Kern River Parkway

I rode my bike from one end to the other. Spectacular scenery in the spring time. The summer months can be harsh with the heat. Several parks in Bakersfield line the parkway. Bright House amphitheater is located near by too.

A friend took me to play disc golf today at this park I had never been to. I believe there were 18 «holes» set up with the baskets. Super fun sport (frisbee and golf combined) and it was great exercise to walk it all. The dry riverbed is right there as is the bike path and a very busy roadway right beside it on the other side (Truxton) It made disc golf a bit hazardous as no one wants to hit a person, car or bike. (phew, this beginner hit nothing but a few trees, unavoidable on this course)
The park was quiet on a weekday, and the grounds were very well taken care of. There was even an adult work out area to promote good health!
A few transients passing through here and there, made me a little leery of leaving my car out of eyeshot but all turned out fine in that regard (take all your valuables with you, as always). As 4pm came, there was a lot more traffic through the park.
Lots and lots of trees stand tall here and cute little squirrels, (mommas and babies) were sunning themselves and running about. Rabbits present too and lots of birds.
It was a beautiful day and some people had come just to read a book or take a nap under a tree. Clean, for the most part.

I ride my bike several here several times a week. Easy accessibility right off Mohawk and Truxtun.
It’s a nice central starting point to get to the bike trail. I meet here with my father and away we ride… Friendly people frequent the trail and it’s nice to see active people enjoying the sunshine.
There is plenty of parking. Nice, big grass areas and trees.
This place needs a name change though. The river has been dry as a bone for at least 10 years. No sign of a river just a dry, barren and sandy river bed.
I will try to get more pictures soon.
Kern River Parkway, 5 stars.

There are parts of the parkway that are beautiful, and parts that are barren. Overall it is a great place to walk/​jog/​run, bike, rollerblade/​skate, walk your pets (please clean up their mess!), have a picnic (please clean up your mess!), exercise on the equipment located somewhere near the middle (east of Mohawk, north of Truxtun), or just kick back and relax. There are also volleyball courts and a disc golf course near Mohawk. Careful at night, though; there are long stretches of bike path that have no lighting so be sure to bring a headlight for your bike, or a flashlight otherwise. There are emergency call boxes located at intervals along the bike path if you have an emergency and your cell dies or if you have T-​Mobile (I have T-​Mobile ad there are some areas that are dead zones along the path).
As a courtesy to others, please read (and follow) the path guidelines. There is a big billboard type sign with the rules posted every so often along the trail. Simple rules like if you bring trash in please bring it out with you, slower traffic should keep to the right to allow people to pass more easily, and don’t walk 3 abreast blocking the whole path making bikes have to slow down and wait for you to realize you’re blocking traffic and move over. You’d be surprised how many people have given me dirty looks for riding on «their» path and making them move so I can pass. Some people are so rude!

I really love the Kern River Parkway and all the parks along it and the Kern River Bike Path. We went out last night and saw a bobcat beside the trail on the way out to Enos Lane and again on the way back. We either ride from Finish Line out to Enos Lane, or from Finish Line out to Manor and back. We have seen lots of wildlife. Last month we surprised a coyote that ran across the trail in front of our recumbent trikes. Of course we have seen road runners, hawks, quail, doves, rabbits, squirrels, owls, etc. When it is hot we ride from dusk on when it is cool. It was perfect last night and the moon was spectacular even though it was not quite full.

I really enjoy this park. It has great scenery, and your able to do a variety of things, such as ride your bike, Fish, walk, run, or take a date to relax.

I don’t think most people in Bakersfield realize what a gem this is. I have the Parkway so many times for excercise or just a relaxing stroll. Access to a bike path 30 miles long, river front, clean parks, cool photo opportunities, and mostly good people enjoying the outdoors are so appreciated as an amenities in any recreational area in a larger city.
The city/​county planners have done a few things right over the years ;-)

I’m thankful for this parkway and the bike path as it is my weekly getaway from life’s pressures. Just me, the bike path, my bike and the wind in my face. I love the silence and love to see the other cyclist and families taking advantage of it.
I’d like to see a few improvements made but am thankful for what we have!

Contrary to the other review, Bakersfield’s «leaders» didn’t really have it together back in the 1980s. Two locals — Rich O’Neil and Bill Cooper — did. And we can all credit those two with the amazing Kern River Parkway, which includes the bike trail and parks along the way. In fact, where the Truxtun Lakes are now the city «leaders» wanted to turn into a parking lot for a golf course, back in the day. The Parkway is an amazing place for families and people to be outside, to be active, and to enjoy the Kern River. It also stands as a testimony to the hard work and innovation that average citizens can have about how to improve and shape our community.

Wow, did Bakersfield’s community leaders really have it together to preserve the Kern River for its citizens back in the 80s. This park is one of my most favorite things about Bakersfield. It is truly a local gem. It’s a claim that most cities can’t make — a 20-​mile linear park abutting the Kern River running through the middle of the city from one end to the other with a bike path, tons of recreation areas, hundreds of flora and fauna in natural state among other things.
The park stretches from Lake Ming in the upper northeast foothills following the river through central Bakersfield, past the oil refineries, office park high-​rises, Truxtun Lake, and southwest suburban tract homes before ending at the farmland landscape at Enos Lane in the far southwest. A nice and apt cross-​section of Bakersfield if you ask me.
I’ve jogged, biked, rollerbladed, played beach volleyball, BBQed, and fished (among other things, snicker) in this park more times than I can count, and I love it more each and every time.