Sierra South Mountain Sports

tyco411

2024-03

This was a great experience. The guides were fantastic and safe. They knew how to read the riders in each boat and give them the best balance of adventure and safety. The equipment is good as well. Our trip may have been one of the better ones as the water level was the highest in years and the rapids really showed that. I also enjoyed the fact that everyone in the boat is expected to do their share of rowing and help maneuver. All of us got a great education on reading the current and watching how the river gives clues as to what to expect. We went as a Scout Troop and will all be back!!

Patrick Halbert

2023-11

Our guide Kyle provided a safe and fun rafting trip. He was very informative about the history of the river. On our full day trip, we traveled 12 miles down the river and hit 8 level 4 and several level 3 rapids. I'll be back again next season.

Marcy Burns

2023-07

Kyle was our guide. Today was nothing short of amazing! We had the best time on the water, we did class IV and never felt unsafe. He kept us entertained, engaged, and gave of history of the area. I recommend Kyle for any one experienced or on the river for the first time, we will most definitely be back!

Jung hee Han

2024-04

The best experience of this camping trip was the rafting.Jack, who led us, was kind and guided us as an expert.Rafting here really created memories that make me want to come back again. Highly recommended.

April Vella

2023-09

We had such a great time rafting on tbe Kern River. My 9 year old son came as well and they were so great with him. Our guide was very informative and we felt safe with him. Definitely going to go back.

Keith Barnden

2024-04

As a brand new kayak enthusiast I searched out and enlisted the services of Sierra South Mountain Sports to teach me the correct skills to keep me safe and the necessary techniques for survival on the Kern River. They did not disappoint and I have been very impressed with their customer first posture and the very friendly atmosphere surrounding the whole compound. The professionalism and enthusiastic focus on taking care of their property and equipment goes a long way to making me the customer confident that my life is in very capable hands. I signed up for their Kayak 101 course and after the day long instruction came away having learned a new skillset and a solid foundation to build on. My instructor Nicholas, is a competent and very patient instructor whom obviously loves what he is doing, and for me is everything I need to gain the confidence to go back time after time for more. Your life is the most important asset you have and way to short to trust incompetent operators with! You can trust Sierra South Mountain Sports with yours and be confident they will leave you with the skills and competencies you surely need to stay alive and enjoy the sport of White Water Kayaking on the mighty Kern River and wherever in the world you find the lakes and rivers you want to enjoy!

Rylee N

2023-08

AWESOME TIME WITH GREAT PEOPLE! My friends and I booked a full day rafting experience which also came with lunch and lots of water. We got paired with the awesome Pasadena Mike 🤘and he showed us the best time! There is a swimming test and pulling up your buddy test to make sure you can adequately save yourself or friend in case you actually do fall off the raft. Not only was the Kern River beautiful but it has record breaking levels of water right now which makes it the perfect condition to go have an adventure. Mike shared lots of tips with us, great stories, and was just an awesome time. I feel like our raft was the party raft!I really feel like they did a great job easing us into a level 4. We didn't just hit these rapids right away. We got use to the raft and how to paddle with our team on a calmer part of the river, did the swim test in calm water as well. Then we got taken to something a little more intense and then a little more after that. I really felt comfortable and confident navigating the raft!Thanks to the crew (especially PASADENA MIKEEE) for making this such an unforgettable experience! The guides are so helpful and make sure you have the most fun while maintaining safety. Ask them about their travels, what restaurants they recommend, and anything else having to do with Kernville- they're so friendly and more than happy to help!Make sure to stop by their shop on your way out. They have some great gear and awesome shirts and hats to bring home and show your friends what a fun time you had!Some Tips:-Bring a baseball cap! You can wear it under your helmet and it really helps keep the splashes of water out of your eyes!-Water shoes! Have some, you can't be barefoot.-Lots of drinking water and sunscreen (the instructors did a great job making sure everyone was staying safe and hydrated) it's hot in Kernville during this time guys!

Swapnil Patil

2023-08

We went on a hot summer day and it was worth it, we were a large group with teens. Team leader and guide we got were great, they give good instructions and you should listen and follow if you don’t want to fall in rapids. We did level II-III and that itself was great fun with great rapids and current, beginner level for half day. It was worth instead of traveling so far and just doing one round. Our guide on the raft was Ian and he was patient and great with us.

