville a 5-star weekend destination and a 5-star 'Near Home' vacation destination. The 2010 Kern River Festival is April 17-18, make your plans now!
Sierra South has been running raft trips, and teaching kayaking classes on the Kern River since 1985. The 2010 season will mark our 25th year on the Kern River!
We talk a lot about the "Kern River basin" in Rivernotes. During the Winter, we frequently refer to the Upper Tyndall Creek, Pascoes, and Wet Meadows snow sensors. During the paddling season, it might be Limestone, The Forks, Kern Falls, or Kernville. Here's a satellite overview of the 1000 square mile N.F. Kern drainage area with a few of the features labeled. If you look near the bottom of the photo, you'll see Lake Isabella. We're located just north of the lake!
Here is a snapshot of today's flow and reservoir data, based on reports from the Corps of Engineers (COE) and Southern California Edison (SCE). Click on "Current" to get the latest COE info. For SCE flow information, call the flow phone at 877-537-6356 or 760-376-8821. According to SCE, the flow phone values reported for Above & Below Fairview, and Below Democrat Dam are updated every 5-10 seconds. All other flow phone data is manually updated twice a day (7am & 2pm) when an operator is on duty.
Upper Kern |
Lower Kern |
||||||||
| Above Fairview* | Below Fairview* | At Kernville | Lake Isabella | Below Democrat Dam* | |||||
| Date & Time | Flow (cfs) | Flow (cfs) | Stage | Flow (cfs) | Total Outflow | to River | to Borel Canal | Storage (acre-feet) |
Flow (cfs) |
| 29APR2010 0800 | 1335 | 1041 | 7.25 | 2008 | 1176 | 1176 | 0 | 208,224 | 1185 |
| Kern Flow Info | Current | 5 Day Plot | 10 Day Plot | Month | WY '09 | WY '08 | WY '07 | WY '06 | WY '05 |
| Weather | NWS | NWS Zones | CNN | Washington Post | Satellite | Radar | Riverkern RAWS | RAWS Archive | |
| *Flow values from SCE Flow Phone. For current information call 877-537-6356 or 760-376-8821. According to SCE the flow values reported for Above & Below Fairview, and Below Democrat Dam are updated every 5-10 seconds. All other flow phone data is manually updated twice a day (7am & 2pm) when an operator is on duty. | |||||||||
More information concerning flow and weather can be found on our LINKS page.
River Notes for Thursday, April 22, 2010
Important information about River Notes.
Download
our Rafting & Kayaking Adventures brochure (PDF).
The 46th Kern River Festival had the best combination of weather and water the event has seen for several years. Brush Creek was around 2 on the gauge, and high enough to make for some exciting moves in the Extreme Slalom. The Kern River was at a nearly ideal level for the Tom Johnson Slalom at Riverside Park, ranging from about 1350 cfs on Saturday to 1500 cfs on Sunday.
Eric Giddens experienced some long boat envy, finishing second in the Brush Creek Downriver to Jason Hale. But no worries, he had the top time in both the Brush Creek Extreme Slalom , and Classic Slalom at Riverside Park, and for the second consecutive year finished first overall in the "Kern Triple Crown." Liz Brackbill took first in the Women's division, and nine year old paddling phenom Sage Donnely was first among the Junior Women. Sierra South's Evan Moore finished first in the Junior Men's division.
The Hooligan Boat Race was a spectator and participant favorite. Inspired by the event at the FIBArk River Festival, paddlers constructed their own boats out of "non-boat" materials and attempted to paddle their creations from upstream of the bridge in Kernville, down through the class II rapids in Riverside Park.
In the T.J. Slalom on Sunday, Eric Giddens took first in the Men's Expert Elite class, and Lynne Siodmak was first in the Women's division. Preparing for the Junior/Senior Slalom Team Trials at Wausau, U.S. National Junior Team member Nick Wilkening paddled the course "on sight" without practicing the moves, and still had one of the top times.
