The Headwaters of the Kern River
Inyo and Tulare Counties, California

"Now I've seen it all... and I used to think I was crazy!" The backpacker had a point. We were 12,000 feet above sea level, high on the Tyndall Plateau, a day's hike from the nearest trailhead. With boats strapped to our backs. "Three deranged druids, carrying a portable Stonehenge!" The backpacker laughed again. The scene was ridiculous, but Keith Dinger, Keith Beck and I had a method to our madness. We were out to run the Headwaters of the Kern River.

Where's the river? Somewhere on the Tyndall Plateau Photo by Charles Foster

The Approach

Anyone who's hiked down the trail to the Forks of the Kern has looked upstream and wondered what might be up there. And that's as close as most folks get. After all, there are excellent reasons not to run the Headwaters. Topography, for instance. To the North and West, miles of mountainous wilderness separate the put-in from the nearest road. The South offers perhaps the easiest approach, via a well-traveled mule trail, but even this route has its price. From the nearest trailhead its over 34 miles up the canyon to the "standard" Headwaters put-in at Junction Meadow. The rugged Eastern Sierra, rising thousands of feet above the Owens Valley and home of Mount Whitney, highest peak in the Continental US, creates a formidable barrier to the East. Hikers approaching from the Whitney Portal trail, or the lower but more difficult Shepherd Pass, face over 20 miles of trans-Sierra travel, with six thousand feet of elevation gain!

The payoffs for the arduous approach can't be overstated. Thirty-seven miles of pristine wilderness boating, followed by an additional seventeen miles on the Forks. Glacially-carved high-Sierra scenery. A hot spring at river's edge. Whitewater ranging the full spectrum from Class I pools to Class VI falls. Place names like Hell for Sure, Funston Meadow, The Hazards. Something for everyone, in a canyon that stands out like a huge, north-south slash on any relief map of California.

The River

The river itself has several clearly defined sections, each with unique characteristics.

Above Junction Meadow (1+ mile, 200 fpm average gradient)

It only makes sense to run this stretch if you've hiked in via Shepherds Pass - it ends with a mile-long portage around 670 fpm cataracts down to Junction Meadow. Keith Beck and Charles Foster pioneered this steep, continuous section in June 1997, putting in where the Tyndall Creek Trail meets the river. We found it to be creeky, nonstop, and fun. Fallen trees are a hazard here, and the knowledge that the river plunges off the edge of the world just downstream keeps you focussed. We took out downstream of the Tyndall Creek confluence, scrambled back up to the good trail on river left, and admired the raging whitewater as we hiked down to Junction Meadow.

Junction Meadow to Upper Funston Meadow
(9 miles, 151 fpm average gradient)

Junction Meadow is an incredible place. Shaded by old-growth pines and ringed by two-thousand foot high falls, its one of the most scenic spots I've seen. The river flows crystal clear and sedate here, giving one plenty of chances to admire the scenery. Enjoy it while it lasts.

Just downstream the pace picks up. The rapid - for it really is one endless rapid - is mostly Class IV, but it doesn't let up for the better part of seven miles. Trees are a constant concern and portages around log jams should be expected. There is also a large rockslide that forced us to carry a few hundred yards. This is expedition boating at its finest!

Huge waterfalls plunge off the cliffs to the west. They are occasionally visible through the thick forest lining the river. There aren't many chances to look though, as the whitewater is relentless.

Towards the bottom of this reach, seven miles downstream from Junction Meadow, is a fine camp at Kern Hot Spring. The Forest Service has built a cement tub, complete with drain plug, at river's edge. Bear boxes and a pit toilet are also available. Soaking in the spring is one of my fondest memories of the trip.

The Meadows (11 miles, 42 fpm average gradient)

Not far below the hot spring the gradient eases. Miles of meandering Class II, interrupted by occasional logjams, offer chances to view the incredible scenery. The miles roll by effortlessly. A long Class IV punctuates the flat water near the Kern Canyon Ranger Station, and is followed by a few lesser rapids. A mile or so of Class I flows through the Little Kern Lake area, right up to the brink of an unrunnable drop. The party's over.

Grasshopper Flat to Kern Falls (7 miles, 143 fpm average gradient)

Grasshopper Flat belies its name by harboring the most serious whitewater of the run. This section starts with a portage around a huge log jam and an unrunnable, tree choked drop. Just below, we portaged a second, runnable-looking falls on river left. Class V ledges and boulder gardens continue for the better part of a mile before the difficulty progressively eases to Class III near Hole in the Ground. The river veers east into a beautiful gorge, with easy Class II gradually leading to classic Class IV. This gorge is splendid, home to a primeval forest of giant horsetails, ferns, and giant old-growth cedars, pines and firs.

The lead-in to Kern Falls is distinctive. The canyon opens, and large granite slabs come right down into the river, forming some fun drops. A sandy flat, bordered by these granite slabs and home to a big grove of incense cedars, is an unmistakable landmark. Good campsites abound in this area.

The Kern Falls complex is a wonder of nature. Formed by granite slabs and ridges, the sequence starts with an 8' riverwide ledge drop, impressive in its own right. The hole feeds the gut of Kern Falls, an enormous ramp sliding almost 40 vertical feet into a big river-center boulder. Downstream are two more river wide ledges, each at least eight feet high. Amazingly, all of this has been run by both rafters and kayakers, though one of the boaters had to be airlifted from the canyon after breaking a rib.

Kern Falls to the Forks of the Kern (10 miles, 55 fpm average gradient)

Below Kern Falls the gradient drops off dramatically, seldom exceeding 50 fpm. A brief stretch of calm water leads to the only Class V in this section, a boulder-strewn affair, within the first mile. This is followed by continuous Class IV, which eases once past Painter Camp. The scenery changes abruptly here, from lush forest to sun-scorched chaparral. Miles of Class II-III, livened by an occasional easy IV brings one to the unmistakable Little Kern confluence, the start of the excellent Forks of the Kern run.

In summary, the Headwaters of the Kern run is one of California's best multi-day whitewater trips. However you get to Junction Meadow, you're assured to find all the whitewater and scenery you can handle. And hiking down to the Forks put in, the question will no longer be "What's upstream", but, "When can I run the Headwaters again".

This article was published in the April 1998 Issue of the Sierra Club's newsletter, The Current.

This document was last updated on Saturday, April 04, 1998

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