Little Kern River


The Little Kern River is a long major tributary of the upper Kern River in the Sequoia National Forest, in the southern Sierra Nevada, California. It is one of three streams, along with Volcano Creek and Golden Trout Creek, that harbor beautiful golden trout.

Watershed and Course

The Little Kern River drains approximately of wilderness, all of it in Tulare County.
The Little Kern begins at Bullfrog Lakes, in the Golden Trout Wilderness south of Farewell Gap near Mineral King. It flows south, past Table Meadow and Burnt Corral Meadows, then enters a deep gorge before it joins with the Kern River at Forks of the Kern. The Little Kern roughly defines the southwest boundary of the Great Western Divide; the confluence with the main Kern marks the southernmost tip of the range. Forks of the Kern is located about upstream of Lake Isabella.

Ecology

Major efforts were made since the 1960s to create refuge areas for golden trout in the upper reaches of the South Fork Kern River. Three barriers were built and a piscicide was applied to the river to kill all non-native fish above or between these barriers. From 1969 through 2000, 10 chemical treatments were performed, with varying degrees of success.