Kernville / Cannell Plunge
Kernville (Sequoia National Forest, Kern River Valley) · near Kernville · Sierra Nevada / Yosemite
Mountain Biking
At a glance
- Skill level
- expert
- Trail miles
- 32-mile Cannell Plunge · Fire roads, singletrack, and a 5,000ft final drop
- Elevation
- Starts at Sherman Pass (9,200ft) · Drops ~5,000ft over the final seven miles
- Best season
- Late spring–fall (upper elevations snow-free) · Avoid mid-summer heat at the bottom
Worth knowing
- Good for a first timer
- No
Mountain Biking detail
- Nickname
- The 5,000-Foot Descent
- Ride types
- all-mountain · enduro · xc
- Signature trails
- The Cannell Plunge · Just Outstanding (Potato Patch) · Kern River Valley singletrack
- Ebike
- No
- Ebike note
- Big backcountry terrain; standard bikes are the norm. The descent-focused nature means the climb is largely shuttled.
- Intl tip
- Kernville pairs mountain biking with whitewater rafting on the Kern River (covered in the rivers guide) — a two-sport adventure weekend. The town itself is a low-key Sierra gateway with river-town charm, 2.5 hours from LA.
The guide
The Cannell Plunge is one of California's great big-mountain descents — a 32-mile point-to-point that starts at the 9,200-foot …
In the Guidebook
Everything above is yours for free. The written guide to Kernville / Cannell Plunge — what it is actually like, and what we would tell a friend before they went — comes with the Guidebook.
Getting there
- Coordinates
- 35.753, -118.425