Many thanks to the paddlers, spectators, sponsors and all the volunteers that help put on the event. An extra special "Thank You!" goes to Terry Valle who, for more than a decade, has handled the innumerable tasks associated with the organization and setup of the Kern River Festival; and Eric & Rebecca Giddens who run the Brush Creek races and set the slalom course. Festival results and photos will be posted on the KVRC web site, and linked here when available.
When the April 1 snow course measurements were taken by California Cooperative Snow Surveys earlier this month the Kern snowpack was at 123% of normal. There's been additional snow since April 1, and 6 of 8 snow sensors in the Kern basin are reporting more snow now than on April 1! And there's a possibility of more Sierra snow next week. This should result in epic snowpack totals when snow courses are measured May 1, and an upward revision of Bulletin 120 runoff estimates.
Learn to kayak! Our proven teaching method takes you through a gradual progression that maximizes the fun. We've designed our beginning class for those who have never river kayaked before, or who have played around with kayaking some, but have not had formal instruction in the fundamentals of river kayaking. We also offer a 5-day total immersion learn-to-kayak class. Our Kayaking School page has all the details on these, and other whitewater and lake touring kayak classes! With the great outlook for the boating season, take advantage of our Early Bird and midweek pricing, and reserve a Kayaking 101 or Kayaking 201 class now!
Our
world-famous Lickety-Split and Lickety-Blaster raft
trips are far and away the two most popular and most affordable Class
2-3 whitewater rafting runs available on the Kern River. Both are full of
enough excitement to challenge just about everyone from young tikes to grandmas
and grandpas. Looking for more adrenalin? Try our new Upper Kern and Forks
trips. Download
our Rafting & Kayaking Adventures brochure (PDF)
for more information!
Reserve your 2010 trip now!
We have great prices on new and used kayaks, and all the gear you need for the 2010 boating season. Many items, including boats, are on sale! Need help? Our river guides, instructors, and store employees actually use the products we sell. Call 800-376-7303, and you'll talk to a knowledgeable person that can answer your gear questions.
The new 2010 Jackson boats are in! Check them out in the New Boat Barn. We think the new elite versions of the boats are the best ever made by Jackson and worth every penny. With the Sweet Cheeks and Happy Feet system, you also get the best outfitting ever. It takes just a minute or so to understand the process to get the correct fit. It is not hard to master and we will be happy to show you how. Cross-linked plastic and a composite beam support make these hulls the stiffest and most durable on the market. The come with a 2 yr. double warranty. Check out these Jackson videos of the Star Series in action and the Elite outfitting. We usually have the new Star Series, Funs, and Heroes in stock. The new creek boat, the Villain, isn't in production yet, but we are anxiously waiting.
Because of the El Niño, Brush Creek was runnable in October! Here's a Brett Duxbury video of Liz Brackbill, Geno Hacker, Marc Vernon, and Rebecca & Eric Giddens paddling a sudsy Brush Creek. (Some browser/plug-in/connection combinations are slow to start.)
Want to check on the Kern snowpack and see where the snow sensors and snow courses are located? We've put together a Kern River Basin Snow Courses & Sensors Google Earth KMZ file mashup that shows the station locations in Google Earth and links to the California Data Exchange Center (CDEC) data page for each station.
The ICF Freestyle World Championships were held in Thun, Switzerland in September 2009, capping a great freestyle paddling season with our good friends at “Team Jackson” mopping up in nearly all categories.
The new Jackson All-Star 2010 was “the” boat of the competition, that’s for sure. Eric Jackson and the “family” were medalist in nearly every category. Now is a great time to order the 2010 Jackson Star of your choice: The Star, All-Star, Super-Star, and the new Mon-Star. The Mon-Star is the 1st truly playful big guy’s play boat for paddlers over 200lbs. If we don’t have a boat in stock, Jackson is not only fast on the water, they are fast in shipping and production.
With the excellent flows on the Lower Kern last season, Evan Moore and Spencer Josif gave their new 2010 All Stars a good workout at the KRT and Royal Flush playspots. Check out their Lower Kern Playboating video on YouTube.
Describing the numerous on-river and off-river recreation options, the July/August 2008 issue of Paddler Magazine selected Kernville as one of the 'Best Paddling Towns' in the U.S. The article rated Kernville a 5-star weekend destination and a 5-star 'Near Home' vacation destination. The 2010 Kern River Festival is April 17-18, make your plans now!
