WARNING! DO NOT ATTEMPT THIS TRIP UNLESS YOUR
OUTFIT IS IN TIP-TOP CONDITION.
Roadsign to Paradise
Three miles north of Piersonville, CA. off Highway 395 is a clearly marked
road going west that leads to Kennedy Meadows. Via a series of very steep
switchbacks on a narrow asphalt road full of potholes you will gain
4700 feet elevation in just 9 miles.
Several times my trusted RV "Hollandia" had to slow down to a crawl
and was ready to pull over to the side of the road for a rest. There was
only one problem, there is no "side of the road." Only our constant
encouragement of: "You can make it!" and "You're almost there!"
kept her going. After what seemed like hours, we reached the tree line
where the inclines were not as steep. The vegetation is very desert
like with joshua trees along the way up. Above the tree line it's mainly
pine trees and sage brush.
Roughly 12 miles after you leave Highway 395 you'll see the Chimney Peak
Work Center and Fire Station managed by the BLM. This is a good place
to stop for information. Now I wished I had done so myself. But that's
water under the bridge. Right accross from the station is the entrance
to a nightmare.
Gateway to Hell
This road was to lead us to our intended destination. The guide books
mentioned not one but two FREE BLM campgrounds. Chimney Creek
campground 4 miles ahead with 36 spaces and Long Valley campground
11 miles farther offering 11 campsites. Both sounded wonderful
and because fishing was mentioned in my guide book I assumed that
there must be a creek also. The big question is: how do we get there?
Although the road had just had a fresh layer of gravel when we were
there it was very, very bumpy to say the least. "Hollandia" squeaked
and creaked, cupboard doors flew open, spilling the contents of the
cabinets on the floor. Desert Dog Dutchess, not one to give up easily,
begged me to turn. My own nerves rattled, I agreed. If only
I could find a spot in the road wide enough to turn "Hollandia" around.
Finally we succeeded. Later we met a young man on a dirtbike.
He told us that we made the right decision when we turned around.
The road was not getting any better from where we called it quits.
It was a bad road to begin with and spreading a layer of gravel on
Back on terra firma we asked ourselves: what do we do now? It was getting
late in the afternoon and the idea to tackle the switchbacks again on
this same day didn't appeal to any of us. A roadsign told us that the
small community (pop. less than 40)of Kennedy Meadows was 13 miles to
the west of where we were standing. And so it was by pure coincidence
that we discovered
PARADISE!
Kennedy Meadows Campgound
Without any trouble we found this BLM campground where a space can
be had for $5.00 per night. If you have a Golden Age or a Golden Access
passport, it only costs half as much. Two more campgrounds, Fish Creek
campground and Troy Meadows campground are within 10 miles from
here. We arrived on a Sunday evening and the campground was almost
empty but a camper who had been there for the last couple of days
told me that on Friday and Saturday nights there were very few
spaces left. The campground is on the banks of the south fork of
the Kern River. From what I was told, the fishing is good and I
even saw a brave swimmer or two in this icy cold water.....
Another attraction is the easy access via a 3 mile long path
to the Pacific Crest Trail that runs from Mexico to Canada. The only
hikers Dutchess and I met were day-hikers but one fellow told me that
we just missed a couple who planned to go the distance.
Oh, to be young again!
General Store
Back in "town" our first stop was at the General Store. With the only
pay phone it is truly the hub of this community. Aside from the usual
fare of groceries, beer and wine it offers movies on Saturday night
and church services on Sunday mornings.
Mail pick up for hikers is also available.
Ed McFarland at the General Store
No matter what you want to find out about this area, Ed will have the
answer. You can reach him by calling (559) 850-2314 or by writing to
Box 3A5, Inyokern, CA. 93527.
Our next stop was at Irelan's Home Cooked Meals. According to Jerry
Irelan his parents, Frank and Virginia came to the meadows in
1970 and are among the oldest permanent residents. Jerry grew up
here and doesn't want to live anywhere else. From him I got the
story about the back burn that is still scarring the mountains.
It all started when a hiker in the year 2000 burned some toilet paper
in the neighboring Sequoia National Forest. The only way to get this
wild fire under control was with firebreaks and back burns.
This inferno raged between July 22 and August 17, 2000. It was
a miracle that no lives or property were lost but it will take at
least 60 years for nature to restore itself.
A Sad Reminder
Our last stop was at the Grumpy Bear Saloon. A Western style bar
where all the night life takes place with a real live band on Saturday
nights. A good meal can be had for a very reasonable price. It also
has the only sanitary dump in the area. Dumping fee $10.00. They're
also known for their annual Chili Cook-off when people come from all
over to sample a bowl or two.
The Grumpy Bear's Saloon
And so it was that after a trip that had "DISASTER" written all over
it, we said goodbye to the Grumpy Ol' Bear himself with the words of
General McArthur: "WE SHALL RETURN!"
UPDATE:
9 Mile Canyon road just got repaved - no more potholes!!
Long Valley loop out of Chimney Peak closed due to washout.
Dunno when it'll be fixed...
Kennedy Meadows CG is USFS, not BLM, and all 3 campgrounds
(USFS too) charge $5 (when the water is turned on).
see "MATURANGO" for more news and updates...
