10 mi

        20 mi

Kern River Trail Run

• Scroll down for course map

• The 5K

  The 5K course is out and back from the picnic grounds, along the river, and behind Lake Ming.  A flat, paved start leads to a short downhill within ¼ mile.  At the bottom of the downhill, be prepared for a quick right turn into a dirt parking lot.  Past the lot is the beginning of a packed sand trail that winds through a variety of trees near the Kern River.  At about the 1 mile point, the course reaches Lake Ming, where it follows a dirt path on the North side of the lake to the turn around.  Now it is a simple matter of retracing your steps, and don’t forget that short downhill near the start will now be a quick uphill.

   

• The 10 Mile

  The 10 mile course is shaped vaguely like a lower case letter “d.”  There is a 3 mile out and back portion with a 4 mile loop in the middle.  The First 4 ¼ miles are relatively flat along the Kern river on a mixture of surfaces ranging from sand and clay to pavement.  There are a few quick ups and downs along this section, but they are minor.  At this point, the 10 mile and 20 mile courses split.  The 20 mile continues along the river, but the 10 mile turns to the left, crosses a road, and heads UP the bluffs.  This ½ mile long pull is the only major climb of the course.  Marked in yellow on the map between miles 4 and 5, most runners choose to walk some of the sections of switchbacks just after the water tanks.  Once the 10 mile course reaches the top of the bluffs, it again rejoins the 20 mile course for a short flat section before beginning a 2 mile gradual descent back toward the river.  Watch your footing as you try to regain some of the time you lost on the climb.  From mile 7 to the finish, the course is in familiar territory as it retraces the first 3 miles along the river.

   

• The 20 Mile

  This is NOT an easy course.  Many finishers have said this course is harder than running a road marathon. There are 5 major uphills, and some pretty fun downhills to test your quads.  For 5 ½ miles, the course winds along following the path of the Kern River.  Runners will traverse sand, pavement, clay, grass, and gravel in this relatively flat section.  At about 5 ½ miles, the course turns left, cuts through Hart Park, and heads up the bluff.  This is a fairly steep singletrack climb with no switchbacks just to the East of the shooting range in Hart Park.  Welcome to the hills.  For the next 10 miles, the course takes runners up and down a variety of climbs and descents ranging from short and steep to long, relentless grinds of about a mile.  From mile 16 on in to the finish line, the course again is along the river except for the quick uphill to the finish.

   

  Click on the map to see a larger image!