Sierra South has been running raft trips, and teaching kayaking classes on the Kern River since 1985. The 2010 season will mark our 25th year on the Kern River!
We talk a lot about the "Kern River basin" in Rivernotes. During the Winter, we frequently refer to the Upper Tyndall Creek, Pascoes, and Wet Meadows snow sensors. During the paddling season, it might be Limestone, The Forks, Kern Falls, or Kernville. Here's a satellite overview of the 1000 square mile N.F. Kern drainage area with a few of the features labeled. If you look near the bottom of the photo, you'll see Lake Isabella. We're located just north of the lake!
Here is a snapshot of today's flow and reservoir data, based on reports from the Corps of Engineers (COE) and Southern California Edison (SCE). Click on "Current" to get the latest COE info. For SCE flow information, call the flow phone at 877-537-6356 or 760-376-8821. According to SCE, the flow phone values reported for Above & Below Fairview, and Below Democrat Dam are updated every 5-10 seconds. All other flow phone data is manually updated twice a day (7am & 2pm) when an operator is on duty.
Upper Kern |
Lower Kern |
||||||||
| Above Fairview* | Below Fairview* | At Kernville | Lake Isabella | Below Democrat Dam* | |||||
| Date & Time | Flow (cfs) | Flow (cfs) | Stage | Flow (cfs) | Total Outflow | to River | to Borel Canal | Storage (acre-feet) |
Flow (cfs) |
| 22APR2010 0800 | 1335 | 1041 | 6.81 | 1551 | 957 | 430 | 527 | 195,450 | NA |
| Kern Flow Info | Current | 5 Day Plot | 10 Day Plot | Month | WY '09 | WY '08 | WY '07 | WY '06 | WY '05 |
| Weather | NWS | NWS Zones | CNN | Washington Post | Satellite | Radar | Riverkern RAWS | RAWS Archive | |
| *Flow values from SCE Flow Phone. For current information call 877-537-6356 or 760-376-8821. According to SCE the flow values reported for Above & Below Fairview, and Below Democrat Dam are updated every 5-10 seconds. All other flow phone data is manually updated twice a day (7am & 2pm) when an operator is on duty. | |||||||||
More information concerning flow and weather can be found on our LINKS page.
River Notes for Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Important information about River Notes.
Download
our Rafting & Kayaking Adventures brochure (PDF).
Make your plans now, the 46th Kern River Kayak & Raft Festival is this weekend, April 17-18. This year's Kern River Festival will feature two days of non-stop action with the Brush Creek Race, Slalom practice, Hooligan Boat Float, and Silent Auction on Saturday; and the Raft Races, Raffle, Downriver Race and TJ Slalom Race Sunday. New for 2010 is the Hooligan Boat Float through Riverside Park on Saturday afternoon. Again this year, Brush Creek racers will be challenged to test their skills in the Kern Triple Crown. The weather and water for the Festival is expected to be great, with postcard skies, temps in the 70's, and good flows on the River and Brush Creek.
April snow course measurements by California Cooperative Snow Surveys are complete, and the Sierra snowpack (and paddling season) continue to look fantastic! With 16 of 17 courses recorded, the Kern snowpack is reported at 123% of the average April 1 seasonal total. There's been additional snow since April 1, and the temperature at the higher elevations has been cool. There's a possibility of more Sierra snow early next week.
Learn to kayak! Our proven teaching method takes you through a gradual progression that maximizes the fun. We've designed our beginning class for those who have never river kayaked before, or who have played around with kayaking some, but have not had formal instruction in the fundamentals of river kayaking. We also offer a 5-day total immersion learn-to-kayak class. Our Kayaking School page has all the details on these, and other whitewater and lake touring kayak classes! With the great outlook for the boating season, take advantage of our Early Bird and midweek pricing, and reserve a Kayaking 101 or Kayaking 201 class now!
