Kern River Outfitters Listed as one of National Geographic Adventures 2009 Best Travel Companies on Earth

Kern River Outfitters is proud to have been picked as one of National Geographic Adventure Magazine's Best Adventure Travel Companies on Earth. National Geographic prepared a comprehensive ranking of the worlds top outfitters and Kern River Outfitters was selected as THE rafting company to choose as your Kern whitewater outfit. We have always held the highest standards in customer service of California rafting outfits and feel honored to have received this recognition. Our customers are treasures and the river we run offers the best Southern California rafting available. We are proud of our Client Satisfaction rating of 100 and will continue to provide the highest quality California rafting experience for all of our guests.

National Geographic could not have stated it better: "Because in a time when travel dollars are stretched, it’s essential that an outfitter deliver the trip of a lifetime, the first time." Come join us for the California rafting vacation of a lifetime in 2009.

Let It Snow

Wow. The Kern River Valley and the Southern Sierra Snowpack got hammered by an Arctic Gorilla the first part of the week. Although the weather might indeed have been frightful, it looks like Kern River Rafting in 2009 is gonna be delightful.

The storm essentially closed the Kern Valley for two days and the snow is still covering the mountains with a blanket of promise for bigwater boating in 2009.

Below are a few photos of the aftermath on the Upper Kern after the roads were cleared and access was allowed:


Corral Creek


Entrance to the Gorge



Upper Kern




Ant Canyon


The Mayor and First Lady of Bigwater's Residence

Fun in the Sun in 2009

Summer of 2009 could be an adventure of a lifetime if you are selected to join us for our annual Guide Training scheduled for the latter part of April.

Guiding on the Kern River is one of the most rewarding jobs you will ever have. The summer of 2009 is sure to provide more whitewater adventures than you could possibly imagine. Seemingly endless balmy days filled with frothing excitement and beautiful, star filled evenings await those who are chosen to fill the ranks of our Kern guide staff.

If you think you might have what it takes, give our office a call at 1-800-323-4234 and we will be happy to talk about guiding opportunities this summer. Check out our informative Whitewater School page for more details.

Kern River rafting on the Lower, Upper, and Forks of the Kern offers everything a guide could ever ask for so give us a call and we will see if we can put you in the drivers seat on the Kern in 2009.

Lower Kern Camp Bliss

Two day Kern River rafting trips are a wonderful bundle of adventure, fun, and great food wrapped up in the plush warmth of our Lower Kern Camp. There is no better place to watch a summer evening unfold and enjoy the warmth of a campfire surrounded by great friends sharing tall tales of the day just experienced rafting the Kern River.

On August 11th and 12th the sky opened up and offered an extra special treat. It just so happened to be the peak of the Perseid Meteor Showers . On any given evening spent alongside the Lower Kern, shooting stars and satellites abound in the heavens but this time of the year the stars can seem to rain from the sky.

Our Lower Kern campsite is designed to provide a truly blissful ending to a magical day and the perfect setting for the anticipation of the next day spent having the time of your life running the warm rapids of the Lower Kern River.

2008 Green Bag Sighting Winners!

Emmy and Steve Scarano at Ellis Island National Monument

Our August 2008 eNewsletter might have prematurely named a bunch of give-away green bag sightings in Idaho as "Winners".

Prematurely, because Steve and Emmy Scarano recently submitted these two photos of the happy couple posing at the Statue of Liberty National Monument.

Steve and Emmy usually bring a large group of friends every year and run a two day trip on the Lower Kern. Their last trip was this past June. We look forward to hosting them again in 2009 for another celebration of fun and whitewater on the mighty Kern River.

Steve advises that he may soon have more photos from Canyon de Chelly in Arizona. Those photos could be really cool.

Thanks Steve and Emmy. Safe Travels!


























Emmy at the Statue of Liberty

Stay tuned not only for more shots of the "Travels of the Green Bag", but of tempting tidbits of photographic memories from our 2008 photo archive.

Kern River Outfitters' Boatman's Holiday on Idaho's Middle Fork of the Salmon

On August 29th, long time Middle Fork and Kern River guide Scooter Carling and a group of his fellow Kern guides launched a 100 mile odyssey on Idaho’s Middle Fork of the Salmon River. After a great season escorting thousands of our guests through the Kern’s whitewater maze, everyone decided they needed some well deserved R and R. Is there a better way for a guide to relax than to explore yet another exceptional whitewater paradise?

Following Scooter's lead, trip participants included: Chris Brown, Chandra Anderson, Jason Schneider, Justine Stewart, Ryan Guy, Chase McGregor, Rabbit, Chuck Richards, Mike Spradlin, Tom Peltier, Darby Vreven and, of course, Betty Bigwater.

During their week-long trip, they relaxed at six camps including: Sheepeater, Little Soldier, Shelf, Funston, Wilson Creek and Cradle Creek. The guides soothed their weary bones in several natural hot springs, enjoyed the world class trout fishery and even got a glimpse of a bear with her two cubs. Numerous sightings of river otters and bighorn sheep along the river and several ospreys hunting from above were also enjoyed by all.

At the conclusion of the trip, the crew stopped in Salmon, Idaho and were treated to a wonderful dinner complements of Bob, Mary, and their sister crew at Idaho River Journeys’ Center of Operations. Although they missed the feast in Salmon, Jason and Justine were lucky enough to “Turn the Corner” and continue on to run the Main Salmon.

An outstanding and totally rejuvenating time was had by all!

For more information on river trips on the Main and Middle Fork of the Salmon in Idaho, check out Idaho River Journeys' informative website or feel free to give Bob or Mary a call @ 1-888-997-8399.

Here are some cool photos Mike Spradlin and Scooter shared of their adventure:

The Intrepid Boaters


The Ramp at Put-In


Shadows on the Wall


Waterfall


Arrowhead


Perfect Day for Fishing


Veil Falls


Another Beautiful Day


Headin' Downstream


Pictographs


Chandra Consulting the River Map


Osprey Scanning the River


Scooter Scanning the Camera


Couple o' Baby Bears


Splashyak Paradise


Darby and Solar


Betty


Loon Creek Hot Springs


The Crew at the IRJ Center of Operations

The 2008 Season Comes to a Close

All of us here at Kern River Outfitters want to offer a great big "Thanks!" to each of our guests who joined us this past season. From the middle of April through this past weekend, we were able to share the Lower, Upper, and Forks of the Kern with over 4,000 happy guests.

We hope all of you treasure your time with us throughout the off-season and look forward to joining us next year for another wonderful whitewater adventure here on the mighty Kern River.