Tara

2023-07

We had a great day on the river! Our guide, Ryan, is extremely skilled and by far the best guide I've ever had. His knowledge and safety expertise made our trip better than anticipated.His passion for the sport is inspiring! His detailed insights made us all better rafters and I can't wait to get on the river gain! If I could, I'd sign up for another day tomorrow!

Chandler S

2023-09

We did the Lickety split blaster and had a great time. Good service. Decent prices. Friendly staff. Good setup with shuttles and bathrooms/changing rooms. Lots of gear and stuff in the shop too. Would recommend going again. Smooth operation.

Cheri Gordon

2023-08

Had an amazing time rafting the Lickety Blaster with our guide Bryce on 7/29/23. As a first time rafter my main fear was falling in the river so when our raft flipped towards the end of our run I was very impressed with our guide and the other guides in our groups swift action on pulling us all quickly from the river. Have no fear this company takes safety very seriously! Thank you Sierra South for an adventure to remember.

Aimee McCoy

2023-07

Had the absolute best time. We did the Upper Kern and a swim test for the rapids. I felt so safe with the guides and their explanations. I saw other groups out there and didn’t feel safe watching them, but our guides talked us through it all. Cannot recommend enough.

Barbara Isaac

2023-08

Absolutely epic! A group of friends and I went for my birthday and it was such an amazing time. We did the Upper Kern Class 4 - Half day and the rapids were awesome! And they let us ride multiple times through. Shoutout to JP! Super great guide, kept us safe and was really encouraging and fun throughout out trip :) The whole staff was super nice and providing the wetsuits was helpful. Thanks South Sierra, highly recommend and will definitely be back!

T F

2024-04

Fun and professional crew at Sierra South. Their kayaking instructors are world class, and overnight trips like Forks of the Kern are not to be missed!

melinda Rinehart

2023-09

Such an amazing experience! We Will absolutely do it again. Shelby was our guide and she was so much fun, professional, and made us feel completely safe. Great all around crew, highly recommended!

Tod Baker

2023-08

Carson was the best guid I’ve ever floated with. The best river trip ever. All of my shipmates anxieties were dissolved by Carson’s confidence and assurance. The river was epic this year and it was all laughs & smiles.

Jacob Pyle

2023-07

Great trip for 50th birthday with group of buddies! Sierra was friendly and very safety oriented. First time rafting and went on Upper Kern Class IV. Will be coming back Labor Day with my kids.

Britney Dalton

2023-08

We took our church youth group on the two day trip and it was beyond what we were expecting in every way, mainly because of our guides. They really went out of their way to interact with the kids and get them excited about everything we did. The food was amazing, the guides prepared and served it all and took care of every little detail so we could just relax and enjoy the experience.Our Tour Leader, Khari was exceptional in every way. He was very knowledgeable and did a great job conveying everything we needed to know to have a fun but safe trip on the river. All of our guides, Bryson, Jose, Jack, JP and Axel on the safety kayak made us all feel confident and comfortable as we navigated the rapids.Camp was always fun because the guides played with the kids and answered their millions of questions and treated them like friends. Every one of the kids thought THEIR guide was the coolest. That was the only arguing we heard on the whole trip lol.I can't forget to send a shout out to Joe, our bus driver for the way she drove the bus and backed that trailer like a boss. Everyone was just so professional and catered to our every need.If you are looking for a fun family/company/church group outing then these are your people. I barely knew them for a couple of days and they already feel like they're my people. We all talked about how much we would miss them on the drive home. Cross your fingers you get Khari, Bryson, Jack, JP, Jose and Axel, they are the cream of the crop (although I'm sure they're all good 😉).We definitely look forward to coming back another season. Definitely recommend, two thumbs way way up, you will have the time of your life!

Stefan Slattery

2023-11

Great half day Class 4 rafting experience on the Kern river. Sierra South are a very well organized and experienced company. Our tour guides were in total control and showed us a great time. Our group will definitely be returning!!

Lisa Swanson

2023-09

Ducky and Jose were awesome guides and great cooks! Camping under the stars with a warm up 1st day and more intense 2nd day is great for novices or those that haven't rafted for a while. Conditions this year are epic; don't miss out!