Our
world-famous Lickety-Split and Lickety-Blaster raft
trips are far and away the two most popular and most affordable Class
2-3 whitewater rafting runs available on the Kern River. Both are full of
enough excitement to challenge just about everyone from young tikes to grandmas
and grandpas. Looking for more adrenalin? Try our new Upper Kern and Forks
trips. Download
our Rafting & Kayaking Adventures brochure (PDF)
for more information!
Reserve your 2010 trip now!
We have great prices on new and used kayaks, and all the gear you need for the 2010 boating season. Many items, including boats, are on sale! Need help? Our river guides, instructors, and store employees actually use the products we sell. Call 800-376-7303, and you'll talk to a knowledgeable person that can answer your gear questions.
The new 2010 Jackson boats are in! Check them out in the New Boat Barn. We think the new elite versions of the boats are the best ever made by Jackson and worth every penny. With the Sweet Cheeks and Happy Feet system, you also get the best outfitting ever. It takes just a minute or so to understand the process to get the correct fit. It is not hard to master and we will be happy to show you how. Cross-linked plastic and a composite beam support make these hulls the stiffest and most durable on the market. The come with a 2 yr. double warranty. Check out these Jackson videos of the Star Series in action and the Elite outfitting. We usually have the new Star Series, Funs, and Heroes in stock. The new creek boat, the Villain, isn't in production yet, but we are anxiously waiting.
Because of the El Niño, Brush Creek was runnable in October! Here's a Brett Duxbury video of Liz Brackbill, Geno Hacker, Marc Vernon, and Rebecca & Eric Giddens paddling a sudsy Brush Creek. (Some browser/plug-in/connection combinations are slow to start.)
Want to check on the Kern snowpack and see where the snow sensors and snow courses are located? We've put together a Kern River Basin Snow Courses & Sensors Google Earth KMZ file mashup that shows the station locations in Google Earth and links to the California Data Exchange Center (CDEC) data page for each station.
The ICF Freestyle World Championships were held in Thun, Switzerland in September 2009, capping a great freestyle paddling season with our good friends at “Team Jackson” mopping up in nearly all categories.
The new Jackson All-Star 2010 was “the” boat of the competition, that’s for sure. Eric Jackson and the “family” were medalist in nearly every category. Now is a great time to order the 2010 Jackson Star of your choice: The Star, All-Star, Super-Star, and the new Mon-Star. The Mon-Star is the 1st truly playful big guy’s play boat for paddlers over 200lbs. If we don’t have a boat in stock, Jackson is not only fast on the water, they are fast in shipping and production.
With the excellent flows on the Lower Kern last season, Evan Moore and Spencer Josif gave their new 2010 All Stars a good workout at the KRT and Royal Flush playspots. Check out their Lower Kern Playboating video on YouTube.
Describing the numerous on-river and off-river recreation options, the July/August 2008 issue of Paddler Magazine selected Kernville as one of the 'Best Paddling Towns' in the U.S. The article rated Kernville a 5-star weekend destination and a 5-star 'Near Home' vacation destination. The 2010 Kern River Festival is April 17-18, make your plans now!
Sierra South has been running raft trips, and teaching kayaking classes on the Kern River since 1985. The 2010 season will mark our 25th year on the Kern River!
We talk a lot about the "Kern River basin" in Rivernotes. During the Winter, we frequently refer to the Upper Tyndall Creek, Pascoes, and Wet Meadows snow sensors. During the paddling season, it might be Limestone, The Forks, Kern Falls, or Kernville. Here's a satellite overview of the 1000 square mile N.F. Kern drainage area with a few of the features labeled. If you look near the bottom of the photo, you'll see Lake Isabella. We're located just north of the lake!
Here is a snapshot of today's flow and reservoir data, based on reports from the Corps of Engineers (COE) and Southern California Edison (SCE). Click on "Current" to get the latest COE info. For SCE flow information, call the flow phone at 877-537-6356 or 760-376-8821. According to SCE, the flow phone values reported for Above & Below Fairview, and Below Democrat Dam are updated every 5-10 seconds. All other flow phone data is manually updated twice a day (7am & 2pm) when an operator is on duty.
