Kern Peak is a mountain peak in

Tulare County, California Tulare County ( ) is a county located in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 473,117. The county seat is Visalia. The county is named for Tulare Lake, once the largest freshwater lake west of the Great La ...

, in the southern

Sierra Nevada The Sierra Nevada ( ) is a mountain range in the Western United States, between the Central Valley of California and the Great Basin. The vast majority of the range lies in the state of California, although the Carson Range spur lies primari ...

. At in elevation and about of prominence, it is the 49th most prominent peak in

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

. It is west of

Olancha Peak Olancha Peak is a mountain in the Sierra Nevada (U.S.), Sierra Nevada of California. It rises to an elevation of on the Tulare-Inyo county line in the South Sierra Wilderness. It takes its name from the nearby town of Olancha, California, Olanc ...

, which is in the same mountain range. The climb to the summit involves a long hike from any trailhead. The best time to climb the mountain is May to October.

Camping

Several campsites are located along the routes to the summit. Some of these campsites are located by the

South Fork Kern River The South Fork Kern River is a tributary of the Kern River in the Sierra Nevada (U.S.), Sierra Nevada of the U.S. state of California. It is one of the southernmost rivers on the western slope of the mountains, and drains a high, relatively dry p ...

. There are also some areas not specifically designated for camping but which are nonetheless able to be camped on. Permits are required to be able to camp in the

Golden Trout Wilderness The Golden Trout Wilderness is a federally designated wilderness area in the Sierra Nevada, in Tulare County, California, Tulare County and Inyo County, California, Inyo County, California. It is located east of Porterville, California, Portervi ...

, which can be reserved ahead of time.

References

{{Sierra Nevada Mountains of the Sierra Nevada (United States) Mountains of Tulare County, California Mountains of Northern California