Jungle Run – Class II and III The Jungle Run is a Class II and III run from the higher put-ins such as Slippery Rock or Granite and winds its way through the canyon to either Sandy Flat or Miracle as the takeout.

Length Slippery Rock to Miracle is 8 miles. Difficulty Beginner to Moderate. Feet per Mile Slippery Rock to Miracle is 20 FPM Shuttle Time Slippery Rock to Miracle is 28 minutes round trip. Google Map directions.

Mile 0.0 – Slippery Rock Put-in: 35.63899, -118.48447 River Right. The Division of Boating and Waterways (DWB) built this put-in for just $70,000 making it the furthest upstream access on the Lower Kern. The unloading area can fit two vehicles. If you are going to use this access be sure to unload quickly and move your vehicle to the upper parking lot to make room for other boaters unloading. Mile 0.05 – Slippery Rock Island: 35.63876, -118.4849 The river splits around an island immediately below the put-in. Stay to the left. Mile 0.07 – Keyesville Campground: 35.63597, -118.48532 BLM dispersed camping flanks River Left and River Right here for the next mile or so. Mile 0.60 – BLM Put-In “A”: 35.63284, -118.48909 River Left. Put- in A is a developed put-in on BLM land with a bathroom and a turn around large enough for a bus pulling a trailer. This put-in a good option for busy weekends when Slippery Rock is full. To find the put-in take Grey Pines Cuttoff Road from the 155 just downstream of the bridge where the 155 crosses the Lower Kern River. Follow this dirt road downstream along the river past a series of BLM campsites. The road is paved beginning at about 100 yards before the put-in. Mile 1.47 – Wallow Rock Rapid: 35.62294, -118.4905 Class III. At flows above 2,000 CFS, this rapid is pretty insignificant. Below 2,000 there is a huge boulder in the middle of the river with a small channel on either side. There are a couple of guard rocks on both sides that require a precise move to navigate through. Be careful as the middle boulder has been known to flip 14’ paddleboats. Mile 2.1 – Granite Launch Put-In: 35.61455, -118.48999 River Left. Another DWB project, this one came in at $145,000. This launch features a metal ramp allowing you to slide your raft directly down into the canyon and onto a fabricated loading area on the river. To access the put-in, head west on Highway 178 from Wofford Heights Blvd / Highway 55 and then take the first exit labeled 42 called Bodfish and Havilah. Located on River Left, this put-in is just off of the highway.

Mile 2.29 – Tubatulabal Indian Pictographs: 35.61185, -118.49057 River Right. Look river right for a glimpse of these pictographs as you float by. The Tubatulabal were the first people to inhabit the Kern and South Fork drainage. To find out more about the first people of the area visit the Nunni Cunni American Intertribal Cultural Center located on Lake Isabella. Mile 2.7 – BLM Put-In “B”: 35.60741, -118.49553 River Right. Highway 178 crosses the river here. This put-in is accessed by taking the road to Keysville and following the raft launch signs. This is a public access area and can get congested with day visitors. This is a day use area only, no overnight parking. Mile 3.23 – It’s a Dilly Rapid: 35.60027, -118.4969 Class III. This is the first significant rapid on the Lower Kern. It’s a long, splashy, fun rapid that eventually makes a gentle right-hand turn. At the second portion of the rapid stay to the inside corner on the right avoiding the Dilly hole on River Left. At high flows it’s a 50-50 crashing wave, and as the water drops, it turns into an unrunnable hole. At medium flows and lower the hole looks fine but should still be avoided. Mile 3.60 – Private Property: River Left. A private beach with a home and barbeque area is located here. Mile 3.63 – Oscar’s Nightmare Rapid: 35.59926, -118.50182 Class III. The river splits into two channels here. At higher flows, take the left channel as a skirt line. At medium and lower flows, you have to make the move around the large rock island by taking the right channel. Be diligent to not have swimmers above this rock island as it is a sieve. Click here for a detailed description.

Mile 4.28 – Highway 178 Bridge Crossing: 35.59877, -118.51137 From Slippery Rock put-in, this is the second bridge crossing of Highway 178. No good access is here but you could scramble to the highway if you need to exit the canyon. The next two miles are Class II and III boogie water. Mile 5.24 – Pride Rock: 35.59766, -118.5189 River Right. If you’ve somehow spaced out and lost count of how many bridges you’ve gone under, this Lion King rock is on river right and is an excellent reference for your location. Click here for a detailed description. Mile 6.27 – Black Gulch Day Use: 35.59101, -118.53119 River Left. A sandy beach located river left that is open for day use. Accessible by dirt road from Highway 178. Mile 6.79 – Borel Powerhouse: 35.58792, -118.52477 River Left. Now defunct powerhouse that’s owned by Southern California Edison. Click here for a detailed description. Mile 7.18 – Sandy Flat Campground: 35.58233, -118.52664 River Left. Sandy Flat Campground offers 32 camping sites. Water and vault toilets are available here. Click here for a detailed description. Mile 7.18 – Sandy Flat Put-In / Take Out: 35.58233, -118.52664 River Left. This access point can occasionally get crowded with people swimming in this popular eddy. Mile 7.45 – Jump Rock: River Left. Towards the end of this long pool, look river left for a pile of granite boulders. Park your rafts just past these. This jump rock has slower moving current at lower flows. Mile 7.88 – Hobo Campground: 35.57457, -118.53029 River Left. A campground located on river left alongside and near Hobo rapid. There was once a hotel, store and post office located here. Click here for a detailed description. Mile 7.88 – Hobo Rapid: 35.57474, -118.52897 Class III. Hobo rapid was the site of a slalom kayak training course for the Olympics. No longer used but cables still run several feet above the high water line. Stay inside the first bend to avoid the pour over and then lookout for the larger holes and boulders. Click here for a detailed description. Mile 7.93 – Miracle Rapid: 35.57586, -118.53142 Class III. Located immediately below Hobo Rapid (sometimes referred to as Hobo Part II) this is a straightforward Class III with two features. First, there is a nasty rock in the center channel that comes out towards lower flows that should be avoided. And second, bottom right of the rapid there is a large rock that you can flip off of if you’re not careful. So call it good and run left down the whole thing at all flows. Mile 8.19 – Miracle Put-In / Take Out: 35.575996, -118.532592 River Left. If you are using this as a take-out, be sure to catch the eddy on River Left at the bottom of Miracle Rapid. This is the last take-out before getting to the Class IV stretch of the river. It is very hard to pull a boat back upstream if you miss this.

Miracle Run – Class II, III & IV. Portage Required. Miracle is the most popular private trip on the Lower Kern as it tackles all the Class IV whitewater available and can be done in a single day. A portage is required at The Royal Flush. Keep in mind that technically this run is all the way to Democrat, however there is an option to takeout upstream at Delonegha Bridge, which is the Big Five Put-In.

Length Miracle to Democrat is 11 miles. Difficulty Moderate to Advanced. Feet per Mile Miracle to Democrat is 32 FPM Shuttle Time Miracle to Democrat is 42 minutes round trip. Google Map directions.

Big Five – Class II, III & IV The Big Five is the final portion of the Miracle Run. Many boaters that are looking to catch an afternoon lap prefer to put-in here and run the Class IV below as there is no portage required and it is a relatively fast trip.

Length Delonegha to Democrat is 4 miles. Difficulty Moderate to Advanced. Average Gradient The Big Five is 35 Feet per Mile. Shuttle Time Big Five to Democrat is 14 minutes round trip. Google Map directions.