Forbes Magazine Lists Kern River As One Of The Ten Best Rivers In the Country

Forbes Magazine recently ran an article on the ten best places to go whitewater rafting in the country and the Kern River made the top of the list.

If you’d like to see the notation click here.

Kern River rafting has never been more popular and the 2009 season is expected to be another great year. Southern California rafting enthusiasts have always held the Kern in high regard as one of the best places to enjoy a California rafting trip.

If your looking to run the Lower, Upper, or Forks of the Kern we are ready to help put your trip together. Just give us a call at 1-800-323-4234 and we will have you in a raft enjoying the Kern whitewater in no time.

We Have a Winner

We are pleased to announce that the winner of the Kern River Outfitters Winter River Poetry Contest is:

DEANNA FARNELL

Winter River

Snowcapped mountains, blue skies above,

Soft colors of winter that we do love

Beauty, peace, so simply strong,

Relax, enjoy the wondrous song.

Mountain river sounds of rain,

Running wild cannot be tamed.

Beauty whirling to and fro,

Secret whispers we want to know.

Mother Nature at her peak,

Soft hands reaching, find and seek.

A rare gift for those who see,

The real treasures surrounding thee.

Water circling everywhere,

A touch of beauty oh so rare.

Be kind to nature and you will be,

Rewarded greatly, come and see.

Listen closely and you will hear,

The sounds of Spring are drawing near.

Deanna wins a $100 credit towards a 2009 Kern River rafting trip.  

Congratulations, Deanna.

More winter scenes on the beautiful Upper Kern

2009 Guide Training is Fast Approaching

Kern River Outfitters 2009 Guide Training is scheduled to launch on April 18th and run consecutively through April 23rd this year. With California rafting summer outings becoming more and more popular every year, increasing numbers of intrepid folks look to our guide training course to either improve their existing skills, or develop new ones from scratch. If you have an inclination to become a competent Southern California rafting guide, you still have an opportunity to sign up. In short order, you’ll be rafting the Kern River in style. Learn about Kern River rafting on the Lower Kern, Upper Kern and Forks of the Kern with the best in the business. Give our office a call at 1-800-323-4234 if you have any questions or would like more information.

Spring has Sprung in the Kern River Valley

The Kern River Valley hosts one of the most beautiful wildflower shows every year.  Thanks to the heavy rainfall we received in late February, all sorts of wildflowers are beginning to pop up all over the surrounding hills.  A prime viewing location for these flowers is the scenic drive up the Kern River canyon on highway 178 heading east out of Bakersfield.  Several of the Kern River Outfitters' staff members have been hiking and mountain biking the popular Kern Canyon trail to see the hills covered in almost every color of the rainbow.  California Poppies, Goldfields, Indian Paintbrush, Baby Blue Eyes, Fiddlenecks, and Lupine have made their way into thousands of acres along the banks and mountainsides of the Upper and Lower Kern River.  The mass spectacle of the wildflowers is a sure sign that the southern Californian whitewater rafting season on the Kern River will be one for the books.  As the low elevation snow starts to melt with the upcoming warm weather, be sure to check out a second wildflower show in the high sierra gateway to the Forks of the Kern.

Dwight and Trudy Pascoe

Dwight and Trudy Pascoe are two treasures whose contributions help make Kern River Outfitters one of the best whitewater rafting outfits in the business.

Dwight is a genuine Kern River native. He was born in Bakersfield (by the way, yesterday just happens to be Dwights birthday) and raised in the Kern River Valley. He spent a good portion of his formative years on a cattle ranch in the South Fork country.

He attended high school in Bakersfield. In those days, the bus ride to high school was a little more complicated that it is today. In fact, he would leave Sunday evening and return Friday evening, spending the entire school week in Bakersfield. When he wasn't in school, he was busy fishing, hiking, riding horses and punching cattle all throughout the Southern Sierra Nevada and Owens Valley. In the midst of all of this, Dwight managed to log in 30 years with Cal Trans. He still operates snow plows in the winter keeping the roads open and safe for all of us here in the Kern Valley. Dwight is a fountain of local and regional historical knowledge. Ask him about the days prior to the Isabella Dam or driving cattle to market on horseback and he will gladly dispense all kinds of fun historical tidbits.

Trudy hails from Tulare, California and has operated a number of successful businesses including a busy photography studio. Here at Kern River Outfitters, she manages our Rafting Center making sure our guests arrive with a smile on their face, have a hot cup of coffee in their hands, and questions and last minute concerns addressed. She also looks after the guides offering sage advice when the need arises.

Trudy found Dwight 22 years ago and they've been happily riding the range ever since. We all hope they will be saddling up with Kern River Outfitters for many years to come.

The Fifty First Annual Whiskey Flat Celebration on the Kern River

This past weekend the Kern River Valley celebrated the fifty first anniversary of Whiskey Flat Days. Friday, February thirteenth, presented a less than ideal weather scenario with a veritable blizzard descending on the Kern River Valley. By noon, the snow was accumulating rapidly throughout the entire region. The following Saturday morning however, the sun rescued the event from the frigid grasp of the hovering winter storm and the scenery was spectacular.

A parade of participants in period costumes filled the streets of Kernville. Gunslingers, stagecoaches, and mountain men brought the old west to life complete with staged shoot-outs and an old fashioned western jail set up to house the bad guys.

If you have ever wondered whether there are fun things to do in the Kern River Valley in the whitewater rafting off-season, this annual event surely answers that question. Here at Kern River Outfitters, we think the Kern River offers the best California rafting available. We are grateful Mother Nature provided a brief respite from the latest winter storm for the event, but we are ecstatic that she is busy laying the base for yet another wonderful summer filled with endless Kern River rafting opportunities.

Here are a few photos of the fun event complete with our Kern Rafting Center bracing for the onslaught of snow this past Friday morning.



















The Rafting Center Bracing for the Storm Friday Morning
















Whiskey Flat Days Banner Proudly Flying Over the Event


















The Stagecoach is On Time
















Mountain Guys Looking for Easy Game
















Smokey Bear Keeping an Eye on Things

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.