Upper Kern |
Lower Kern |
||||||||
| Above Fairview* | Below Fairview* | At Kernville | Lake Isabella | Below Democrat Dam* | |||||
| Date & Time | Flow (cfs) | Flow (cfs) | Stage | Flow (cfs) | Total Outflow | to River | to Borel Canal | Storage (acre-feet) |
Flow (cfs) |
| 4APR2010 1000 | 1012 | 719 | 6.38 | 1173 | 549 | 352 | 197 | 182,416 | NA |
| Kern Flow Info | Current | 5 Day Plot | 10 Day Plot | Month | WY '09 | WY '08 | WY '07 | WY '06 | WY '05 |
| Weather | NWS | NWS Zones | CNN | Washington Post | Satellite | Radar | Riverkern RAWS | RAWS Archive | |
| *Flow values from SCE Flow Phone. For current information call 877-537-6356 or 760-376-8821. According to SCE the flow values reported for Above & Below Fairview, and Below Democrat Dam are updated every 5-10 seconds. All other flow phone data is manually updated twice a day (7am & 2pm) when an operator is on duty. | |||||||||
More information concerning flow and weather can be found on our LINKS page.
River Notes for Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Important information about River Notes.
Make your plans now, the 46th Kern River Kayak & Raft Festival is the weekend of April 17-18. This year's Kern River Festival will feature two days of non-stop action with the Brush Creek Race, Slalom practice, and Raft Races on Saturday; and the Raffle, Silent Auction, Downriver Race and TJ Slalom Race Sunday. New for 2010 is the Hooligan Boat Float through Riverside Park on Saturday afternoon. Again this year, Brush Creek racers will be challenged to test their skills in the Kern Triple Crown.
April snow course measurements by California Cooperative Snow Surveys are nearly complete, and the Sierra snowpack (and paddling season) continue to look fantastic! With 16 of 17 courses recorded, the Kern snowpack is reported at 123% of the average April 1 seasonal total. Plus, the storm earlier this week was stronger than expected in the Southern Sierra, and helped boost snow totals following a relatively dry March!
Kayaking classes and Raft trips have started, and the early season boating has been great! This morning at 7:00, the flow on the Upper Kern at Riverside Park was reported at 998 cfs. At 9:00 a.m. today, the flow below Fairview Dam was reported at 569 cfs. High temps in the Kernville - Lake Isabella area this weekend are expected to be in the low to mid 70's.
Learn to kayak! Our proven teaching method takes you through a gradual progression that maximizes the fun. We've designed our beginning class for those who have never river kayaked before, or who have played around with kayaking some, but have not had formal instruction in the fundamentals of river kayaking. We also offer a 5-day total immersion learn-to-kayak class. Our Kayaking School page has all the details on these, and other whitewater and lake touring kayak classes! With the great outlook for the boating season, take advantage of our Early Bird weekend pricing, and reserve a Kayaking 101 or Kayaking 201 class now!
Our
world-famous Lickety-Split and Lickety-Blaster raft
trips are far and away the two most popular and most affordable Class
2-3 whitewater rafting runs available on the Kern River. Both are full of
enough excitement to challenge just about everyone from young tikes to grandmas
and grandpas. Looking for more adrenalin? Try our new Upper Kern and Forks
trips. Download
our Rafting & Kayaking Adventures brochure (PDF)
for more information!
Reserve your 2010 trip now!
We have great prices on new and used kayaks, and all the gear you need for the 2010 boating season. Many items, including boats, are on sale! Need help? Our river guides, instructors, and store employees actually use the products we sell. Call 800-376-7303, and you'll talk to a knowledgeable person that can answer your gear questions.
The new 2010 Jackson boats are in! Check them out in the New Boat Barn. We think the new elite versions of the boats are the best ever made by Jackson and worth every penny. With the Sweet Cheeks and Happy Feet system, you also get the best outfitting ever. It takes just a minute or so to understand the process to get the correct fit. It is not hard to master and we will be happy to show you how. Cross-linked plastic and a composite beam support make these hulls the stiffest and most durable on the market. The come with a 2 yr. double warranty. Check out these Jackson videos of the Star Series in action and the Elite outfitting. We usually have the new Star Series, Funs, and Heroes in stock. The new creek boat, the Villain, isn't in production yet, but we are anxiously waiting.
