The Little Kern River drains approximately 133 square miles (340 km2) of wilderness,[2] all of it in Tulare County.

[1] The Little Kern begins at Bullfrog Lakes, in the Golden Trout Wilderness south of Farewell Gap near Mineral King.

[5] The Little Kern roughly defines the southwest boundary of the Great Western Divide; the confluence with the main Kern (which flows to the east of the range) marks the southernmost tip of the range.

[6] Forks of the Kern is located about 40 miles (64 km) upstream of Lake Isabella.

[6][7] Major efforts were made since the 1960s to create refuge areas for golden trout in the upper reaches of the South Fork Kern River.