Not going to lie, this hike unexpectedly really beat me up. I intended to do the entire loop but…read morewas just so exhausted/overwhelmed when I woke up that I ended up turning back, although I took a different way back. I only made it to Lake 3 but to be fair, it started heavily pouring with intermittent thunder and lightning. The elevation gain destroyed me with my 20+ pound backpack, but I eventually made it to Lake 3 where I joined 2 other girls who basically adopted my clueless self. It is beautiful but perhaps would have been better without the cloudy skies. Overall, I would do this trip again but with more training!!

The Cottonwood Lakes are a series of 5 lakes in the high Eastern Sierra Nevada at about 11,000'…read moreelevation where you can catch California golden trout. This is a great place to camp out if you are looking for a place to acclimate before doing a high altitude hike such as Whitney. For convenience, you can just camp out at the trailhead which is at 10,000'. It takes about an hour to get from the Cottonwood Lakes Trailhead to the Whitney Portal. I arrived here on July 3rd in the afternoon and spent one night and the following day fishing and hiking the area as a warmup to Whitney, which I was hiking on July 5th. Ultimately, I did not have any altitude sickness issues beyond a very mild headache which I could treat with ibuprofen. From the Cottonwood Lakes Trailhead, the Cottonwood Lakes are about 5.5 miles away, so 11 miles roundtrip. Cottonwood Lake #3 is the largest of the five, and I ended up catching all my trout here. However, I didn't spend much time, if any, at the other lakes due to time constraints. I caught 4 trout in about an hour and a half. It's a very beautiful area, with large open meadows and lots of wildlife. I saw a deer and a pair of coyote while hiking to the lakes. There are also hordes of mosquitos so be sure to bring powerful mosquito repellant. Cottonwood Lakes can also be the midpoint in a hike to Mt. Langley, but that's another review.

Really enjoy this park very clean restrooms the park area is nice they have clean basketball…read morecourts, the play ground has a workout area but the play ground is for little kids probably out grown my kids. River area nice and calming

This place is beautiful, well kept, clean and very relaxing. Great for families, fishing & fun!read more

This park is gorgeous. There is plenty of space to explore and have a picnic. There is also a lot…read moreof great wildlife like peacocks, ducks, and Jack rabbits. This is definitely a picturesque place to relax and enjoy nature. It started to rain the day we went, but next time I'd love to stay and enjoy the outdoors a bit longer.

Love this park it has the best scenery in Tulare! Love making new memories here, very quiet and…read morepeaceful, love how everyone enjoys themselves here.

Had a great time on the trail with my husband! Perfect weather and smells. Would definitely…read morerecommend this for a road trip stop and/or your destination for the day.

My family and I rented a houseboat from the Marina a few weeks back, to go out on the lake and fish…read moreall day. The boat rental was fairly inexpensive - a little under 200 dollars for a 10 person boat, and we really enjoyed our experience. The staff was friendly and helpful at the Marina, and despite not catching anything, we had a fantastic day. Add in the fact that the lake is beautiful, we had a great time. We will be back, with more of the family this time!!

I live here in Bakersfield for almost two years the fishing sucks even way up here in the kern…read moreriver I fished all the way up from the bridge all the way down from the river no fish I used flies and everything else and nothing. but the scenery is beautiful and dangerous at the same time really rocky if you want to catch fish try the kings river and upper kings there's lots of life in that river and wild life everywhere all year round up there take the 99 hwy to the 180 hwy it's a drive but worth it

LOVED IT ! Awesome spot right on the Kern River on your way to johnsondale and the trail of 100…read moreGiants

Cute little park with nice shaded areas and fat geese wandering about. Only complaint is the…read moreparking is a bit limited. I'll be back!

Large park, lots to do. Shady areas for picnics, two separate playground areas, small pond where…read morefishing takes place, the public pool is located at the top and there is a road that drives through the park for ease of access.

Lengt:h 7.2 Total Miles…read more Elevation Gain: 2,100 feet Trail Type: Out-and-back Skill Level: DIFFICULT Duration: Backpack or day hike Season: Best July through September Trailhead Elevation: 7,900 feet Top Elevation: 10,000 feet In September, this sun-exposed trail was lined with a scattering of Indians Paintbrush, a sampling of the fuller wildflower bouquet, which blooms on these slopes in the spring. After 1 mile, turn right at the White Chief Trail junction. The Eagle Lake Trail shifts in style from a straight track to a series of switchbacks that chew into the elevation. At the junction with the Mosquito Lakes Trail, turn left and set your sites on Eagle Lake, 1.7 miles away. Alternatively, hikers could turn right here and hike the same distance to the lowest of four Mosquito Lakes located one ridge west of Eagle Lake. The ascent tapers as you follow Eagle Creek to its source, passing a pair of unique "sink holes" where the water disappear underground into strange craters. Pass through a wooded meadow and dissect an alpine bounder field. The trail mounts a rock slope beneath Eagle Lake and offers fine northeast views toward Sawtooth and Mineral Peaks. The route to this lake follows the same trail for the first 2 miles, ascending steadily up the west side of the Mineral King Valley. The trail ends at the north end of Eagle Lake, where a small dam, maintained by Southern California Edison, enhances the volume of the lake. A path continues through the trees along the eastern shoreline. Large rocks act as islands in the lake, which gets more picturesque the further you walk.

