Sierra South Mountain Sports
Sierra South Mountain Sports
5
Multi-day ToursRiver Rafting & TubingClimbing ToursStand Up PaddleboardingKayaking & Canoeing
8:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Monday
8:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Tuesday
8:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Wednesday
8:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Thursday
8:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Friday
8:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Saturday
8:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Sunday
8:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Full view
About
Sierra South has been in business 30+ years and offers: The oldest, largest, and most experienced whitewater kayaking school in Southern California. As well as, guided whitewater raft trips on the Upper and Lower Kern River. We offer recreational kayak trips on Lake Isabella, rock climbing courses at local climbing areas, standup paddleboard (SUP) rentals & classes, and river tube rentals and shuttles at the end of the whitewater season. We also have a brick-and-mortar outfitters store stocked with gear, clothing, and gifts for paddling and mountain sports adventures. We are centrally located in the river town of Kernville, with a view of the Kern from our deck. Since 1995 an online River Store, where an actual person who knows paddling will handle your order and/or answer the customer service line. This is an award-winning location for those scouting for film, television, and print media.
Kernville, California
Awards
Travelers' Choice
2024
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
5.0
143 reviews
Excellent
132
Very good
6
Average
1
Poor
1
Terrible
3
TJ C.
San Clemente, CA7 contributions
Jul 2020 • Friends
Two of my buddies and I took a four day guided white water kayaking class through Sierra South and man was it intense!! If you’re looking for a super fun time with experienced instructors to show you how it’s done then I would highly recommend getting out there with some of the staff members that guide for this company. You won’t be disappointed!
Our main guide was Mark and he was a total stand up and easy to get along with kind of guy. He was punctual and on point the entire time and really made us feel comfortable as we got more and more acquainted with kayaking on the river. Throughout the four days we also had multiple different guides (Heather, Ian, and Trey) that tagged along for the day that were also enjoyable to be around and had a lot of tips to offer us.
The company was always on time and ready to start the day when they said they would with more than enough provisions to get us through whatever they had planned. The lunches that they made for us were really hearty as well and hit the spot after a good amount of time on the river. We had the time of our lives learning how to kayak in whitewater and all three of us would most definitely go back and do it over again. 🤙🏻
Our main guide was Mark and he was a total stand up and easy to get along with kind of guy. He was punctual and on point the entire time and really made us feel comfortable as we got more and more acquainted with kayaking on the river. Throughout the four days we also had multiple different guides (Heather, Ian, and Trey) that tagged along for the day that were also enjoyable to be around and had a lot of tips to offer us.
The company was always on time and ready to start the day when they said they would with more than enough provisions to get us through whatever they had planned. The lunches that they made for us were really hearty as well and hit the spot after a good amount of time on the river. We had the time of our lives learning how to kayak in whitewater and all three of us would most definitely go back and do it over again. 🤙🏻
Written July 11, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Cindy G
2 contributions
Jun 2020
Things are just starting to open up from Covid-19. They are only taking families to minimize exposure. Registration is electronic and there is plenty of space at the facility for social distancing. Masks are worn in the shop, preparation for the trip, and on the bus. Once on the raft, it's just your family and the guide. We took the "blaster" trip where we went down once and the young kids (10 and 11 yr old) were able to get comfortable, before taking the van up again and going down with much more enthusiasm and less fear. Make sure you have water shoes or booties.
Written June 21, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Matt G
Burton upon Trent, UK595 contributions
Apr 2019 • Family
We’d actually been with Sierra South , white water rafting, years ago and they were very professional, great fun and it was a fantastic trip!. We did the run twice, and on the second run navigated some of the more difficult rapids. Our guide asked if the kids wanted to jump in for a short swim , towards the end , in a safe spot. We had a great afternoon.
We actually had this booked again for May this year but have had to cancel due to this Virus spread. All contact was quick , clear and responsive. So long as everything gets back to normal we’ll defo be returning visitors .
We actually had this booked again for May this year but have had to cancel due to this Virus spread. All contact was quick , clear and responsive. So long as everything gets back to normal we’ll defo be returning visitors .
Written March 26, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
chef
Diamond Bar, CA7 contributions
Jun 2022 • Friends
They promise you rapids with an unforgettable pictures. You get some rapids and that's an understatement and definitely no pictures. Huge waste of an overpriced tourist trap! Let me explain:
1st off all of us were about to purchase waterproof phone holders so we can have our epic pictures. Company convinced us not to. They said their staff (usually their driver) takes thee best pictures and it would be as if we had our own professional photographer with us. Can you imagine the joy? We believed them. We believed their lies. We left our phones. One less thing we had to worry about.
While on our rafting trip we had a whopping 2 rapids! Which we had to get in and out twice while lifting our very heavy gear,. We almost fell twice! Also the driver was just driving. AT no time taking any pics. When we asked who takes the pictures because we don't see any photographers The answer we got was the following. Our photographers are so good you don't even see them. Again we believed them. At the end of our trip we tipped our guide our photographer and the driver very well. Since that day which was about a week ago, they have given every single one of us the run around regarding our pictures. We were a group of 6 and we each paid a $145 per person with pictures. What a waste of money. It was very very disappointing.. Their excuse is and apparently always is from what we have found out Is that their Sims card is sometimes faulty.