Because of the El Niño, Brush Creek was runnable in October! Here's a Brett Duxbury video of Liz Brackbill, Geno Hacker, Marc Vernon, and Rebecca & Eric Giddens paddling a sudsy Brush Creek. (Some browser/plug-in/connection combinations are slow to start.)
Want to check on the Kern snowpack and see where the snow sensors and snow courses are located? We've put together a Kern River Basin Snow Courses & Sensors Google Earth KMZ file mashup that shows the station locations in Google Earth and links to the California Data Exchange Center (CDEC) data page for each station.
The ICF Freestyle World Championships were held in Thun, Switzerland in September 2009, capping a great freestyle paddling season with our good friends at “Team Jackson” mopping up in nearly all categories.
The new Jackson All-Star 2010 was “the” boat of the competition, that’s for sure. Eric Jackson and the “family” were medalist in nearly every category. Now is a great time to order the 2010 Jackson Star of your choice: The Star, All-Star, Super-Star, and the new Mon-Star. The Mon-Star is the 1st truly playful big guy’s play boat for paddlers over 200lbs. If we don’t have a boat in stock, Jackson is not only fast on the water, they are fast in shipping and production.
With the excellent flows on the Lower Kern last season, Evan Moore and Spencer Josif gave their new 2010 All Stars a good workout at the KRT and Royal Flush playspots. Check out their Lower Kern Playboating video on YouTube.
Describing the numerous on-river and off-river recreation options, the July/August 2008 issue of Paddler Magazine selected Kernville as one of the 'Best Paddling Towns' in the U.S. The article rated Kernville a 5-star weekend destination and a 5-star 'Near Home' vacation destination. The 2010 Kern River Festival is April 17-18, make your plans now!
Sierra South has been running raft trips, and teaching kayaking classes on the Kern River since 1985. The 2010 season will mark our 25th year on the Kern River!
We talk a lot about the "Kern River basin" in Rivernotes. During the Winter, we frequently refer to the Upper Tyndall Creek, Pascoes, and Wet Meadows snow sensors. During the paddling season, it might be Limestone, The Forks, Kern Falls, or Kernville. Here's a satellite overview of the 1000 square mile N.F. Kern drainage area with a few of the features labeled. If you look near the bottom of the photo, you'll see Lake Isabella. We're located just north of the lake!
Here is a snapshot of today's flow and reservoir data, based on reports from the Corps of Engineers (COE) and Southern California Edison (SCE). Click on "Current" to get the latest COE info. For SCE flow information, call the flow phone at 877-537-6356 or 760-376-8821. According to SCE, the flow phone values reported for Above & Below Fairview, and Below Democrat Dam are updated every 5-10 seconds. All other flow phone data is manually updated twice a day (7am & 2pm) when an operator is on duty.
Upper Kern |
Lower Kern |
||||||||
| Above Fairview* | Below Fairview* | At Kernville | Lake Isabella | Below Democrat Dam* | |||||
| Date & Time | Flow (cfs) | Flow (cfs) | Stage | Flow (cfs) | Total Outflow | to River | to Borel Canal | Storage (acre-feet) |
Flow (cfs) |
| 07APR2010 0700 | 866 | 569 | 6.15 | 998 | 695 | 246 | 449 | 175,192 | NA |
| Kern Flow Info | Current | 5 Day Plot | 10 Day Plot | Month | WY '09 | WY '08 | WY '07 | WY '06 | WY '05 |
| Weather | NWS | NWS Zones | CNN | Washington Post | Satellite | Radar | Riverkern RAWS | RAWS Archive | |
| *Flow values from SCE Flow Phone. For current information call 877-537-6356 or 760-376-8821. According to SCE the flow values reported for Above & Below Fairview, and Below Democrat Dam are updated every 5-10 seconds. All other flow phone data is manually updated twice a day (7am & 2pm) when an operator is on duty. | |||||||||
More information concerning flow and weather can be found on our LINKS page.