We just went to Eagle Lake for an overnight camping trip. It's mid-August…read more We first stopped at the ranger station to get some information about the trail. That's where we rented bear can for our food. The rangers were really nice and knowledgeable. We pay $15 for camping permit and $5 for bear can rental fee. It was 4 of us and our 2 year old son. We started hike just OK, but it's ALL UPHILL till the lake. Our son did great, covered good mileage, but of course we ended up carrying him later. If you are going with little kids, it's best to have proper carriage because the terrain gets pretty rocky and steep. It's best if you have both hands free to climb up there. Hiking sticks strongly recommended. It is one of the hardest back-country camping trip, but it was rewarding! The meadows were so beautiful, saw wild life, and the sense of accomplishment was priceless!

A true local store that has everything you need for a great day on the river. The shop manager was…read morewelcoming and gave us a few tips. The had plenty of options at good prices and had an assortment of clinics to try. Now, if you are looking to get into the places the local fish then you'll need a guide. Look no further than Rob Buhler! My son wanted to learn to fly fish for his birthday and I hadn't picked up a rod for 20 years. Rob gave us a fantastic, practical four hour lesson on the river. He took his time teaching fundamentals and made every cast fun. Rob was incredibly knowledgeable about the river, fish, fauna, and the geological history of the area. In addition, he was huge on safety and environmental protection which was a massive positive. Don't think twice about asking for Rob the next time you're in the Kernville area and need a pro. He was so committed to the craft and gave off the vibe of the cool uncle everyone wants to have around. A real gift to the area and we're so glad the shop has folks like him on staff.

This is the second trip up for me in as many years. Booked a full day trip with 2 other friends…read morewith Chaz Paul as our guide. We had an incredible time and Chaz more than delivered. He was punctual, had clearly put in research/work ahead of time, and spent the entire day bouncing back and forth between three different anglers of varied skill levels (and several locations). He offered tips, good feedback, and introduced us to Euronymphing. Guy and Dano in the shop are always great. Caught plenty of fish and Chaz made a special trip even more special.

Absolutely stunning and incredible experience! I personally don't enjoy tours, but let me tell you…read moreeveryone needs to experience this tour at least once in their lifetime! My 5 year old and 7 year old did just fine. I honestly can't fully articulate how I felt during the experience, but it was 100% worth the drive. Our tour guide was amazing! She explained everything in such simple terms that even my children could completely understand what she was talking about. I was amazed knowing that I was standing underneath a natural cave it was such an incredible experience! It can get pretty chilly inside, but since we went during summer break, it actually felt perfect. Definitely an experience I'm glad we got to share as a family

First time for us four at Sequoia NP and we loved our experience in Crystal Cave. The staff overall…read moreloved what they do and you can tell. Right from the get go the staff welcomes your group and is telling you instructions to take care of yourself, your group and the caves/park. They greet you with enthusiasm and you learn so much. Please arrive on time! For parking there's quite a bit of spaces. There's restroom nearby so you can go before heading out. You can bring your backpack onto the trail but can't bring it inside the cave. So you can either bring it and leave it on the floor outside the cave or in your car. The trail can be a little challenging for some but very doable. Can be a little challenging for some children and some older adults. This also includes for the caves.The staff are there to watch for your safety but they do warn you about your surroundings. The cave is very cool to explore but there will be some tight spaces you will navigate through. So I don't recommend bringing a stroller and make sure your kids are able to walk and stay near. They will definitely enjoy the cool nature stuff inside! There's a gift shop stand near the entrance of the trail. You can buy nice souvenirs, snacks, and support! Overall we loved our tour and we would comeback again for this. Thank you to all the staff of Crystal Cave for all that you do and taking care of this natural beauty.

Oh how I completely love the Kern River!! I have been going for 24 years. It has never been as…read morebeautiful and full as it is now. One of my dearest friends is a seasoned river rafter. When we go river rafting, we mainly stay @ Headquarters or Sandy Flat Campground. This past weekend, we stayed at Sandy Flat. It was amazing. It is right off the river. The river was full and had power. I will add official stats by this weekend. My favorite group of runs is called The Jungle. (I will fact check this). I think that a great run was called Dilly. It is a class 4!! OMGoodness, it was wild & fun. Once more rafters arrived we went on another run. I will get the official names. One is named ... something Deli. Anyways, EPIC FUN. I forgot my wetsuit. I just went on June 3rd. The water was C O L D. Our guide, Doug, told us NOT to bring our phones. I wish I would have remembered my Go - Pro. We were lucky that the 178 reopened for the drive home. It was 93 degrees. I was mesmerized by the river. I couldn't stop watching it on the drive home.

The Kern River is beautiful…read more This review is based on a first timers camping visit. Coming up here from San Diego we didn't really know what to expect other than we might have an opportunity to tube down the river. So everyone in our group brought river tubes. That was our first miscalculation. Aperently tubing depends on the season, recent weather conditions, and various natural events that really narrow the scope of when you can tube safety. Also consider how you plan to get back up to your campsite after you tube down the river a few miles.. Ideally you rent tubes from a company that also shuttles you back up the river. If you don't want to rent tubs someone in your group has to pick you up and drive you back, which is a pain. There is no cell service and no uber... The Kern River is best suited for kayaking and rafting. There are many companies in kernville that offer those services. Camping. If you're looking to camp along the river during the summer you need to think about booking in January. During our stay mid-June, the entire river was booked solid.. We stayed at Sandy Flats campgroup which had a small beach area by the river. Litter bugs. One of the most discouraging things to see along the river was the amount of trash that people leave behind. The number one item? Used diapers.. If you can manage to visit midweek, and be prepared to use a kayak/rafting company you will have an epic time. Note - Sequoia National Park is about an hours drive away. Makes for a great day trip.