Two Day Lower Kern
Our Two-Day Lower Kern rafting trips cover about 20 miles of fun whitewater, and feature exciting Class II, III and IV rapids. Our guides prepare all meals, and our camp is already set-up when you arrive. With the terrific weather, exhilarating rapids, and the Kern being the closest rafting to Los Angeles, Santa Barbara and San Diego, our two day Lower Kern river trip is considered the best overnight rafting trip in all of Southern California.
At our riverside camp we have private sleeping decks around the site and provide every guest with a comfortable, thick mattress. Summer weather on the Kern is warm and you won’t need any special camping gear. If you don’t have a sleeping bag, bring some sheets and a light blanket or rent a freshly laundered sleeping bag from us.
Day One
Arrive at our Rafting Center at 9:30AM and check-in with our staff. Once everyone has arrived the Trip Leader will give an orientation talk and the guides will hand out and fit personal flotation devices (PFDs) and helmets. Once everyone is ready to go, we load up on the bus and head to our put-in. At the launch point, guests meet their river guide and the guide then gives a Paddle Talk. Immediately following the Paddle Talk, the trip gets underway and each raft practices their paddling technique making sure their boat is ready for the whitewater. By this point the trip is officially underway! We warm up with class II and III rapids such as Miracle and Hobo. We’ll break for lunch and then tackle our first class IV rapid, White Maidens. Following White Maidens we have three more Class IV rapids: Sundown Falls, Silver Staircase, and Powerful Possum. Our riverside camp is situated just downstream of Powerful Possum. Your Trip Leader will give a camp talk explaining where everything is located (toilets, drinking water, sleeping platforms, etc) as our camp is quite large. Later in the evening the guides will prepare and serve, appetizers and dinner.
Day Two
We start the morning off with coffee and breakfast then we hit the whitewater. Shortly after pushing off, we run False Flush rapid, and then we stop to do a quick and straightforward portage around Royal Flush, a Class V+ rapid. Once back in the water, we have many Class III and IV rapids that are broken up only by another appetizing lunch. Following lunch we hit a succession of Class-IV rapids, including Surprise, Hari Kari, Horseshoe, Sidewinder, and finally, Pinball. After successfully running Pinball, we lazily float for half a mile to Democrat Beach, which is the takeout. At takeout we load up on the bus, and drive back to the Rafting Center.
Do you offer group discounts?
Yes. We offer group discounts as well as school, scout and non-profit discounts. Click here to learn more about our discounts available.
Which meals are included in the Two-Day Lower Kern trip?
We take care of meals starting with lunch on day-1, and end with lunch on day-2. Our guides prepare all meals including day-1 lunch, appetizers and dinner, day-2 breakfast and day-2 lunch. We highly recommend you eat breakfast before your trip launch on day-1 as rafting is a physically demanding activity.
How many people are in each raft?
Depending on group size and which boats we use, we fit between 4 and 6 guests in each raft. As often as we can, we try to keep groups together in the same boat too.
Can you accommodate dietary requests?
Yes. With adequate advance notice, we can accommodate special diet requests.
How far in advance should I make my reservation?
Our trips are limited in size, and we have just one trip per day. Because of this, we highly encourage you to make reservations early.
What’s the minimum age for this trip?
At normal water flows, the minimum age is 12 years old.
Can I bring a GoPro or other camera on this trip?
Yes, absolutely.
Do you have lodging or camping recommendations for before or after our trip?
Yes, we have information for both lodging and camping. Click here to view our Lodging Guide. Click here to download our Camping Guide.
What’s the difference between the Lower and Upper Kern?
The biggest difference is that the Lower Kern originates from Lake Isabella and is a regulated flow. This means that we have flows much longer in the season, as the river level is less dependent on run-off.
What is your cancellation policy?
Our cancellation and refund policy can be found here.
Who do you recommend for trip insurance?
We recommend you supplement personal insurance with travel insurance. Cancellation initiated by you may result in substantial loss of fees paid. Available insurance protects against the loss of deposits/full fare in the event you must cancel because of unforeseen circumstances. If you don’t have a preferred travel insurance company, some options are BHTP and Travel Guard.