Thunder Run

The One Day “Thunder Run” runs about 8-12 miles of the Wild and Scenic Upper Kern River and is a Class IV-V section that offers adventurous guests continuous, top-flight, whitewater in the Sequoia National Forest!  By combining dramatic Class V drops and boulder gardens with rip-roaring Class III and IV sections in between, this voyage welds the Upper Kern into an electrifying ribbon of relentless, exploding whitewater. Long, pulsating rapids rock and roll one after the next. An ongoing frenzied dance of intense pleasure, this run bounds over high drops and twirls among boulders on and on, rumbling and booming, mile after mile. Here, cliffs of red, yellow, and magenta conjure visions of the Painted Desert, and crystalline water cascades in tight moves down gorges of sculpturesque stone. The Thunder Run includes storied Class V rapids such as Squashed Paddler, Sock’em Dog, The Flume, and Fender Bender. Lunch is served along the river over the course of the day.

A full step up in excitement and difficulty from the Lower Kern, this Class V run is for seasoned, daring people only, 16 years of age and older. All participants must be physically fit, swim well, and have previous class IV paddling experience. Paddlers must, at the beginning of the trip, pass the Class V Warm-Up.