Trail Description
Finding the trail: From the intersection of CA 178 and CA 155 in Lake Isabella, drive north on CA 155. After 1.2 miles (0.5 mile past the entrance to the Lake Isabella Visitor Center), turn left on Keysville Road, marked by signs reading "Keysville Rec. Site." Drive west up a rudimentary paved road for 0.9 mile. Turn left at a dirt road marked with an arrow pointing to Boat Ramp/Pearl Harbor Memorial. After driving 125 yards up this road, turn left into a small unmarked parking area and park.
Notes on the trail: A cyclometer helps a great deal on this ride, and for this reason more mileage numbers than usual are given. However, common sense, a knack for knowing your location, and route-finding skills are much more valuable. Since it's usually easy to ascertain your position along the ride relative to CA 178, getting lost is not a big worry. From the parking area, head left (following the signs pointing to the boat ramp and Pearl Harbor Memorial). The Kern River Valley prides itself on containing five out of the six distinct bio-regions found in the state. You're now riding through the California Grasslands region. Staying on the primary dirt road despite numerous intersections, pass the Pearl Harbor Survivors Association Living Memorial on your right at 0.7 mile. Continue riding in the same direction and you'll soon begin a major descent toward the Kern River and CA 178. Passing under a CA 178 bridge, the road dead-ends next to a popular raft put-in. Have fun people-watching, then turn around, passing back under the bridge and reaching a fire road on your left. (You passed this road a few moments ago while descending.) Now turn left on it at 2.2 miles and begin climbing. Chances are you'll see a lot of bike tracks here. At a three-way junction after a descent, take the middle trail (which, at times in the past, has been flagged with red ribbon). You'll see huge jackrabbits as you crest a quick little hill. Turn left at the crest at 2.4 miles onto your first real single-track of the ride. With CA 178 now on your left, have fun on the single-track, which, again, may be marked by red flags. Stay left past a cairn and more flagging at 2.7 miles. With some climbing under your belt, you'll ascend far above CA 178 and the Kern River before descending toward the highway. At 3.2 miles, you'll reach your nearest brush with CA 178. (If you need to bail out, do so here by going left on CA 178, left on CA 155, left on Keysville Road, and left on Pearl Harbor Road to your car.)
Otherwise, stay on the single-track, which climbs away from CA 178 by turning north. (Now that CA 178 is no longer in sight, it's a bit tougher to find your bearings should you get lost. There might be abundant flagging, cairns, and bike tracks showing you the way, but there might not be. So if all else fails, just head northwest until you reach a double-track, and then head right on it.) There now, back to the directions. You're heading west on the single-track, remember? Turn left at a fire-road intersection at 3.7 miles (the busier route, judging from the bike tracks). The trail turns to double-track at 3.9 miles and curves a bit northward. At 4.4 miles you'll reach a barbed-wire gate reading "Please Close Gate." Do so and keep riding in the same direction. At 4.8 miles, the road forks. According to a sign, if you go left you'll enter the Kern Canyon Trail/FS 31E75. Instead, head right and uphill. You're now on Black Gulch North Road and it's much easier to find your bearings. At 5.7 miles, stay left at an intersection with another dirt road and keep climbing. At 6 miles, you'll reach a T intersection with Keysville Road. Turn right and grind up to a summit high above the Kern River valley floor at 7.1 miles. From here, you can see for miles. Keep going the way you've been traveling, and at 8 miles you'll reach an old dilapidated mining storage shed. Keep going downhill and reach pavement again at 8.7 miles. At 9.6 miles turn right onto Pearl Harbor Avenue, and return to your car at 9.7 miles.
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