The Sequoia National Forest northeast of Bakersfield offers several good trails for mountain biking, but most of them are fairly rugged and require a good amount of technical skill. Two easier trails are located inside the city limits in Kern River County Park. Cactus, the longer of the two, is a 1.3-mile singletrack ride that’s nearly all downhill; the other, Hootie, is only about half as long but is exclusively downhill, with some banked turns a sometimes bumpy ride. While Cactus and Hootie have separate trailheads, they both end at the same spot.
Much more challenging than Cactus or Hootie, the Kern River Trail roughly follows the course of the lower Kern River for nearly 17 miles starting in the Sequoia National Forest’s Keyesville Recreation Area. Bikers’ skills will definitely be put to the test on this trail, both in terms of their technical abilities and strength and stamina: while the trail descends nearly 3,000 feet over its course, it climbs more than 2,150 feet. Most of the descent comes during the final six miles when the trail drops about 2,000 feet. This trail is rated intermediate-to-difficult.
The top-rated trail in the Sequoia National Forest is the 25.5 mile Cannell Trail, rated as difficult. Its trailhead is in Kernville, 9,200 feet above sea level, and the first few miles include some trying climbs. For the entire first 17 miles, the altitude remains at or above 7,000 feet, after which it drops off 5,000 feet over the course of an 8-mile stretch known as “The Plunge.”
Bikers attempting these trails should familiarize themselves thoroughly with the trails and their current condition and ride with an experienced partner.