Print it. Bag it. Bring it.Phones die, screens crack, and most of this water has no signal. Print this map, fold it into a zip-top bag or dry bag with your license, and you have a backup your electronics can’t give you. Every marker is numbered so you can say exactly where you are.
| # | Point | Type | Lat, Lon | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Isabella Main Dam Upstream limit of the lower river | Dam / hazard | 35.64611, -118.48228 | The lower Kern starts at this dam; everything above it is Lake Isabella. |
| 2 | Sandy Flat Campground Sequoia National Forest | Campsite | 35.58339, -118.52527 | Fee campground on the canyon reach at chain-km 12, just off the Kern River Highway. |
| 3 | Hobo Campground Sequoia National Forest | Campsite | 35.57478, -118.52799 | Riverside forest campground a kilometre below Sandy Flat, chain-km 14. |
| 4 | Diversion No. 1 Dam Canyon diversion structure | Dam / hazard | 35.52549, -118.67483 | Diversion dam sitting squarely in the channel at chain-km 33; mapped in OSM as 'Diversion Number 1 104-002 Dam'. |
| 5 | Kern River No. 1 Forebay Dam Hydro forebay dam | Dam / hazard | 35.46027, -118.78018 | Forebay dam for the Kern River No. 1 powerhouse, chain-km 50. |
| 6 | USGS Kern River at Rancheria Road Canyon-mouth gauge | USGS gauge | 35.42583, -118.82936 | The gauge where the river leaves the canyon, chain-km 57. |
| 7 | Kern River County Park Dam Small dam in the county park reach | Dam / hazard | 35.44148, -118.86005 | Low dam at the head of the Kern River County Park frontage. |
| 8 | Kern River Camp Ground Kern County parks | Campsite | 35.43528, -118.87706 | County campground on the river where it meets the valley floor, chain-km 64. |
| 9 | Beardsley Weir Irrigation weir | Dam / hazard | 35.42525, -118.96055 | First of the Bakersfield irrigation weirs, chain-km 76; the river below here is often dewatered. |
| 10 | Four Weirs Weir group, chain-km 82 | Dam / hazard | 35.40079, -119.00738 | Group of diversion weirs on the north-east edge of Bakersfield. |
| 11 | Calloway Weir Irrigation weir | Dam / hazard | 35.39946, -119.02668 | Major diversion weir at chain-km 84, where much of the remaining flow is taken out. |
| 12 | Bakersfield River Run RV Park Private RV park | Campsite | 35.37761, -119.04827 | RV park on the river bank in north-west Bakersfield. |
| 13 | Turner's Outdoorsman Tackle shop, Bakersfield | Point of interest | 35.38252, -119.06591 | The nearest full tackle shop to the Bakersfield reaches, about 1.3 km off the river. |
| 14 | USGS 11194152 Kern River at Enos Park Foot Bridge Primary flow reference | USGS gauge | 35.30354, -119.25165 | The river's headline gauge, on the valley floor west of Bakersfield at chain-km 109. |
| 15 | Richfield Weir Lowest mapped weir | Dam / hazard | 35.29302, -119.28344 | The last weir on the chained reach, chain-km 113. |
Gauge: USGS 11194152 — Kern R a Enos Park Foot Br nr Bakersfield, CA. Live flow on the web page.
Species: Bluegill, Brown Trout, Channel Catfish, Common Carp, Largemouth Bass, Rainbow Trout, Smallmouth Bass
Regulations: wildlife.ca.gov/Fishing/Inland/Regulations
Emergency: call 911 and give the number of the nearest point on this map plus its coordinates.
Johnsondale Bridge - trailhead access to the wild trout water on the upper river above Kernville.
Fairview Dam area on Mountain Road 99 - roadside pocket water in the upper canyon.
Riverside Park in Kernville - town access with parking, the most-used bank fishing on the upper river.
Sandy Flat and Hobo campgrounds below Isabella - developed lower canyon access and standard raft put-ins.
Democrat Springs day use area - lower canyon access on Highway 178 with parking and bank water.
Lake Ming and the Kern River Parkway east of Bakersfield - valley-floor access near the gauge.
Enos Lane and the lower parkway bike path crossings - urban bank access on the Bakersfield reach.
Spring: snowmelt builds through May, the whitewater season opens, and fishing is best on the edges and in the lower canyon.
Summer: high water fades, the upper canyon fishes well early and late, and the valley reach turns warm and bass oriented.
Fall: the best trout weeks of the year on the upper river, with low clear water and much less recreational traffic.
Winter: cold and often low, with stock