(EMAILWIRE.COM, April 28, 2009 ) Wofford Heights, CALIF. - The Lower Kern River, which is fed by Lake Isabella, will have adequate water for whitewater rafting before the typical June 1st opening day. Lake Isabella, a reservoir that separates the Kern River into “Upper” and “Lower” stretches, is closing-in on 170,000 acre feet and is expected to receive even more water due to recent snow melt.
In recent years, whitewater rafting outfitters on the Lower Kern River have used June 1st as the unofficial “opening day” for their trips. With temperatures reaching up to 95 degrees last week, snow in the in the southern Sierras began melting and the Upper Kern River reached flows of 1500 cubic feet per second. Kern River Outfitters operates on both the Upper and Lower Kern River. Their first trip on the Lower Kern is scheduled for May 24th.
“We are prepared to start our Lower Kern rafting season as early as possible,” commented Keith “Luther” Stephens, Kern River Outfitters' general manager. Outflows from Lake Isabella dictate whether or not the season will begin early. “If we get another hot streak like we did last week, it’s very likely that we’ll be able to run Lower Kern rafting trips by mid-May,” Stephens said.
Rafting on the Lower Kern River offers paddlers over 18 miles of whitewater ranging from Class II to Class IV. Most trips are two-days in length, but one-day or half-day trips are also available.
The Kern River is often touted as the best whitewater rafting river in California. Kern River Outfitters runs rafting trips from two hours to three days in length, with Class II to Class V rapids on the Lower, Upper, and Forks of the Kern. For additional information on rafting the Kern River, contact Kern River Outfitters at 1-800-323-4234 or visit http://www.KernRafting.com.
