Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board Kern Canyon

I'm back packing from Onion Valley to Mt Whitney the last week of August this year. I'm considering a side trip into Kern Canyon entering from the North. I'd spend one or two nights in the canyon visiting the hot springs and Chagoopa Falls before back tracking out of the canyon on my way to Whitney.

Can anyone shed some light on expected conditions in Kern Canyon late August? I expect it gets hot in the canyon during the day but is it typically bearable or too hot for daytime hiking? I'm 41 years old, in excellent shape, and an experienced back packer. I spent a week hiking to Whitney from the South last year. Also, what's the rattlesnake population like along the High Sierra Trail between Chagoopa Falls and the North end of the canyon?

I'm sure it will get hot but you spend most of your time with shade walking through a light forest as I recall.

This is a tool that will give you much of what you want:

http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/hnx/

As you click on the map, you get a topo/relief map that allows you to zoom in, and even has trails.

It shows that the current temp at the junction of the trails at the bottom of the Kern is 66 degrees This is a very useful tool!