South Fork Kern River

It rises in the Inyo National Forest on the Tulare side of the Inyo County-Tulare County line, in a small meadow on the Sierra Crest near the Pacific Crest Trail. The river flows south through meadows and broad valleys, drawing very close to Golden Trout Creek, a tributary of the Kern River to the west. Much of the river's course south is just to the west of Owens Valley, which lies to the east at the base of the Sierra.{{cite map The river then enters the Sequoia National Forest and receives Trout Creek from the right. Entering a gorge, the river courses through a -deep canyon before coming out of the mountains near Onyx. There it receives Canebrake Creek and turns southwest. The South Fork Kern then passes Weldon and the Kern River Preserve. As it nears Lake Isabella its fast waters slow and spread into extensive marshes. The river enters the reservoir at the end of a small delta. Its original confluence with the Kern is submerged under the lake, which is formed by Isabella Dam. ==History==

The valley of the lower South Fork Kern River was once inhabited by the Tübatulabal and Kawaiisu tribes. Humans have lived along the river for approximately 3,000 years. Gold strikes brought miners to the area in the 1850s and 1860s, and the first permanent settlements along the river were built in 1859. Conflicts ensued between the newcomers and the native inhabitants, and a U.S. Army outfit, Camp Leonard, was established on the river to provide military control over the area. ==River modifications==

Most of the river is free-flowing – with no dams and few diversions – with one exception. In 1953, the Isabella Dam was built on the Kern River near Bodfish by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, flooding the lower parts of the North Fork Kern (the main stem above Isabella) and the South Fork Kern under Isabella Lake to provide flood control and hydroelectric power. ==See also==