Principal outdoor recreation activities include camping, motorized travel, water-related activities, hiking, horseback riding, and resort and recreation residence use. Approximatley 8,000,000 recreations visits occur on the Forest annually. In addition, the Forest has a scenic byway, four Wild and Scenic Rivers and a Special Management Area associated with the Kings Wild and Scenic River. The presence of snow significantly broadens the range of recreational opportunities that the Forest can provide with such activities as downhill skiing, cross-country skiing, snow play, and snowmobiling. Since the Southern California climate is very hot during the summer, water serves as the prime attraction for recreational activities on the Sequoia National Forest.
People use the rivers, streams, and lakes for a wide variety of recreational opportunities.
Many opportunities are directly water-based such as swimming, fishing, whitewater boating, and kayaking. Other activities such as hiking, camping, driving for pleasure, picnicking, and relaxing are often pursued with water as an important backdrop. Whitewater rafting is a very popular activity on the Kings and North Fork Kern Rivers. Lake Isabella, with a water surface of over 11,000 acres, is one of the largest reservoirs in Southern California. There are approximately 900 miles of trail on the Sequoia National Forest.