Doug Woodhams

2023-05

Awesome!! We caught the river at an epic time after the recent rains. Our guides were very skilled and led us on a great trip. Do this!!

Renee Norris

2020-05

This is the second time we rafted with this company . We were not disappointed! This years trip down the Kern River was even better than the last !! Totally well informed guides and they give the best instructions . Our guideJared “ Eagle “ was fantastic we got to do some pretty cool things out there, we had one friend with us this year who had never rafted before and she was a little apprehensive at first but our guide” Eagle “ really made her feel at ease and by the middle of our ride down she was paddling hard and charging ahead with the rest of us , and we so can’t wait to come back again and raft with Sierra South Mountain Sports ! Thank you guys so much for such an enjoyable and memorable experience! You guys Rock !!#eaglesquad

Ted Brick

2020-05

Perfect 👍 lower Krrñ River rafting trip. Best guides . Highly recommend them - Chris and Josh know what their doing and experts at all the Kern River Rapids and going with the flow safely.Really one of the most exciting and fun experiences of my life. UNBELIEVABLY AWESOME!

Sunny Dugas

2022-05

We had a wonderful time tubing with Sierra South! The staff in the gift shop, trip preparation, trip transportation and photographer were friendly and professional. It was HOT! but very refreshing tubing down the Kern River. The only thing that would have made our trip nicer was if the water had been higher. Thanks Sierra South for the fun tubing trip.

rufino cuevas

2023-10

We had SO much fun! Second time with Sierra South. First time with family. We loved our guide Evan. Felt safe and confident throughout the entire experience. All of the guides were superb. They looked out for everyone in the group - 4 rafts in total that day, about 24 rafters - and walked us through all safety procedures and what to do in case of x y & z.For a rafting trip, the lunch spread was pretty decent. Guides even provided some great suggestions for local restaurants and watering holes for after the trip. Overall, the adventure is well worth the price. Suggestion on my end: Bring a Go Pro if you can and cash to tip your guide. They most definitely deserve the show of gratitude.Thank you Sierra South.

Scott C

2023-11

Great time on the full day white water trip. Khari & Sergio were fantastic guides and will totally do the trip again next spring!

Rudy Reyes

2021-05

My girlfriend and I were first timers to rafting. Our Honda outdoor club booked a full day lower Kern class II III with Sierra South and we couldn’t have been happier.For starters our trip was originally booked for April. But the COVID-19 shutdown caused us to move it out and Sierra was extremely accommodating.On the river the guides Trey and Ian were amazing. Did a great job of stressing safety but not scaring us newbies. They also told funny stories and kept the whole trip fun and exciting.We will definitely return for a class 4 trip next year.

Lorie Sandoval

2022-05

We had the best rafting trip ever! Our guide Kyle & Ben our class 4 guide in training were awesome! We had a man overboard at one point on the rapids & Ben got him back into the boat in like 30 seconds. He was amazing how quickly & calmly he did that. Kyle knew so much about the history of the area & made the trip really special... Letting us turn backwards and "surf" the rapids was so cool, and jumping from the rock(terrifying in a good way). We will never forget our day on the river with these guys. Special shout out to our raft mate John who took a dip like a champ & got back in and paddled without missing a beat.😉 we will only go back to Sierra South for our river sports in the future.Btw- Ben is going to be a fantastic guide also👍

Shaun Brown

2023-09

Just did the Lower Kern Full Day, Class IV, on 8/26/23, and the trip was outstanding. We were fortunate to have Hunter as our guide. He kept us in the raft with great steering and direction, and he filled our heads with tons of knowledge about not only the Kern River and the rapids we were facing that day, but also a ton of general knowledge about rafting and backpacking all over the country. I think everyone in our group would have continued the ride for hours more if we could have, and it looked like the other groups felt the same. I highly recommend Sierra South Mountain Sports, and if you happen to get Hunter as your guide, you're in for a heck of a ride!

Lesley Kingsland

2023-10

We had an awesome experience with South Sierra during our trip to the Kern River. The river was flowing a little faster than I expected, and our guide, Gravy, made sure it was a safe and fun experience for our 8-year old. We did the half-day on the Lower Kern (class II and III) and it was the perfect amount of time. I'd love to do another trip! Thanks South Sierra!