Regions
Three Californias, One County Line
At 8,163 square miles, Kern County is the third-largest county in California by area, and it earns that size with real variety: Central Valley farmland in the west, Sierra Nevada foothills and river canyon in the east-central mountains, and Mojave Desert badlands further east still. A first-time visitor is usually better served picking one region for a trip rather than trying to see all three — the drive times between them are real. Pick a region below for its full overview, or see every town in the guide on our towns page.
The Valley
Bakersfield and the farm towns around it — Basque restaurants, honky-tonks, and the birthplace of the Bakersfield Sound.
The Mountains
The Wild and Scenic Kern River, Lake Isabella, and the Sequoia National Forest foothills.
The Desert
Red Rock Canyon's old-Western backdrops, Tehachapi's wind farms, and dark-sky nights.