We will not be back
we will not share good things About this company
we regret we tipped so well and we feel like they should be a bit more giving and sorry s*** happens. I hate giving this review but I don't want the next people to get screwed like we did
A bit of advice for you listen up it get a new SIM card are better yet take the pictures when promised
1st off all of us were about to purchase waterproof phone holders so we can have our epic pictures. Company convinced us not to. They said their staff (usually their driver) takes thee best pictures and it would be as if we had our own professional photographer with us. Can you imagine the joy? We believed them. We believed their lies. We left our phones. One less thing we had to worry about.
While on our rafting trip we had a whopping 2 rapids! Which we had to get in and out twice while lifting our very heavy gear,. We almost fell twice! Also the driver was just driving. AT no time taking any pics. When we asked who takes the pictures because we don't see any photographers The answer we got was the following. Our photographers are so good you don't even see them. Again we believed them. At the end of our trip we tipped our guide our photographer and the driver very well. Since that day which was about a week ago, they have given every single one of us the run around regarding our pictures. We were a group of 6 and we each paid a $145 per person with pictures. What a waste of money. It was very very disappointing.. Their excuse is and apparently always is from what we have found out Is that their Sims card is sometimes faulty.
We will not be back
we will not share good things About this company
we regret we tipped so well and we feel like they should be a bit more giving and sorry s*** happens. I hate giving this review but I don't want the next people to get screwed like we did
A bit of advice for you listen up it get a new SIM card are better yet take the pictures when promised
Written June 16, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
The Adventure Buddies
Manhattan Beach, CA769 contributions
Jun 2020
The Adventure Buddies had a blast going out with Sierra South Mountain Sports! We did a full day lower Kern class 2/3 rapids very easy for our little adventurous ones who are 8 and 10yo. There were opportunities to swim, jump off rocks, see wildlife along the way. We then stopped to have lunch on the river's edge where they even took into consideration our plant based diet and made a wonderful tofu sandwich!! Above and beyond! The crew was very experienced, did a great job explaining how to navigate the rapids and were very informative about the history of the surrounding area. We will definitely be going back to try another one of their many adventures!
Written June 25, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
adroy1996
Florida Keys, FL183 contributions
Aug 2020 • Family
My family of 4 with 2 teenage daughters did the full day Class 4 trip. We had so much fun! Even in August, the class 4s flowing. This was our second time white water rafting having done a trip in Yellowstone a couple years ago. Our expectations were high due to having such a fabulous experience the first time. Those expectations were met and exceeded with Sierra South. We went out with us and one other group that we stuck together with. The guides were fantastic. The banter between them was so entertaining. We had some fun and enjoyed the ride, but safety always came first. They were great about wearing masks and making sure we all did as well. But, also on the river, they were very safety conscious. It was clear there was always a few back up plans if things did go according to the first plan on a rapid. Mother Nature likes to throw curve balls some times and the guides were there to handle them. We fell in love with the area and look forward to going back and visiting Sierra South again.
Written August 15, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thomas M
4 contributions
Jul 2020
Our 8th year returning to SS because they are top notch. Good, friendly, safety-minded people and excellent equipment. We wouldn’t go anywhere else. Rafted on day 1 on Lower Kern, our guide Josh was so excellent we requested him for our day 2 whitewater kayaking private lesson. In learning to roll the kayak, he was patient enough to allow us many rolls so we could groove the muscle memory. Bravo SS!
Written July 11, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Mark Girardeau
Newport Beach, CA31 contributions
May 2022
We had a group of 5 friends that took the all day Upper Kern rafting trip with Sierra South 2 days ago and it was absolutely amazing! I've been rafting with Sierra South several times in the past but haven't gone in about 10 years. This time, we had Jake as our guide and Joey on a kayak as our safety backup and they were both awesome! Both of them were super friendly and fun to be around! Jake was great at giving commands and making sure we ran the river exactly where we needed to be. 3 of my friends on the raft had never been rafting before and were very nervous before the trip but Jake gave very good instructions and put everyone at ease, nobody fell out and now all of them want to come back for another trip! Dave the bus driver was also very nice and knowledgeable about the area, we kept seeing him parked along the river following us down to make sure everything was good.
I highly recommend the all day trip which includes a nice lunch! Nothing to be nervous about with these experienced crews. The office staff is also very friendly and the whole process was easy.
I highly recommend the all day trip which includes a nice lunch! Nothing to be nervous about with these experienced crews. The office staff is also very friendly and the whole process was easy.
Written May 13, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
MikiJuli
Los Angeles, CA77 contributions
Jun 2020 • Family
We took our 9 and 11 year old kids rafting here for the first time and it was fabulous! The whole 3 hour route on the water (lower kern) was much more visually beautiful than we expected and there was just the right amount of water excitement (ii and iii rapids) for us all to have a blast in the rapids without feeling endangered. We had 2 opportunities to also jump in the water to cool off (and once to jump off a high rock) which was awesome. The tour starts with a 15 min bus ride to where you start the boat part and then about 30 min back. Our only complaints were that we were told we didn’t need to bring water bottles- but they only provided water at the end (vs halfway or on the bus). Also - given coronavirus alert right now- they should do a better job of enforcing mask wearing on the bus.
Written June 22, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
wmagana
Carlsbad, CA9 contributions
Jul 2020
Awesome day, we were nervous and excited. Our guides were Andrew and Kyle. Both super guys,friendly and informative. I didn't know before we started our rafting that there would be an additional safety guide there to assist us in case we fell out or was needed. That was super having that extra person. On a scale of one to ten. I am going to have to give the whole experience a ten. The river was beautiful. The rafting was not to much for my 12 and 13 year old girls. They both gave it a ten as well. I would highly recommend the company and the experience to you if you are interested in rafting.
Written July 21, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
No questions have been asked about this experience