Whitewater Rafting BSA Award

Scouting trips on the Kern River

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hydrology basics, river safety & reading water

Learning whitewater skills on the Kern River

We are BSA Council certified. We offer the Whitewater Rafting BSA Award as a one or two day course. Submit an inquiry below and we will send you course details and pricing information.

2023 Kern River Rafting

Both courses include technical skills such as scouting rapids and reading water.

Whitewater Rafting BSA Award FAQs

The one-day course spends the day on Class II and III rapids. Scouts learn the basics of whitewater rafting including scouting rapids, reading water, and using a throw bag. The two-day includes the above, but with the additional time we touch on rescues, ferry angles and towards the end of day two, our guides will take you down Class IV whitewater.

Once your troop is signed up for a course, we will send over a training checklist that includes knots and short training videos that will help them prepare for their time on the water.

Scouts should pack a sack lunch as our instructors will do a whitewater chalk-talk during lunch. While we do not normally provide meals, we can arrange for sandwiches if preferred for a small additional cost.

The Whitewater Merit Badge isn’t technically possible to obtain on the Kern River as the skillset is specific for either a canoe or kayak and includes maneuvers that can only be done in those crafts. Such as the paddle strokes cross bow draw or sculling draw. However, please get in touch with us as we may be able to customize the trip to meet the required skills for the merit badge.

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