South Fork Kern River

South Fork Kern River
Headwaters of the South Fork Kern River in Tulare County
Map showing the Kern River and the South Fork Kern River (to the east of the main stem)
Location
Country	United States
State	California
Region	Inyo County, Tulare County, Kern County
Cities	Onyx, Weldon
Physical characteristics
Source	Southwest side of unnamed peak
• location	near Horseshoe Meadow, Inyo National Forest, Tulare County
• coordinates	36°25′55″N 118°12′48″W / 36.43194°N 118.21333°W / 36.43194; -118.21333[1]
• elevation	10,850 ft (3,310 m)
Mouth	Lake Isabella
• location	Mountain Mesa, Kern County
• coordinates	35°39′34″N 118°27′51″W / 35.65944°N 118.46417°W / 35.65944; -118.46417
• elevation	2,490 ft (760 m)[1]
Length	95 mi (153 km), North-south[2]
Basin size	982 sq mi (2,540 km2)[3]
Discharge
• location	Isabella, California[3]
• average	105 cu ft/s (3.0 m3/s)[3]
• minimum	4 cu ft/s (0.11 m3/s)[3]
• maximum	4,100 cu ft/s (120 m3/s)[4]
Basin features
River system	Kern River watershed
Tributaries
• left	Canebrake Creek
• right	Trout Creek (Kern River)
National Wild and Scenic River
Designated	November 24, 1987

The South Fork Kern River is a tributary of the Kern River in the Sierra Nevada of the U.S. state of California. It is one of the southernmost rivers on the western slope of the mountains, and drains a high, relatively dry plateau country of 982 square miles (2,540 km²) along the Sierra Crest. The upper South Fork flows through a series of rugged canyons, but it also drains a flat, marshy valley before joining the Kern River at Lake Isabella.