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Hikers have plenty of places to roam in Kern County.

Audubon California’s Kern River Preserve: Off Highway 178 in Weldon in the Kern River Valley. Offers an easy, flat-terrain walking trail through restored riverside habitat that features an abundance of birds, plants, butterflies and animals along the Kern River. Visitors can pick up a free trail interpretation guide at the preserve’s Visitors Center, which details sights along the walk. The preserve is open free to the public every day of the year from dawn until dusk.

Kern River Valley Hiking Club: Hikes once every two weeks, usually on Saturdays in the Southern Sierra Divide Mountains, as well as the trails around Kernville, Lake Isabella and surrounding Bakersfield areas. For the itinerary, contact Michelle Sweet at the Kernville Chamber of Commerce, 760-376-2629, www.lakeisabella.net/hiking/ or e-mail hike@lakeisabella.net. Contact Kern River Valley Hiking members:  http://groups.yahoo.com/gro...

Los Padres National Forest: Offers well-marked trails for foot, bike, motorcycle, and four-wheel travelers plus open camping and improved campgrounds for extended hikes. An Adventure Pass for vehicles is required. $5 a day or $30 a year. 805-968-6640, www.fs.fed.us/r5/lospadres.

Nuooah Nature Trail in Tehachapi Mountain Park: On Highway 58 between Mojave and Bakersfield. Quarter-mile loop at nearly 6,000 feet elevation features interpretive signs and markers describing vegetation and the history of the Nuooah American Indian Tribe, www.co.kern. ca.us/parks/nuooah.htm.

Pacific Crest Trail: Runs from Mexico to Canada and right through Kern County. Look for the trail marker along Highway 178 at Walker Pass, heading east toward the intersection with Highway 14. Information is available from the U.S. Forest Service at 760-379-5646, or look for a guidebook at your local library or bookstore.

Pine Mountain Condor Group of the Sierra Club: Offers short and long hikes and excursions in the Southern Kern County Mountains. Hikes are open to all members and nonmembers; 323-5569, www.kernkaweah. sierraclub.org, chair@ kernkaweah.sierraclub.org.

Sequoia National Forest: More than 800 miles of maintained roads and thousands of miles of trails. Trail maps and hiking information are available from the U.S. Forest Service offices in Bakersfield, Lake Isabella, Kernville and the Kern Plateau. Day use parking in signed lots is $5; 559-784-1500, www.fs.fed.us/r5/sequoia.

Tehachapi Mountains: On the eastern and southern borders of the San Joaquin Valley, from the town of Tehachapi to Frazier Park, provides scenic hikes for intrepid hikers. Elevation climbs to 8,831 feet above sea level at Mount Pinos in the Los Padres National Forest.