Little Kern River

The Little Kern River is a 24.4-mile-long (39.3 km)^[2] 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 (Oncorhynchus mykiss aguabonita).

Little Kern River
Location of the Little Kern River in California
Location
Country	United States
State	California
Physical characteristics
Source	Great Western Divide
• location	Sequoia National Forest
• coordinates	36°23′57″N 118°34′19″W[1]
• elevation	10,603 ft (3,232 m)
Mouth	Kern River
• location	Forks of the Kern
• coordinates	36°08′00″N 118°26′20″W[1]
• elevation	4,790 ft (1,460 m)
Length	24.4 mi (39.3 km)[2]
Basin size	133 sq mi (340 km2)[2]
Discharge
• location	Quaking Aspen Camp[3]
• average	131 cu ft/s (3.7 m3/s)[3]
• minimum	7.12 cu ft/s (0.202 m3/s)
• maximum	13,100 cu ft/s (370 m3/s)

Watershed and Course

The Little Kern River drains approximately 133 square miles (340 km²) of wilderness,^[2] all of it in Tulare County.^[1]

The Little Kern begins at Bullfrog Lakes, in the Golden Trout Wilderness south of Farewell Gap near Mineral King.^[4] 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.^[5] The Little Kern roughly defines the southwest boundary of the Great Western Divide; the confluence with the main Kern (which flows to the east of the range) marks the southernmost tip of the range.^[6] Forks of the Kern is located about 40 miles (64 km) upstream of Lake Isabella.^[6][7]

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 (Ramshaw, Templeton, and Schaeffer) 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.^[8][9]