In two weeks, I hope to be taking my family on a 3day hike. Forks of the Kern is recommended to me in case the high sierra is too cold. I have never hiked in this area before and I'm trying to quickly piece together some info so I have a reasonbly good chance of a) finding the place and b) not dragging my family on some dry dusty death march.
From the looks of things, there are alot of dirt roads intersecting the area and alot of hunting/equestrian activity. I'm thinking about starting from Lewis camp trailhead and heading toward Jerkey Meadows and eventually maybe Kern Flat or just following the river and camping down there. Will I be encountering any confusing road junctions or trail interruptions? I usually dont fret over these details much, but with the gang in tow, I want to avoid any frustrating navigation issues. Is the trail decent single track or is it dusty sandy horse/motorbike type stuff?
Has anyone been down to this area recently? Any tips as far as finding the trailhead, areas to avoid because their hot/dry and not as pleasant, etc? Can one find decent big camping sites down along the river canyon or should I plan on sticking to designated campgrounds? Are certain campgrounds real busy with rafting/horseback folks?
Thanks for any info you guys can help out with, my family will very much appreciate it. :)
