Camping Memorial Weekend

[Pescador]

I looked at reserveamerica.com and it looks like all the camp grounds are booked for this coming holiday weekend. Any suggestions for someone with a tent trailer that would like to come up?
We would like to do some fishing. How is the water running in the upper Kern?
Thanks,
Pescador

[Gary C.]

Not all of the sites are reserveable but you had better plan on being there early to get one of the non-reserveable ones. I would a assume that the disbursed sites are going to have the same kind of competition. You might check the private campgrounds like Rivernook also.

[Pescador]

Thanks Gary, I called around and even all the lodges are booked. I think I'll just wait for another weekend and beat the crowds. I'm just itching to get out and thought it would be nice this weedend since it's a long one.
Take care,
Ed

[admin]

We promote visiting the Kern River Valley at every possible opportunity. However, we won't lie to get our readers spending big bucks to get here only to have a bad experience.

We'll alert you now...Three day weekends have a high potential for a BAD EXPERIENCE. The best spots are taken days before the weekend and held for friends coming up later. The traffic, late loud music, large groups drinking, inconsiderate attitudes, lack of outdoor and river knowledge or courtesy, and inevitable trash piles are historically never conducive to a very relaxing experience...especially for fishing.

When I lived at Roads End there were people sleeping in turnouts during three day holidays. Teams of Tulare Sheriffs have to be brought in and stationed to handle the problems. That is still the case, and more so when camps are maxed.

Our recommendation, since 1995, is to come two weeks before, or the week after any holiday weekend. Stay home, relax and prep your gear for a calmer weekend with less traffic. The fish will still be here. They tend to hide with all the river activity going on and planting is on schedule.

With high gas prices, you have to max your chances for a great time, avoid the holidays.

[Pescador]

Thanks for the advice. I have forgotten what it was like on the holidays. I used to go up in the 70's when I was a young man. The Hell's Angels would be out in force back then. I don't have the patience for that nonsense anymore. See you in a couple of weeks.
Pescador

[Gary C.]

I rember those day, I was just a kid and besides being scared of them I thought they must really be living the life. I can also remember a weekend in the 60's when riverside park was filled with hippies and there was a band playing. Again I was mesmerized and discusted at the same time. No wonder I've always seemed to have one foot on each side of crazy and conservative.

[admin]

Actually, bikers haven't been an issue for years. Most you see around are the lawyers and doctors that like to get a little wild here and there. The real mavericks pretty well police themselves so they have some place to go without grief. We had bigger problems with hippies up at Roads End back then. The flower children had some really sharp knives and that's what launched the Tulare Sheriffs to start bringing STEP teams to spend the weekend. STEP is Portervilles version of SWAT. Good guys but they got a little rowdy themselves. Weekend away from home. For my old buds memories ~ "Forget freeze...walk towards the light."

Holidays now are just too many big "groups of urbanites" that haven't been brought up to respect public lands or common courtesy. The trash that's left is unbelievable and the booming music goes a mite too late for serenity. Don't even think about telling 20 or 30 late teens or early 20 somethings to turn it down without backup. It's a getaway from city stress so we can't really blame them...too much. But we keep hoping that each three day weekend will bring change...after 30 some years, the hope is fading.

We market to families and those that respect the great outdoors, that's one reason we encourage them to come when the best experience is optimal. Nothing worse for tourism and returnees than those who go home and tell everyone at work and the neighborhood about the nightmare weekend they just spent in Kern Valley. Oh well, enough rant.

[Gary C.]

None of the holiday camping problems are unique to the Kern, it happens everywhere. The Kern Valley is a little more impacted because it is closer to the cities that's all. It is still a beautiful place and a great getaway anytime, just some times are better than others. For a generation that talks so much about respect you would hope they would demand respect for something other than themselves. In any case I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend, stays safe, and makes some memories.