Biking and hiking are two of the most popular forms of exercises, and Kern County has plenty of places to do both.
While both activities can be done informally almost anywhere, the City of Bakersfield offers the Kern River Parkway. The path, good for both biking and walking, follows the southern side Kern River for almost 20 miles from Manor Street in Oildale to the California State University Bakersfield campus.
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There are no facilities on the path but it does meander past a number of public areas, including Beach and Yokuts parks in downtown Bakersfield and Truxtun Lake. The parks provide places to rest, public restrooms, diversions and other recreational opportunities.
Expansion is underway with a 32-acre park site to be near Stockdale Highway and Buena Vista Road. When fully completed this park will include two year-round water recharge lakes connected by walking trails and an amphitheater surrounded by water.
A similar path can be found in the southwestern Kern community of Taft. The "Rails to Trails" greenbelt splits the city just south of the downtown business district. The path traverses the route established by the old Sunset Railway, the town's lifeline during the early 1900s oil boom.
If you're a fan of the big trees, the Trail of 100 Giants above Kernville takes hikers on a trek through a magnificent grove of Giant Sequoias. Enjoy an easy half-mile walk on a paved path through 275 of the solitary giants.
On the desert side of the county, Ridgecrest's Maturango Museum offers a number of guided hikes each year. Wildflower walks and hikes to popular nature sites in the area such as Fossil Falls or the Coso Range Petroglyphs are seasonal favorites. In some cases these hikes are the only way to see these attractions, many of which are located on federal land.
Those who would prefer to blaze their own paths can do so throughout the county. Bike lanes crisscross most of Kern's communities while a wide variety of city and county owned parks team with state and federal lands to offer a wealth of recreational opportunities for all skill levels.
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